Blind man gets F430 up to 292km/h
2010-04-08 09:47
Turkish pop-singer Metin Senturk has become the world’s fastest unaccompanied blind driver.
At Urfa airport in eastern Turkey, Senturk piloted a Ferrari F430 to an average speed of 292.89km/h - besting the previous record of 284km/h, held by a British bank manager.
Senturk, who has been blind since the age of three, was told by Guinness World Records officials he had broken the record.
To ensure Senturk possessed the requite skills to speed up and slow down the F430 during his record attempt, driving coach (and former rally driver) Volkan Isik was employed to provide training. During his record breaking run, Senturk was guided via radio instructions relayed by Isik, following in a chase vehicle.
"We really worked hard and we believed in ourselves and achieved it at the end. No one can take this record from us. Whoever tries to take it, I am going to beat his one adding 20 more kilometres and this record will stay with us, forever," Senturk told reporters.
South Africans will take keen notice of this latest record attempt, as our own Hein Wagner hold the world’s outright blind driving speed record.
Wagner was accompanied by his driving coach when he broached the 322km/h barrier driving a Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Black Series on an Upington airport runway last year.
