Two-time Dakar Rally champion Sam Sunderland aims to break epic motorcycle record
Two-time Dakar Rally champion Sam Sunderland has begun his toughest challenge as he aims to become the fastest person to circumnavigate the globe on a motorcycle.
Setting off from London on a Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer on Saturday September 5th, Sunderland will need to travel almost 29,000 kilometres across 16 countries and five continents in less than 19 days, 8 hours and 25 minutes to achieve the record-breaking feat. The record he will attempt to break has stood since 2002, courtesy of fellow Brits Kevin and Julia Sanders.
He will need to ride further than the length of the UK every day and is set to spend 16 hours a day in the seat, with his journey going across Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, North America, and North Africa before returning home to London.
Challenging weather conditions, unfamiliar roads, and physical exhaustion will all be on the agenda for Sunderland, who will be assisted in his challenge with any urgent maintenance by Triumph’s global network of dealerships and aftersales facilities.
Sunderland faces gruelling task
Sunderland has been showcasing his challenge on Instagram and has already run into his first difficulty on UK soil, with the famous British traffic costing him valuable time in his quest. The first part of his journey sees a demanding six-leg route to Istanbul, before heading to Bangkok and then to Kuala Lumpur. From there, he will cross the Australian outback from Perth to Sydney before riding the entire length of New Zealand.
Along the way, Sunderland will take in some iconic landmarks like the Bonneville Salt Flats, while his longest section of the challenge will take place across North America, from Vancouver to Montreal. The final leg will see the Brit travel from Casablanca, Morocco back to London.
Sunderland said: "I know exactly how difficult this is going to be. This isn't just about riding a motorcycle. It's about managing sleep deprivation, making decisions when you're exhausted, adapting to whatever the road throws at you, and continuing to move forward every single day."
The 37 year old won the 2017 and 2022 Dakar Rally events for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, as well as the inaugural FIM World Rally-Raid title, before retiring from competitive racing in 2024.
Sunderland had to postpone an original attempt at the round-the-globe challenge after breaking his back during training, an injury that required months of rehabilitation.
Speaking about the injury, Sunderland commented: "Breaking my back reinforced why I want to do this. Challenges don't always happen when everything is perfect, they're about how you respond when things don't go your way."
“Records are meant to be broken”
Current record holders Kevin and Julia Sanders have supported Sunderland’s effort, giving him insight and advice on the nuances of this particular challenge.
Kevin said: "Records are meant to be broken. We did this more than 20 years ago. Sam's going to face a whole set of new challenges compared to back then. We're really keen to see how Sam does."
words: Mike Booth
pictures: Red Bull Content Pool