How about a moment of levity to distract us from our long, global COVID-19 nightmare? I present to you, two peculiar Guinness World Records that were set on September 27, 2020 at Elvington Airfield in North Yorkshire, United Kingdom.
The first record, fastest speed by an electric mobility-vehicle (prototype), was set by Jason Liversidge, a 44-year-old wheelchair user with Motor Neuron Disease (MND). Paralyzed from the neck down, Jason remains an avid adventurer and “adrenaline junkie.”
One of his projects was to develop a custom electric mobility vehicle, with the intent of breaking the speed record. On his third attempt. Jason achieved a speed of 66.826 miles per hour. The feat gained for him the official Guinness World Record.
Although his mobility vehicle has been described by many news outlets as a wheelchair, I’m not so sure it actually qualifies. Like my Permobil power wheelchair, Jason’s world-record ride has a seat, a battery and four wheels — but that’s about where the similarities end. What do you think?
The second record, fastest wheelie bin, is a strange one, but I suppose you can put a motor on anything that has wheels.
That’s precisely what Andy Jennings, a 28-year-old engineer from Swindon, did to achieve a world record. According to the official Guinness World Record entry, he “modified an upright, green rubbish bin with a motorcycle engine and the steering from a mobility scooter.” Despite the difficult crosswinds present on the airfield runway, Andy hit a speed of 43 mph, to beat the previous record by some 13 miles per hour.
These records might be hard to believe, but fortunately there is video. Enjoy!
