Matt Everard will attempt to break the world speed record for a person driving a tuk tuk, a three wheel rickshaw predominantly used in Asian cities to shuttle people around – and not something known for its high speeds.
Using a three-wheel Bangkok tuk tuk he once bought late at night on Ebay, Everard will attempt to break the current record of 110 km/h.
To do this, he’ll barrel down the longest runway in Britain at Elvington Airfield in Northern Yorkshire, England while Guinness World Records officials watch to confirm the record.
The collector pimped out the 1971 original’s two-stroke 350 cc engine with a modern 1300 cc fuel-injected Daihatsu motor capable of 144 km/h, a five-month project he says cost him US$26,000.
Everard says he bought the three-wheeler late at night online, but admits he found it hard to explain the decision to his wife the next morning.
“Imagine explaining to your straight-talking Essex wife that, after she went up to bed one night, you ended up buying a Thai tuk tuk from a bloke on the internet.”
According to the Guinness World Records, the record must be set in a so-called autorickshaw capable of carrying at least two passengers on a bench behind the driver. – dpa
