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Daredevil breaks world record for fastest headstand on a motorbike near York

Marco George attempting to break the world record for fastest ever headstand on a motorcycle. Photograph: Harvey Brewster

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A British daredevil has performed a handstand on a motorbike while travelling at 76 miles per hour near York.

Attempting to set a world record for the fastest ever headstand on a motorcycle, Marco George, 30, clocked a speed of 76.1764mph at the Straightliners World’s Fastest Wheelie Competition at the Elvington airfield in North Yorkshire on Saturday.

It is expected to by ratified by Guinness World Records, with the previous record thought to be 30mph – a mark Mr George had been hoping to double. He said:

  • I don’t know what happened, I just clicked into the next gear of what I normally do and managed to pull a 76.

    I feel amazing and relieved.

    Normally you grit your teeth and try it but with the speeds we were trying to get it had to be very methodical and build it up nice and slow to keep the bike safe and myself safe.

The day was not without issue for Mr George, who was forced to buy a new helmet on the morning of the record attempt because the one he had been using did not meet the required safety standards.

Mr George, who is a robotics engineer from Fleet in Hampshire, has been building up to the record attempt for a couple of years after initially trying the stunt to use in competition.

Cycling record

Neil Campbell attempting to beat the Guinness Cycling world speed record at Elvington Airfield. Photograph: Worldreach/PA Wire
Another rider at the event set a new cycling speed record of more than 174mph on a £15,000 bike released from the back of a Porsche as it hurtled down a runway.

Architect Neil Campbell, 45, broke the previous record of 167mph using an elongated, custom-built bike based on the design of a tandem.

He achieved the fastest bicycle speed in a slipstream (male) record at Elvington Airfield on Saturday, beating the previous mark set by a Dutch rider in 1995.

Neil achieved the world-beating speed after his bike was released from the back of a Porsche as it hurtled down a runway

Mr Campbell, from Little Horkesley, Essex, was pulled along the two-mile track by the powerful Porsche Cayenne, then released so he went through the timing gate under his own power.

He was timed at 174.33mph after going through the 200-metre speed trap on the machine which was built by Moss Bikes using 3D printed components and parts from a motocross bike.

The Porsche had a large attachment on the rear which affected its aerodynamics, punching a hole through the air for Mr Campbell to cycle in.

He said: “I am thrilled and relieved, the team worked amazingly well.”