Record speeds and record distances for kitebuggies
Some awesome speeds and distances have been clocked up by kitebuggiers (is there such a word?) this year, 2009.
If you are a regular follower of our extreme sports blog you will have followed, avidly I hope, the MadWaySouth team’s epic voyage across the Sahara on kitebuggies. They achieved a remarkable 2,160 kms in 26 days. They actually broke 2 world records – that of the longest distance for a kitebuggy and the second for the first wind-only form of transportation to cross the Sahara.
Speed records are of course something else and Arjen van der Tol of Holland holds the record for dry lake bed buggying with a maximum speed of 124kmh or 77.05mph.
The beach sand record is held by Windjammer of England who reached a documented speed of 109.59kmh / 68.10mph.
The fastest lady on a buggy at the moment is Karen Cutbush with a beach sand speed of 77.57kmh / 48.20mph. She was delighted to hear that she held the record adding, “By the end of the day I had covered close to 50 miles, but more importantly I reached a new personal best speed of 48.2mph….I am told that I am now the fastest recorded female pilot in a kite buggy in the world – Wow!”
And then there are the distance records.
We already know that the team MadWaySouth hold that one, but the solo record is held by Jose Maria Coca Rodriguez who managed a total of 441kms in 12 hours and 15 minutes moving at a maximum speed of 74.2km/h.
There is even a Backward Buggying Speed – what next! This record is proudly held by Paul Westlake, aka Pablow of Wales who achieved the remarkable speed of 58.42 kmh – 36.3 mph – backwards!!!
Of course, to be able to break records you need space, preferably with no sauntering sunset admirers and Romo Beach in Denmark is one place that definitely has that, as witnessed here with The Poland Buggykiting Team making the most of it (buggykitingpl):
The ideal space for buggying is hard-packed sand as it provides great traction and better control in a slide. Next best would be grassy lawns. Pavement and roads can be very fast, but a tight turn could flip the unwary buggier out.
Sand and grass require more power than hard-pack or pavement, but they are favoured because of the balance between grip and drag.
Buggies prefer large open spaces and smooth winds, but their small size and easy manoeuverability allows experienced buggy pilots access to areas that might have been deemed completely unsuitable – soccer grounds are frequently used in urban areas. Obviously, the more space you have the easier and safer it will be.
And if you are new to this sport, here’s an interesting video that dots the i’s and crosses a few t’s for you…with thanks to expertvillage for sharing it with us.
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