A Blind South African Has Set The World Land Speed Record In A SL 65 AMG Black Series

Featured, Miscellaneous | Dean | October 7, 2009 at 17:25

A South African man has set the new world land speed record for the blind. Hein Wagner raced to a speed of 322.5km/h in a Mercedes-Benz SL 65 Black Series on Tuesday, the 6th of October. Hein Wagner was the first South African to set a world land speed record when he reached 269km/h in a Maserati.

Wagner has said that reaching a speed of over 320km/h is a milestone for any man – blind or not.

The record will be in the Guinness World Record book, as he maintained the speed of 322.5km/h for a distance of 1000m. Wagner set the record at the Upington Airport which proved that it was long enough to set the world record and then still offer enough space to stop.

Wagner used his trusty guide, Ray Wakefield from Speedrecord SA to guide him on the straight, while the car was sponsored by South African businessman, Lolly Jackson.

For those wondering — the top speed on the SL 65 is only 320km/h, therefore either the speed limiter must have been removed, or there was a slight incline.

When asked ‘what’s next?’, Wagner said that he would like to fly a Boeing from London to Johannesburg.

All of the funds that were received for this event will be awarded to the Vision Trust organisation which is aimed at creating new technology for the blind.