Iván Cervantes claims Guinness World Records title for the greatest distance on a motorcycle in 24 hours with a Tiger 1200 GT Explorer.
Iván Cervantes, 5x Enduro World Champion and Triumph Global Ambassador, has officially claimed the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for ‘The greatest distance on a motorcycle in 24 hours (individual)’.
Riding a Tiger 1200 GT Explorer on the High-Speed Ring at the Nardò Technical Center in Italy, Iván travelled more than 4012km in a 24 hour period, beating the previous record of 3406km by a huge margin of more than 600km.
The record attempt was witnessed and validated by a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS adjudicator on 30th April 2023, with a final confirmed distance of 4012.53km – a distance equivalent to travelling from London to the Great Pyramid of Giza in 24 hours!
Watch the full story of Iván’s incredible challenge
THE MAN
Iván Cervantes is a 5 times Enduro World Champion, 21 times Spanish Enduro Champion, and 5 times Spanish Motocross Champion. In July 2021, Iván was announced as one of Triumph’s new Off-Road ambassadors, helping to develop the upcoming range of motocross and enduro bikes.
Since joining the Triumph team, Iván has seen great success in riding and competing on Triumph adventure motorcycles, sealing wins at the Baja Aragón, 1000 Dunas Raid, and Basella Maxi-Trail Race.
In preparation for the record attempt, in addition to intensive physical training on his own Tiger 1200 Rally Pro, Iván began carefully planning his nutrition and sleep strategy, in partnership with Professor Andrew Bagshaw at the University of Birmingham.
THE MOTORCYCLE
The motorcycle used for the attempt was a Tiger 1200 GT Explorer, chosen at random from the production line at Triumph’s factory in Hinckley, UK. No special modifications were made to the bike, other than completing the recommended running in and first service schedule before the attempt was undertaken.
The Tiger 1200 family has been designed to deliver the ultimate in adventure bike touring capability, with exceptional comfort and unbeatable character. For the record attempt, features such as the 30 litre fuel tank and excellent wind protection were invaluable in ensuring Iván could continue riding, whatever challenges he encountered along the way.
Heated grips and seats provided additional comfort during the cold early-morning hours and unexpected downpours of rain, while the powerful T-Plane triple engine and advanced electronics provided effortless power and control. High-intensity LED lights ensured Iván always had exceptional visibility when riding, even in the complete darkness of the remote testing facility at Nardò.
Underlining the excellent performance and reliability of the Tiger 1200, the only maintenance required on the bike was a single, planned tyre change half way through the attempt, where the standard fit Metzeler TOURANCE™ Next tyres were refreshed as the rain started and night began to fall.
THE RECORD
The existing GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title of 3406.17km was achieved by American Carl Reese on 26th February 2017, recording an average speed over 24 hours of 141.9km/h.
Riding consistently at speeds of over 200km/h at the Nardò Technical Center in Italy, Iván surpassed the existing record with an incredible 5 hours to spare in the 24 hour window. Not content to simply beat the record, he set his sights on defining a new benchmark for this challenge – 4000km.
In the 5 hours that followed, he proceeded to ride a further 606km – essentially matching the existing record then continuing to ride the equivalent of the width of France in addition.
The record attempt was witnessed by an official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS adjudicator, who validated the final distance travelled in 24 hours as 4012.53km, with an average speed of 167.79km/h.
KEY FACTS
- Attempt duration: 24 hours
- Total distance travelled: 53km
- Location: High Speed Ring, Nardò Technical Center, Italy
- Length of one lap: 649km
- Number of laps: 317
- Riding speed: Over 200km/h
- Average speed over 24 hours: 79km/h
- Number of pitstops: 18
- Litres of fuel used: 520
- Number of tyre changes: 1
- Hours of sleep: 0
QUOTES
Iván Cervantes – ‘The Tiger 1200 GT Explorer was the perfect bike for this attempt. It’s very comfortable to ride for a long time. For sure, the hardest part was the weather, because it started to rain, but this bike has a very big screen and excellent protection, which helped me a lot. It is a very special bike for me. It’s not easy to ride for 24 hours in a row but, in the end, the record is mine with this amazing bike!’
Nick Bloor, CEO, Triumph Motorcycles – ‘Iván’s achievement in taking the Guinness World Records title on the Tiger 1200 is simply incredible! His determination and perseverance have led him not only to beat the existing record, but to add almost 20% to the distance travelled in 24 hours. An outstanding effort, and one that everyone at Triumph is incredibly proud to have supported.’
Victor Fenes, Official Adjudicator, Guinness World Records – ‘I am truly humbled to have witnessed Iván Cervantes’s awe-inspiring achievement of setting the Guinness World Records title for the Greatest distance on a motorcycle in 24 hours (individual). Iván’s unwavering dedication and Triumph’s support embody the values we hold dear at Guinness World Records. It is a true testament to the indomitable spirit of human determination and the pursuit of greatness.’
Special thanks to our partners, without whom this attempt would not have been possible:
Metzeler
https://www.metzeler.com/en-gb/home
Porsche Engineering
https://www.porscheengineering.com/nardo/en/
BBC Studios
https://www.bbcstudios.com/
Top Gear
https://www.topgear.com/
Guinness World Records
https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/
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