Janice R. Andrews
On a motorcycle with a sidecar, two young friends have broken the world record for land speed. On their specially designed bike, Jack Taylor, 11, of Leeds, and Alfie Barraclough, 10, of Bradford, ran a 500-meter race at 48 mph.
The lads are the youngest people to hold a sidecar record, having already set world records on their respective bikes. They acknowledged their excitement at the outcome and described themselves as “pretty chilled” during the race.
On Saturday, the challenge was held at Elvington Airfield, which is close to York. They broke the UK & International Timing Adjudication record speed, with Jack at the wheel and Alfie resting on the sidecar.
Alfie said that he felt like he was “off the ground gliding” and that the vibrations were “tummy tickling.” Jack wrote, “We held on very tightly,” expressing how thrilling he found the challenge. Alfie also needed to snuggle in tightly into my legs as I did.”
From an early age, the two boys had a strong interest in motorcycles and spent years perfecting their skills before starting to compete at the age of eight.
Lexi Barraclough, Alfie’s mother, acknowledged that she made an effort to ignore the boys’ fast speeds in order to prevent herself from being overly nervous. “It’s an incredible outcome. Their names become part of history, she explained.
Joanne Taylor, Jack’s mother, expressed her utter pride in the sons. “You’re a parent, you panic, but you see your child do something like that, and it’s the most amazing feeling,” she stated.
