A team of British and European skateboarders have broken the Guinness World Records title for the fastest standing skateboard speed downhill. Completing their attempt in the Yorkshire countryside, the daredevil team achieved an impressive speed of 52.788 mph.
The ‘Virgin Media Speed Demons’ were led by Peter Dashwood-Connolly, who already holds the Guinness World Records title for the Fastest Skateboard Speed Downhill (standing). Both he and the 'Demons' orchestrated the team through weeks of intensive training in North Yorkshire ahead of the official record attempt.
Using the looping and curved slopes of the forest to their advantage to build up speed and momentum, the team of four had to remain connected to one other to achieve the team record, registering a top speed of 52.788 mph – the previous record stood at 49.7 mph.
The team was made up of talented skateboarders from the UK and Europe including Peter Dashwood-Connolly (Hemel Hempstead, UK), Jennifer Alina Schauerte (Austria), Aaron Skippings (Gloucestershire, UK), Jonathan Braund (Bournemouth, UK), Alex Ireton (London, UK) and Gael Desfontaines (Canvey Island, UK) – all of whom have competed in various downhill skating championships throughout their career.
Simon Groves, Executive Director of Brand and Marketing at Virgin Media O2, said: “We’re so proud of the Virgin Media Speed Demons’ achievement and they’re now officially record breakers. It was such an incredible feat and so awe-inspiring to watch in full-flow as they clocked such high-speeds. It just goes to show what can be achieved through teamwork and illustrates how we’re all better connected.”
“I’ve wanted to set this record for a long time and the Virgin Media Speed Demons have trained so hard to make this happen," Peter Dashwood-Connolly, multiple Guinness World Records title holder, added. "It feels great to go down in history as a multiple Guinness World Records title holder and we would like to thank Virgin Media for giving us this opportunity and the tools to help us become record breakers.”
The Guinness World Records title was achieved in association with Virgin Media’s ‘We’re better, connected’ campaign that celebrates the power of connectivity in bringing people together.
The record breaking run can be viewed here
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