Dakar Rally champion Sam Sunderland has set his sights on a new world-record attempt as the British rider revealed his latest sporting mission at the 2025 Goodwood Festival of Speed – to become the fastest person to circumnavigate the globe on a motorbike.
After a stellar rally-raid career that included twice winning the Dakar Rally - the world's toughest off-road race - in 2017 and 2022, the Dubai-based rider has set his sights on breaking the current record of 19 days, eight hours and 25 minutes set by Kevin and Julia Sanders back in 2002.
To reach his goal in the required time, the 36-year-old will need to ride nearly 1600 kilometres or 1000 miles daily for 19 days, averaging the equivalent of the length of the UK every single day.
He departs from London on his Triumph 1200 Rally Explorer this September and it will take him around 30 days, including flights and crossings, to cover 15 countries and the different global timezones.
The first leg of a six-stage global adventure from his birthplace of England will see him traverse Europe to Türkiye, then head into the heart of the Middle East, riding some 2000 kilometres (1200 miles) from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia to Dubai in the UAE, where he spends so much time.
After a long-haul transfer, the expedition continues through remote Australian outback and the breathtaking landscapes of New Zealand then north to tackle the vast terrains of the USA and Canada.
Once done with North America, his path leads to Morocco - his gateway into Africa - before looping back into Europe through southern Spain and finally making his sprint home to the UK and, hopefully, a world record.
Sunderland's challenge will stay true to the parameters of the record set 23 years ago, as per these conditions, his target time excludes ocean crossings during which the official clock is paused.
His journey must be continuous and follow a single direction around the globe, start and finish at the same location, touch two antipodal points, and cover a minimum of 29,000 kilometres (18,000 miles). He also must do all this on the same motorbike – a trusty Triumph 1200 Rally Explorer.
The ultimate test of endurance, the challenge is a trial of both physical and mental strength, with the 2022 FIM World Rally-Raid champion facing the elements, road conditions, and unknown terrain.
As not only a rider but also a father and an adventurer, Sunderland aims to inspire people across the world to adventure on their own, push past their limits, and redefine what they think is possible.
He revealed: "I know this challenge will test me to the core – physically and mentally. There will be days when I'm out there for 15 or 16 hours in the cold and rain, heat and humidity, fighting the wind, battling exhaustion, and mental fatigue. This, plus jetlag, and crazy time zones – it's going to be brutal."
The Dakar Rally covers around 5,000 miles with competitors riding some 300 to 560 miles over somewhere between 10 to 15 days. In comparison, to break the world record, he needs to ride double the daily Dakar mileage over more days and across 13 different time zones.
Kevin, who is helping Sunderland prepare with key insight alongside wife Julia, said: "Records are meant to be broken. We did this more than 20 years ago - Sam's going to face a whole set of new challenges compared to back then. As people with a business within the motorcycle community, it's always exciting to see riders take on new challenges or challenge old ones! We're really keen to see how Sam does."
