Guide Dogs and Leaping Cats

Jaguar World Magazine, page 57 - October 2003 - Phil Weedon

An XJR was used for a land speed record attempt in August. Impossible, you might think. But it isn't when the car is piloted by a blind person. Phill Weedon was there.

Well, I certainly wasn't going to break any records on my trip up to Elvington Aerodrome unless there's one for the world's most expensive breakfast. My journey north to this little known airfield near York was to witness an attempt at breaking the blind land speed record for a blind person in a car.

Bank Manager Mike Newman who has been completely blind since the age of eight, has experienced more adventures in his 42 years than many people do in their entire lifetime.

At the age of 18, he made a solo trip to Australia, while until a couple of months ago he held a land speed record for riding a motorbike. Now his energy was focused on the car land speed record, and his carriage for this brave mission was a brand new XJR, supplied by the entrepreneurial dealer principal of Mead of Bolton, James Butler. In addition to the supercharged aluminium saloon, James and the team at Mead also supplied an S-Type R as a pace car plus several display vehicles including a Union Flag clad X-Type, an XKR coupe and an XK8 convertible.

Procedure

Having picked up the cars from Mead of Bolton on the Friday before the record attempt, Mike used the following Monday and Tuesday to practice. Of course, this wasn't done alone. Providing voice guidance and support was Mike's stepfather, also Mike (a qualified driving instructor and road safety officer), and Mark Hargreaves. A former engineer, Mark offered a heap of experience and driver expertise to the record attempt, which was to prove crucial.

Now heading up a company called Datron Technology, Mark could also provide the analytical equipment needed to verify the record attempt. Observing at one end of the airfield for each run was Mike's mother Lynda, also a driving instructor. Amidst the hoards of media was Mike's loyal family: wife Kirsten, 15-year-old daughter Becky and 13-yar-old son, Sam. Oh, and of course, Ross, Mike's lovingly loyal guide dog. Were it not for Ross's assistance, many day-to-day operations would be impossible for Mike. Which explains why all the money raised from this world record attempt was being donated to the Gudie Dogs charity in the UK, supporting the upkeep and training of thes most valuable canine friends.

Each run would commence only when Mike was absolutely ready. Locking out sixth gear of the XJR's automatic transmission, Mike could gain maximum traction and hold onto the higher revs for better performance at the top end. Traction control was left on to improve grip on getaway. The S-Type R would ride shotgun to the XJR, with constant voice guidance being supplied. Once 130mph was reached, the timing would commence and the speed would then be monitored for one mile. Bearing in mind the airstrip is just 1.9miles, that left very little space for braking at the end.

The run

Come lunchtime, it was time for a proper run. There were a few tearful hugs of reassurance before the supercharged duo headed down for the first of two runs; to qualify for the record, two runs had to be completed within an hour and an average taken between them.

Conditions had been windy all day but, despite clearer skies, the blustery weather had become even fiercer. This would surely hinder the attempt.

With camera crews and photographers poised to shoot, the first attempt got underway. There was no engine noise, just an increasing swirling noise from the tyres. The XJR blasted past us like a low-level fighter plane before shimmering off through the heat haze. The first run seemed impressive, certainly better than expected considering the head wind. But there was the return run still to do.

After what seemed like an unbearable pause, the familiar whirling was again audible and headlights ablaze could be seen in the distance. The S-Type R and XJR roared past. After that, everyone held their breath to see if Mike had enough braking space at the end of the strip. There was another unbearable pause as we all waiting for confirmation.

This day had come about after months of preparation. Masses of sponsorship had been accrued from the likes of Barclays Bank, Shell, Scan Computers, LDV Vans and, of course, Mead of Bolton. A huge publicity machine had been generated to ensure that everyone knew about this heroic attempt.

The two sporting Jaguars returned to the mass of media. Mike got out of the car, greeted by Kirsten and Ross. Mark climbed out of the pace car and walked over to him. His body language didn't bode well.

But he had done it! With an average speed of 144.7mph, Mike had smashed the previous record (set in an Audi at a speed of just over 141mph). Checking the speed data revealed that at one point Mike was travelling at 153.6mph. It was an incredible achievement. The near hysterical celebration that followed was actually quite astounding to watch. The organisers of the event, Simon Roberts and John Galloway, were relieved, while tears of joy were evident on the faces on Mike's family.

Asked why he did it, Mike told me "Because I wanted to drive. Driving a Jaguar is a dream, one that I am always going to remember." He was full of praise for the driving experience, too, citing the steering and brakes as particularly impressive. After the run Mike was jubilant. "It's fantastic, really exciting and really emotional. [Pointing to the Jaguar] This car is tops and I'm going to cry when I have to give it back".