#2: [01-May-05] (incomplete)

30-Apr-2003 -- 25 April 1929 – At our end we could hear the Bluebird approaching. The thin haze of dust she had kicked up on the outward journey had not settled when she came plunging through it again. The tyres had been cut to ribbons. Sir Malcolm Campbell looked tense and worried. “I think I’ve done it”, he said. “I gave her everything I had.” The timekeepers confirmed that he had beaten the five mile record by 72 mph, with a new average of 212 mph. (Excerpt from The Record Breakers by Paul Hamlyn)

30 April 2003 – 74 years and 5 days later we stood on Verneukpan looking down the 10 mile long track on which Sir Malcolm Campbell made his land speed record attempts. Verneukpan refers to a mirage, which deceived many travellers. We rode down the track aiming at a small hill on the other end, which was used as a landmark during high-speed runs. Following the GPS direction we were forced off the track at about ⅔ distance to locate 30S 21E less than a kilometer to the north of the track.

The journey started in Cape Town covering 900 miles (1400 km) over three days on three BMW R1150GS motorcycles. Over 700 miles (1100 km) were spent negotiating remote dirt roads. An awesome adventure.