Pioneering spirit gives SA’s Russell a new record

Andrew Russell has just broken the world record for the fastest time between Cape Town and Cairo on a motorbike.

Russell obliterated the previous record, slashing fivedays off the time. He completed the 11 000km route in seven days 18 hours 52 minutes. The previous record of 13 days 23 hours was set by Swiss endurance rider Urs Pedraita in 2016.

Russell set the new record on his third attempt riding his KTM 1190 Adventure R motorbike last month.

The 34-year-old Russell spends his weekdays as a property developer, but on weekends and over holidays he sets off on motorbike adventures across some of Africa’s most beautiful and challenging terrain.

He puts his much faster Cape to Cairo time down to a few factors including improving road conditions, which have seen the record fall sharply in recent years, from 20 days to 18, 13 and now just over seven days.

Russell reveals that there’s now only about 250km of dirt left on the iconic Great North Road, which enables riders to use bigger, faster bikes. Also, there’s a new land border between Egypt and Sudan, which sidesteps a slow ferry ride up Lake Nasser.

“Infrastructure in Africa is improving dramatically,” reports Russell, who is well positioned to comment on development based on his first-hand experience from both his record-breaking journey and his real estate career.

Even with the infrastructure improvements, the ride wasn’t always easy-going. The route threw up plenty of challenges for Russell, who took three tries to complete the massive endeavour.

His first attempt in 2015 ended after 6 500km, just over halfway, when his passport was stolen at the border between Ethiopia and Kenya.

Russell’s second run, in December 2017, was cut short after only 2 000km, this time setting out from Cairo South, with a broken chain in the middle of the Nubian desert, which caused severe gearbox damage.

“I had to hitch-hike with a 240kg immobile bike for five days and get it back to Cairo on trucks. It was very draining but full of rich human experiences,” he says. “Truck drivers fed me every night, refusing any form of compensation.” Will the record be broken? “Yes, but there will be lots of luck involved,” says Russell. – Own Correspondent