BLIND BRIT AIMS FOR SPEED RECORD
Former racer hopes to set new benchmark
Former Cooper Bristol racer Nick Eden is planning a challenge on the world land speed record for a blind driver.
Eden, 61, lost his sight after an accident at the Nurburgring in August 2014 when his car was clipped into a violent series of rolls. However, he still has a desire to drive fast and hopes to better the current world record for a blind driver of 203.1mph. His chosen vehicle and venue for the test are being decided.
Eden spent five months in hospital after the accident in his 1950s single-seater, first in Germany and then in the UK.
“My optic nerves died as a result of the high-speed impact and unfortunately, like the spinal cord, they do not regenerate,” he said.
“A chap I came to know earlier this year called Miles Hilton-barber, who is also blind, is called the ‘Blind Adventurer’. He is a motivational speaker and I heard him in Cambridge. I get on very well with him and he’s very likeable. One of the things he talked about was to beat the blind land speed record.
“So I’ve said I’ll let him do it and he wants to do 210mph.
“Then I’ll aim to beat what he sets, so we both win.
“One must make the most out of the hand, which has been dealt. I have decided, apart from trying to get better, and writing a book, that I would try to break the land speed record for a blind person.”