In a quest for record-breaking speed, the appropriately named Virgin Media ‘Speed Demons’ (UK) secured the record for the fastest standing skateboard speed downhill (team) on 9 April 2022.
The Virgin Media event saw Peter Dashwood-Connolly, who holds the Guinness World Records title for the fastest skateboard speed downhill (standing), lead the team through weeks of intensive training in North Yorkshire ahead of the official record attempt.
The Guinness World Records title was achieved for Virgin Media’s "We’re better, connected" campaign that celebrates the power of connectivity in bringing people together.
The team was made up of talented skateboarders from the UK and Europe including Peter himself, Jennifer Alina Schauerter (Austria), Aaron Skippings, Jonathan Braund, Alex Ireton and Gael Desfontains (all UK). Each of these talented skateboarders have competed in various downhill skating championships throughout their career.
On the day, the team geared up over breakfast working out how exactly they can achieve the record.
The race track was split into three sections, marked by archways. The first archway was the starting point, with the second archway showing the "boost zone", where the team could really pick up their speed, and the third archway was the "record zone" where the team's speed would be officially recorded.
The members utilised the looping and curved slopes of the forest to build up speed and momentum.
For the record attempt to be valid, the team had to race down the course while staying connected.
The team did this by holding hands and speeding across the course using the boost zones to their advantage.
With the help of drones catching every twist and turn, all that was left was to announce the finishing speed...
Working together, the team were successful on their first attempt, clocking up a speed of 84.954 khm (52.788 mph), to the delight of cheering spectators who came to witness the event.
"I’ve wanted to set this record for a long time and the Virgin Media Speed Demons have trained so hard to make this happen. It feels great to go down in history as a multiple Guinness World Records title holder and we would like to thank Virgin Media for giving us this opportunity and the tools to help us become record breakers." - Peter Dashwood-Connolly, multiple Guinness World Records title holder
The record was showcased as a short film during an advert break on Channel 4 in-between the (equally) exciting Formula 1 races, aiding Virgin Media to spread their ethos of 'better, connected' to UK households directly.
"We’re so proud of the Virgin Media Speed Demons’ achievement and they’re now officially record breakers," said Simon Groves, the Executive Director of Brand and Marketing at Virgin Media O2.
"It was such an incredible feat and so awe-inspiring to watch in full-flow as they clocked such high-speeds. It just goes to show what can be achieved through teamwork and illustrates how we’re all better connected."
Congratulations to the entire team on this incredible record!
Does your brand have what it takes to set a Guinness World Records title and create buzz? Visit our Business Solutions page to find out how we can help or contact us.
Related Articles
