Taking an iron butt ride to a whole new level, Ivan Cervantes has made history on a factory Tiger 1200 GT Explorer, by claiming the Guiness World Records title for ‘The greatest distance on a motorcycle in 24 hours (individual).’
This is press release from Triumph…
Ivan Cervantes, five-time Enduro World Champion and Triumph Global Ambassador, has officially claimed the Guiness World Records title for ‘The greatest distance on a motorcycle in 24 hours (individual)’.
Riding a Tiger 1200 GT Explorer on the High-Speed Ring at the Nardò Technical Center in Italy, Cervante traveled more than 2493 miles (4012km) in a 24-hour period, beating the previous record of 2116.39 miles (3406km) by a huge margin of more than 372.82 miles (600km).
The record attempt was witnessed and validated by a Guiness World Records adjudicator on April 30, 2023, with a final confirmed distance of 2493.28 miles (4012.53km)—a distance equivalent to traveling from London to the Great Pyramid of Giza or from New York City to Los Angeles as the crow flies in 24 hours!
“The Tiger 1200 GT Explorer was the perfect bike for this attempt,” said Ivan Cervantes. “It’s very comfortable to ride for a long time. For sure, the hardest part was the weather, because it started to rain, but this bike has a very big [wind]screen and excellent protection, which helped me a lot. It is a very special bike for me. It’s not easy to ride for 24 hours in a row but, in the end, the record is mine with this amazing bike!”
Watch the full story of Ivan’s incredible challenge in the video below:
VIDEO | Ivan Cervantes claims Guiness World Records title on a Triumph Tiger 1200 GT Explorer
Guiness World Record
THE MAN
Ivan Cervantes is a five-time Enduro World Champion, 21-time Spanish Enduro Champion, and five-time Spanish Motocross Champion. In July 2021, Ivan was announced as one of Triumph’s new Off-Road ambassadors, helping to develop the upcoming range of motocross and enduro bikes.
Since joining the Triumph team, Ivan has seen great success in riding and competing on Triumph adventure motorcycles, sealing wins at the Baja Aragon, 1000 Dunas Raid, and Basella Maxi-Trail Race.
In preparation for the record attempt, in addition to intensive physical training on his own Tiger 1200 Rally Pro, Cervantes began carefully planning his nutrition and sleep strategy, in partnership with Professor Andrew Bagshaw at the University of Birmingham.
“Ivan’s achievement in taking the Guinness World Records title on the Tiger 1200 is simply incredible!” said Nick Bloor, CEO, Triumph Motorcycles. “His determination and perseverance have led him not only to beat the existing record, but to add almost 20% to the distance traveled in 24 hours. An outstanding effort, and one that everyone at Triumph is incredibly proud to have supported.”
THE MOTORCYCLE
The motorcycle used for the attempt was a Tiger 1200 GT Explorer, chosen at random from the production line at Triumph’s factory in Hinckley, UK. No special modifications were made to the bike, other than completing the recommended running in and first service schedule before the attempt was undertaken.
The Tiger 1200 family has been designed to deliver the ultimate in adventure-bike touring capability, with exceptional comfort and unbeatable character. For the record attempt, features such as the 30-liter fuel tank and excellent wind protection were invaluable in ensuring Cervantes could continue riding, whatever challenges he encountered along the way.
Heated grips and seats provided additional comfort during the cold early-morning hours and unexpected downpours of rain, while the powerful T-Plane triple engine and advanced electronics provided effortless power and control. High-intensity LED lights ensured Iván always had exceptional visibility when riding, even in the complete darkness of the remote testing facility at Nardo (pictured below).
Underlining the excellent performance and reliability of the Tiger 1200, the only maintenance required on the bike was a single, planned tire change half way through the attempt, where the standard fit Metzeler Tourance Next tires were refreshed as the rain started and night began to fall.
“I would like to congratulate Ivan Cervantes and Triumph on this well-deserved success,” said Salvo Pennisi, Head of Outdoor Testing and Technical Relations, Metzeler. “We are proud to have supported this record and to have contributed with the excellent performance provided by our Metzeler Tourance Next tires, which are the motorcycle’s original equipment.”
THE RECORD
The existing Guiness World Records title of 3406.17km was achieved by American Carl Reese on February 26, 2017, recording an average speed over 24 hours of 141.9 km/h.
Riding consistently at speeds of over 200 km/h at the Nardo Technical Center in Italy, Cervantes surpassed the existing record with an incredible five hours to spare in the 24-hour window. Not content to simply beat the record, he set his sights on defining a new benchmark for this challenge: 4000km.
In the 5 hours that followed, he proceeded to ride a further 606km—essentially matching the existing record then continuing to ride the equivalent of the width of France in addition.
The record attempt was witnessed by an official Guiness World Records adjudicator, who validated the final distance traveled in 24 hours as 4012.53km, with an average speed of 167.79km/h.
“I am truly humbled to have witnessed Iván Cervantes’s awe-inspiring achievement of setting the Guinness World Records title for the Greatest distance on a motorcycle in 24 hours (individual),” said Victor Fenes, Official Adjudicator, Guinness World Records. “Iván’s unwavering dedication and Triumph’s support embody the values we hold dear at Guinness World Records. It is a true testament to the indomitable spirit of human determination and the pursuit of greatness.”
KEY FACTS
| Attempt duration: | 24 hours |
| Total distance traveled: | 4012.53km |
| Location: | High Speed Ring, Nardo Technical Center, Italy |
| Length of one lap: | 12.649km |
| Number of laps: | 317 |
| Riding speed: | Over 200km/h |
| Average speed over 24 hours: | 167.79km/h |
| Number of pitstops: | 18 |
| Liters of fuel used: | 520 |
| Number of tire changes: | 1 |
| Hours of sleep: | 0 |
Triumph extends special thanks to their partners, without whom this attempt would not have been possible:
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