Friday 9th September 2005

Driving a red Maserati V8 Gransport, Hein Wagner notched up 269 km/h (167mph) along an airstrip in north-west South Africa, to become the world’s fastest blind driver. “It is an absolutely awesome feeling. It was over so fast,” the 33-year-old said, after breaking the previous 233km/h (144 mph) record. Blind from birth, Mr Wagner was a motivational speaker from Cape Town and was raising funds for the South African National Council for the Blind. “We’ve raised 60,000 rand ($9,500) so far and I’m aiming to get 100,000 rand ($15,500),” he told the BBC News website on his arrival back in Cape Town. The record was set on an airstrip because blind people are not allowed to drive on public roads, he said. “I had five hours training in the car before I made the attempt,” he said. He said he had to drive the sports car, owned by the car dealer Viglietti, without any insurance.