Dave Legrys, The TWR Rover, And The Motor-Paced Cycling Record

I was watching a documentary recently about how motorcycle racer Guy Martin was attempting to break four speed records.

One of these was the British and Commonwealth Motor-Paced Cycling Record, in which a person on a push-bike is towed by a motorised vehicle until they reach a certain speed, then released to pedal on their own. The record Guy Martin was attempting to break was set by Dave Legrys, in 1986. At that, some footage from the Legrys record run was played, and in it, the tow car was a TWR Rover Vitesse Group A car, driven by Win Percy! The Vitesse was fitted with a large rear canopy, to provide a clean draft to Legrys. Legrys set the record at 110mph, along a closed off section of the M42 motorway. I assume British Leyland played a role in the record attempt, as not only was the TWR Vitesse used as the tow car, but the safety and chase vehicles were also Rover.

Anyway, here is some neat video footage of the Legrys run, both an aborted attempt, and eventual record. Oh, and by the way, Guy Martin did break Legrys' record, running down the famous Pendine Sands, in Wales, using a racing truck as the motor-pacer. He recorded 112.94mph. Crazy!

Here is the aborted run:



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