A motorcyclist from Market Drayton who narrowly missed out on breaking the world record for the fastest ever wheelie has vowed to try again.
John Morgan, 37, went up against 70 other competitors from all over the world at a contest held in York two weeks ago.
But poor weather conditions meant none of the competitors were able to break the record which stands at a speed faster than 170mph.
John said: “The weather was horrendous, it really was bad. The Saturday was the qualifying session and at the end of the day I was in first place.
“The conditions though were tough. We were starting out on the right side of the track and the wind was blowing us over to the left.”
John said the rain meant the record was almost impossible to break with many drivers falling off their bikes or not managing to complete the 1km distance.
“I came eighth overall on the day out of 70 competitors so I was quite pleased with that. A few of the drivers were falling off their bikes and some couldn’t complete the distance. But the forms for next year have already been filled out and sent off so hopefully we will have some better weather and the record will be broken.”
John raised £600 by taking part in the event for the Symon and Jay Howlett Trust. John was cousin to Symon and godfather to his son, Jay, who died last November in Spain.
Debbie Howlett, Symon’s widow and Jay’s mother said she was really proud of John for his attempt.
She said: “He did really well and I’m so proud of him for doing it let alone doing so well. It was really nerve wracking to watch.”
