Elvington with an average of . The current non wheel-driven British Land Speed Record holder is Vampire, driven by Fallows, which hit a speed of on 5 July 2000 at Elvington. On 20 September 2006 Elvington Airfield was the location of a serious crash involving the Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond and "Vampire". The jet-powered car he was driving crashed while travelling at . Hammond suffered serious brain injuries, but made a full recovery. The accident investigation said: "an almost instantaneous blow out of the right side front tyre caused the accident." World records for the fastest Wheelie bin at , and the fastest electric wheelchair at were set in 2020. Zef Eisenberg of MADMAX Race team, who holds numerous land speed records, crashed his 560 hp Rolls-Royce Turbine powered motorbike at Elvington airfield on 18 September 2016, during a two way speed record attempt. It was reported that he did not see the finish line, causing him to leave the end of the runway and crash at a speed of around 230 mph. He sustained 11 broken bones and was hospitalised for three months. It was believed to be Britain's fastest motorbike crash survivor. After rebuilding his Turbine powered bike and making a recovery that surprised the doctors, he was racing again on the anniversary of the crash at the same track and on the same (rebuilt) bike. On the afternoon of 1 October 2020, Eisenberg died in a collision whilst attempting to set a British land speed record. In 2019 Guy Martin set a new speed record for driving a tractor at the site. In a series of runs in a JCB Fastrac Two he averaged and reached a peak speed of . In 2023 Professional Skateboarder and Presenter Ryan Swain announced he was to attempt a Guinness World Records in skateboarding at Elvington on 8 May 2023 in aid of Mind mental health charity. He will be attempting to skateboard over 300 miles in less than 24 hours and will be the first GB Skateboarder to hold the record if completed. Present day The airfield is now owned by Elvington Park Ltd. The adjacent buildings and control tower have been restored, and serve as the Yorkshire Air Museum which has many varied and rare aircraft and exhibits, including a complete Halifax bomber. Elvington is also a popular motorsports venue for motorcycle racing. References Citations Bibliography Further reading