120-knot ‘land yacht' record set

America's Cup sailor Glenn Ashby has set a new wind-powered land speed record of 222.4kmh (or 120 knots) in the Emirates Team New Zealandbuilt Horonuku.

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The record was set on 12 December 2022 and was ratified by the international governing body, Federation Internationale de Sand et Land Yachting (FISLY). It betters the previous record of 202.9kmh, set by British innovator Richard Jenkins in March 2009 with Greenbird.

The America’s Cup holders announced their intention to take on the wind powered land speed record after their victory in the last Cup, taking advantage of the lull in the on-water sailing cycle. ‘Project Landspeed’, as it was known, was a real passion project for Team New Zealand’s 2017 skipper, Glenn Ashby, who is a self-confessed speed freak, not only sailing high speed dinghy and multihulls, but also having previously raced land yachts and is also a keen motorcyclist.

The same could be said of ETNZ CEO Grant Dalton, who supported the project along with Team Principal Matteo de Nora.