Emirates Team NZ have shattered the wind-powered landspeed record with their specially designed craft Horonuku at Lake Gairdner, South Australia.
Aiming for a previous mark of 202.9kph, set by Briton Richard Jenkins in the Mojave Desert in 2009, pilot Glenn Ashby has propelled his land yacht to 222.4kph in 20 knots of wind - but insists there is plenty more to come.
"Pretty stoked," Ashby told AM. "It was a fantastic day.
"I'm pretty rinsed, to be honest. It's been a big couple of days, up to 40 degrees of temperature outside and probably close to 70 degrees inside the cockpit.
"We need the weather to be fast and we got a little glimpse of what Horonuku can do, but we didn't get anywhere as much wind as we hoped to set a really good record.
"Personally satisfied with getting above the current record, but deep down knowing the craft can definitely do more and if we get some really nice conditions, we can showcase what the craft and the design is capable of doing."
The record has been childhood dream for Ashby, who has been a key contributor to Team NZ's success on the water, but the last few months have been a frustrating quest for the right conditions during tricky weather conditions.
The weather window only really opened in the last couple of weeks and officials were flown into the site this weekend for the first shot at the standard.
Last week, Ashby had Horonuku over 200kph for the first time, acclimatising himself to the speeds he needed to steer on the salt lake, but he insists conditions were still not perfect for the record.
"We're only scratching the surface really," he told AM. "It wasn't super, super windy yesterday, so I think we get another 5-8 knots of breeze, we can step up more.
"What that number is, I honestly don't know, but it's a greater number than what we achieved yesterday.
"The craft itself has been designed to achieve 250kph, so until I see that 250 on the speedo, I'm probably never going to be satisfied. I'm always trying to go faster and push the boundaries - it's just how I'm wired."
Ashby reveals wife Mel was unable to join him for the attempt, after their youngest daughter caught COVID-19 on the eve of her departure for Lake Gairdner, but was joined by younger sister Shelley for the occasion.
Team NZ will now pack up their camp for Christmas, with the prospect of returning next month for a further attempt at improving their speed.
Watch the full interview
