Blind Turkish Popstar Sets Record in Ferrari

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36149834/ns/world_news-europe/

URFA, Turkey - Turkish pop-singer Metin Senturk became the world's fastest unaccompanied blind driver on Friday and said he felt he had danced with death.

Senturk wept as he emerged from a Ferrari F430 at Urfa airport in eastern Turkey to learn from Guinness World Records officials his average speed of 292.89 kph (180 mph) broke the previous record of 284 kph (176 mph), held by a British bank manager.

"I don't think there are any words to describe this feeling. I am really happy. It was really hard, like a dance with death," said Senturk, who has been blind since the age of three.
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Following Senturk in a separate vehicle was former rally driver Volkan Isik, who guided the blind man by radio.

 

Am I missing something? I get the fact that he is blind, but he had someone telling him that he is going a little to the left and to correct it. Besides, he was on a runway = larger margin for error.

But, going that fast without seeing would in fact be scary.

 

No I don't think you're missing anything. You seem to have grasped the concept. Seems like a pretty pointless record to me but, hey, he's in the Guinness Book - except he'll have to have someone read it to him... sorry, couldn't resist.

 

For many folks, seeing it would just make it all that much worse.......

 

A runway is wider than a normal highway, but at that speed a slight over-correction would put him off the tarmac in a blink of an eye. The fastest I personally have driven is approximately 170 mph indicated (on a typical optimistic Ferrari speedometer) and I admit it's pretty spooky at that speed.

Although he had a spotter, the term "a little to the left" must be really hard to judge quantitatively when you have no visual reference. I say kudos to the guy. He most certainly has a set of balls.

 

I'm sure he could go faster at Bonneville, not as much to hit.

 

This is absurd. Al Pacino was the first blind guy to drive a Ferrari. This is just copycat crapola.

 

The spotter had to have some big a$$ balls as well!

 

I say congrats to him as well. It must be scary to go that fast without being able to see.

 

+1