Breaking world records is fast becoming Kevin and Julia Sanders’ new vocation. Last year the couple broke the Guinness world record for the "Fastest circumnavigation of the world by motorcycle" riding two-up on a BMW R1150 GS. They covered 19,461 miles, averaging 1,000 miles a day and visited 12 countries and four continents in just 19 days and eight-and-a-half hours. Breaking the existing record by a huge 12 and-a-half days.

Now the couple aim to smash another Guinness world record – to ride the length of North and South America in the shortest time – starting at Prudhoe Bay in Alaska and finishing in Ushuaia in Argentina. The current record stands at 47 days and 12 hours. Kevin and Julia are aiming to complete the 15,200-mile trip in just 37 days. The couple will ride a new BMW R1150 GS Adventure, tackling extremely rugged terrain while passing through Alaska, Canada, USA, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Argentina, Chile and Tierra del Fuego.

The Sanders challenge will be an extreme test of bike endurance for man, woman and machine. The pair will be in the saddle for up to 18 hours a day. But it’s not only the trip that is a test of the couple’s endurance. The preparation has involved many long hours of planning over the last year, plus dedication to a rigorous training schedule. This will be put to the test in the severest of conditions. Kevin’s overland riding experience is second to none and his RoSPA Gold and Advanced Diploma Instructor credentials ensure that the record is there for the taking.

Although the Sanders’ new adventure will cover less miles than the "Around the world" Guinness record, it takes longer to ride because of the large sections of gravel tracks at both ends of the continent. Also, Central American border crossings are notorious for the need to "oil the wheels" of bureaucracy and the enforced delays because of siestas! Battling severe weather will also make riding conditions hazardous and lead to slow progress. Without a support vehicle, and only their resourcefulness to rely on, the Sanders will face searing heat in Nevada, tropical rainstorms in Mexico and hurricane threats in Central America. Once across the equator the couple will tackle the Atacama Desert – the driest place on earth – before climbing the Andes. A final ride south means combating the freezing temperatures of Patagonia prior to reaching the official finishing point of Ushuaia – the most southern city in the world. The journey is ideal territory for the new BMW R1150 GS Adventure.

On a personal level, riding through South America to achieve a record has special significance for the couple. "We met in South America and got married in Peru three years later," explained Kevin, "so to ride for a world record across that continent will be extra special. We are also continuing to ride for SOS Children’s Villages, a charity that supports abandoned and orphaned children in 122 countries worldwide. During this year’s record attempt, we have also set ourselves the challenge of visiting SOS Children’s villages in Panama, Colombia and Chile."

If all goes to plan, and weather permitting, Kevin and Julia will set off from Prudhoe Bay around 18 August 2003.

About SOS villages -

World War II left countless orphaned and homeless children in its wake. Hermann Gmeiner, a young medical student, was determined to find an alternative to the inadequate care they were receiving. He founded the first SOS Children’s Village in 1949 in the Austrian town of Imst.

The idea proved to be a great success. Today there are 377 SOS Children’s Villages in 122 countries right across the world, providing stable homes and families for 40,000 children. In every SOS Children’s Village, each child has the emotional security of a mother, brothers and sisters, a home and a community for as long as they need them.