A DAREDEVIL driver was killed trying to break a 207mph land speed record when his car "veered off the runway and flipped", it was claimed today.
Millionaire TV presenter and Maximuscle founder Zef Eisenberg, who held a number of records for motorbike racing, was killed in a Porsche 911 Turbo S car at Elvington Airfield, in York yesterday.
Millionaire Eisenberg, a self-proclaimed "Speed Freak", had about 50 British and world land speed records including a Guinness World Record.
Tributes have today been paid to the "truly unique" speedster Eisenberg, who died while trying to break the British land-speed record.
The record for a wheel-driven vehicle is currently 207.6mph, set by racer Tony Densham in 1970.
A security guard, who was on duty at the time, today said the ultra-speed driver was killed when his car, believed to be a 1,200hp Porsche, "veered off the runway and flipped".
He said: "I have seen a lot of these record attempts.
"This is the worst crash I have seen here for years - worse than Richard Hammond.
"The car just veered off the runway and flipped. The next thing I knew was all these police cars rolled up."
Former Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond had been left in a coma for two weeks after crashing a jet-powered car at Elvington Airfield in 2006.
Eisenberg, a former competitive body builder and founder of sports nutrition company Maximuscle, has previously presented an ITV4 series called Speed Freaks while also appearing on other shows including The Bike Show.
The father-of-two previously survived a near-fatal crash while travelling at 230mph on a Rolls-Royce jet turbine-powered motorcycle at Elvington Airfield in 2016.
The crash unfolded as he tried to set a new world record - rushed to hospital with 11 broken bones and was presumed dead.
Despite being told he may never walk again, he recovered after a few months and returned to the airfield on the anniversary of the crash.
Eisenberg's final social media post showed a Madmax 1,200hp Porsche Sand Racer being refuelled on September 30, along with the caption: "Late night testing....for the next stage of MADness...."
He later added: "After it's 239.6mph run at Vmax, let's turn up the boost and see what the beast can deliver… updates to follow".
The 47-year-old's records include the world's fastest turbine bike after hitting 234mph.
Last year he told the Motor Sport podcast about the excitement of breaking records.
He said: "My problem is, when is it enough? I want to go further.
"If you can go 234mph, why not 244mph?"
Previously speaking to , he opened up about what it felt like to hold onto a motorbike going more than 200mph.
He said: "At 234mph it was still accelerating. Rapidly. But we were running out of runway, and I couldn't hold on any longer. It took me three years of gym work to get to that speed.
"At 220mph the disc on my vertebrae was popping out. There's so much force being put on the neck.”
He said the team then installed a strap from his helmet to his body to "stop his head from snapping backwards".
The speedster added: "That allowed me to increase the speed without my neck compressing and popping out a disc each time. It's not for the faint of heart."
Born in London, the racer left school after taking his GCSEs before founding brand Maximuscle which quickly became a major UK sports nutrition supplier.
After building up the company, he then sold it for £162million, going on to launch a £150million Dragon's Den-style health fund that heard pitches from entrepreneurs.
He has recently been living in Saint Peter Port in Guernsey - helping to establish the island's largest concrete skatepark and largest adventure playground.
Just last month he launched a V8 motorcycle, the Eisenberg V8, that has a 3,000cc V8 engine.
Speaking to the , the racer said his secret to success was being "endlessly curious and (being) not afraid of commitment, hard work and trying to resolve things".
Discussing his preparation for business: "My childhood was difficult but I learnt that the only way to survive is to work your way out of it, and if you fall down you have to pick yourself up again."
He was previously awarded a prestigious Royal Automobile Club award for his "spirit of adventure".
ITV Commissioning Editor, Factual Entertainment Satmohan Panesar said: "Zef was a truly unique character whose passion for speed came across vividly in his presenting, and his personal and professional achievements are testament to his drive and determination.
"He will be missed enormously by everyone who worked with him and our condolences go to his friends and family."
At Elvington in September 2019 Eisenberg broke the world's fastest time for an unfaired electric motorbike and dedicated the achievement to a teammate who died at the Isle of Man TT races.
He celebrated after breaking the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) record for a flying kilometre on the bike his friend and colleague Daley Mathison was due to ride in the Isle of Man TT Zero race earlier that year.
Eisenberg told the PA news agency at the time how he carried a photo of his friend in his leathers and also wore Mathison's knee slides.
Eisenberg said: "I made a promise to him, and to his wife Natalie, that I would take the bike to world glory.
"He was with me on every ride. We all felt he was there with us.
"He's hopefully smiling down now from heaven."
North Yorkshire Police said officers were called to reports of a "serious collision" at Elvington Airfield to the east of York at 4.30pm on Thursday afternoon.
Harrowing pictures show the crumpled wreckage of a vehicle being taken away by police at the airfield last night.
Today, a finger tip search was being conducted of the runway at Elvington as the investigation continued.
A Motorsport UK statement said: "Yesterday at Elvington Airfield, Zef was attempting to break the British Land Speed Record in a Porsche 911 Turbo S, at an event organised by Straightliners Ltd/UKTA.
"At 1630, the car went out of control at high speed at the end of a run.
"Local police and ambulance crews attended, however the driver tragically died at the scene.
"Zef leaves behind his partner Mirella D'Antonio and two children."
The statement added: "The thoughts of everyone at Motorsport UK and within the UK motorsport community continue to be with Zef Eisenberg's family, the organisers of the event, and other members of the motorsport community who were present at Elvington Airfield."
The attempt was organised by Straightliners Limited and the UK Timing Association, which said: "All in Straightliners and UKTA extend their condolences to Zef's partner Mirella, the Eisenberg family, the vehicle operating and build crew and all those who supported Zef's speed efforts with his bikes and car."
Officials said a full investigation will be launched into the circumstances of the fatal crash.
Health and Safety officials from York Council arrived on site to liaise with police searching the runway for clues.
It is currently not clear how fast the driver was going when he crashed.
The British land speed record is the fastest land speed achieved by a vehicle in the UK.
The record is judged by the car's speed over a fixed-length course and is averaged over two runs in oppostive directions.
One of the first records was set in 1924 when Malcolm Campbwell drove the 350 hp Sunbeam Blue Bird to achieve the lying Mile (146.16 m.p.h.) and Flying Kilometre* (146.15 m.p.h.) at Pendine Sands, in Wales.
A year later, he then broke the records again - hitting 150.76mph and 150mph respectively.
Over the years, a number of other drivers including Tony Densham and Robert Horne have broken the records.
On 3 October 1970, Tony Densham, set a record at Elvington, Yorkshire, by averaging 207.6 m.p.h. over the Flying Kilometre course.
*A flying kilometre or flying mile speeds are judged by the average speed of a vehicle across a rolling-start
Motorsport UK said that it was working with the event organiser and North Yorkshire Police on the probe.
This comes days after several new Guinness World Records were set at Elvington including by terminally ill Jason Liversidge who travelled 67mph in a specially-adapted wheelchair.
The privately-owned venue, which is an active airfield, is also a facility for driver training, filming and other testing purposes for professional organisations.
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