London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Nov 27, 2025

Zef Eisenberg: Racer's high-speed crash 'not survivable' inquest told

Zef Eisenberg: Racer's high-speed crash 'not survivable' inquest told

A fitness firm founder who was killed attempting a land speed record had taken one hand off the wheel to deploy a parachute, an inquest has heard.

Millionaire Zef Eisenberg died during the attempt in a Porsche 911 Turbo at Elvington Airfield, near York, in 2020.

He may have also braked then deployed the parachute, causing the car to take off, the hearing was told.

Mr Eisenberg suffered fatal injuries in the crash after his car barrel-rolled and spun end over end.

Coroner Jon Heath recorded a conclusion of misadventure.

The inquest was told the Maximuscle founder's modified Porsche was fitted with a parachute which required him to take his left hand off the steering wheel to deploy it using a lever.


'Huge forces'


Steve Gardner, a collision investigator for North Yorkshire Police at the time, said an alternative method was to deploy a button mounted on the steering wheel, but that was not fitted to the vehicle.

"The movement to deploy the parachute was quite substantial," he said.

Footage from inside the car also showed a "minimal" but "noticeable" twitch on the steering wheel in the moments before the loss of control, Mr Gardner added.

Family members had also expressed concerns about whether he was correctly strapped into the Porsche.

But Jamie Champkin, from Motorsport UK - the body which provided Mr Eisenberg, who lived on Guernsey, with a permit for the record attempts, said the forces involved in the crash were huge, and could not have been survived.

"The car became airborne very quickly, it travelled 513 metres before coming to a rest," he said.

We know it barrel-rolled, but it had also tumbled, he said, adding: "There came a point in that tumble that the car came down nose first.

"Our estimates were it was probably still doing 150mph, but it hit the ground and our very basic calculations would suggest an impact force 218 times Mr Eisenberg's body weight.

"This incident was not survivable in that context," he added.

Mr Eisenberg had amassed more than 90 land speed records on two wheels and four


Coroner Jon Heath said he would make a report aimed at preventing future deaths, asking Motorsport UK to consider its regulations about the strength of the chassis at which point harnesses are mounted.

However, he said that was not a factor in Mr Eisenberg's case.

Mr Eisenberg, who was from north London, had previously survived a motorcycle crash at the same airfield in North Yorkshire in 2016 when his turbine-powered motorbike failed to stop at the end of the runway.

He returned to racing in 2017, despite concerns he would never walk again, and in 2018 became the fastest biker to ever ride on sand, recording a speed of 230mph (370km/h).

In 2019, Mr Eisenberg set the record for the "flying mile" at Pendine Sands in Wales.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK to Slash Key Pension Tax Perk, Targeting High Earners Under New Budget
UK Government Announces £150 Annual Cut to Household Energy Bills Through Levy Reforms
UK Court Hears Challenge to Ban on Palestine Action as Critics Decry Heavy-Handed Measures
Investors Rush Into UK Gilts and Sterling After Budget Eases Fiscal Concerns
UK to Raise Online Betting Taxes by £1.1 Billion Under New Budget — Firms Warn of Fallout
Lamine Yamal? The ‘Heir to Messi’ Lost to Barcelona — and the Kingdom Is in a Frenzy
Warner Music Group Drops Suit Against Suno, Launches Licensed AI-Music Deal
HP to Cut up to 6,000 Jobs Globally as It Ramps Up AI Integration
MediaWorld Sold iPad Air for €15 — Then Asked Customers to Return Them or Pay More
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer Promises ‘Full-Time’ Education for All Children as School Attendance Slips
UK Extends Sugar Tax to Sweetened Milkshakes and Lattes in 2028 Health Push
UK Government Backs £49 Billion Plan for Heathrow Third Runway and Expansion
UK Gambling Firms Report £1bn Surge in Annual Profits as Pressure Mounts for Higher Betting Taxes
UK Shares Advance Ahead of Budget as Financials and Consumer Staples Lead Gains
Domino’s UK CEO Andrew Rennie Steps Down Amid Strategic Reset
UK Economy Stalls as Reeves Faces First Budget Test
UK Economy’s Weak Start Adds Pressure on Prime Minister Starmer
UK Government Acknowledges Billionaire Exodus Amid Tax Rise Concerns
UK Budget 2025: Markets Brace as Chancellor Faces Fiscal Tightrope
UK Unveils Strategic Plan to Secure Critical Mineral Supply Chains
UK Taskforce Calls for Radical Reset of Nuclear Regulation to Cut Costs and Accelerate Build
UK Government Launches Consultation on Major Overhaul of Settlement Rules
Google Struggles to Meet AI Demand as Infrastructure, Energy and Supply-Chain Gaps Deepen
Car Parts Leader Warns Europe Faces Heavy Job Losses in ‘Darwinian’ Auto Shake-Out
Arsenal Move Six Points Clear After Eze’s Historic Hat-Trick in Derby Rout
Wealthy New Yorkers Weigh Second Homes as the ‘Mamdani Effect’ Ripples Through Luxury Markets
Families Accuse OpenAI of Enabling ‘AI-Driven Delusions’ After Multiple Suicides
UK Unveils Critical-Minerals Strategy to Break China Supply-Chain Grip
Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” Extends U.K. No. 1 Run to Five Weeks
UK VPN Sign-Ups Surge by Over 1,400 % as Age-Verification Law Takes Effect
Former MEP Nathan Gill Jailed for Over Ten Years After Taking Pro-Russia Bribes
Majority of UK Entrepreneurs Regard Government as ‘Anti-Business’, Survey Shows
UK’s Starmer and US President Trump Align as Geneva Talks Probe Ukraine Peace Plan
UK Prime Minister Signals Former Prince Andrew Should Testify to US Epstein Inquiry
Royal Navy Deploys HMS Severn to Shadow Russian Corvette and Tanker Off UK Coast
China’s Wedding Boom: Nightclubs, Mountains and a Demographic Reset
Fugees Founding Member Pras Michel Sentenced to 14 Years in High-Profile US Foreign Influence Case
WhatsApp’s Unexpected Rise Reshapes American Messaging Habits
United States: Judge Dressed Up as Elvis During Hearings – and Was Forced to Resign
Johnson Blasts ‘Incoherent’ Covid Inquiry Findings Amid Report’s Harsh Critique of His Government
Lord Rothermere Secures £500 Million Deal to Acquire Telegraph Titles
Maduro Tightens Security Measures as U.S. Strike Threat Intensifies
U.S. Envoys Deliver Ultimatum to Ukraine: Sign Peace Deal by Thursday or Risk Losing American Support
Zelenskyy Signals Progress Toward Ending the War: ‘One of the Hardest Moments in History’ (end of his business model?)
U.S. Issues Alert Declaring Venezuelan Airspace a Hazard Due to Escalating Security Conditions
The U.S. State Department Announces That Mass Migration Constitutes an Existential Threat to Western Civilization and Undermines the Stability of Key American Allies
Students Challenge AI-Driven Teaching at University of Staffordshire
Pikeville Medical Center Partners with UK’s Golisano Children’s Network to Expand Pediatric Care
Germany, France and UK Confirm Full Support for Ukraine in US-Backed Security Plan
UK Low-Traffic Neighbourhoods Face Rising Backlash as Pandemic Schemes Unravel
×