London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Nov 20, 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
A Decade of Innovation Stagnation at Apple: The Cook Era Critique
Caribbean Reparations Commission Seeks ‘Mutually Beneficial’ Justice from UK
EU Insists UK Must Contribute Financially for Access to Electricity Market and Broader Ties
UK to Outlaw Live-Event Ticket Resales Above Face Value
President Donald Trump Hosts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at White House to Seal Major Defence and Investment Deals
German Entertainment Icons Alice and Ellen Kessler Die Together at Age 89
UK Unveils Sweeping Asylum Reforms with 20-Year Settlement Wait and Conditional Status
UK Orders Twitter Hacker to Repay £4.1 Million Following 2020 High-Profile Breach
Popeyes UK Eyes Century Mark as Fried-Chicken Chain Accelerates Roll-out
Two-thirds of UK nurses report working while unwell amid staffing crisis
Britain to Reform Human-Rights Laws in Sweeping Asylum Policy Overhaul
Nearly Half of Job Losses Under Labour Government Affect UK Youth
UK Chancellor Reeves Eyes High-Value Home Levy in Budget to Raise Tens of Billions
UK Urges Poland to Choose Swedish Submarines in Multi-Billion € Defence Bid
US Border Czar Tom Homan Declares UK No Longer a ‘Friend’ Amid Intelligence Rift
UK Announces Reversal of Income Tax Hike Plans Ahead of Budget
Starmer Faces Mounting Turmoil as Leaked Briefings Ignite Leadership Plot Rumours
UK Commentator Sami Hamdi Returns Home After US Visa Revocation and Detention
UK Eyes Denmark-Style Asylum Rules in Major Migration Shift
UK Signals Intelligence Freeze Amid US Maritime Drug-Strike Campaign
TikTok Awards UK & Ireland 2025 Celebrates Top Creators Including Max Klymenko as Creator of the Year
UK Growth Nearly Stalls at 0.1% in Q3 as Cyberattack Halts Car Production
Apple Denied Permission to Appeal UK App Store Ruling, Faces Over £1bn Liability
UK Chooses Wylfa for First Small Modular Reactors, Drawing Sharp U.S. Objection
Starmer Faces Growing Labour Backlash as Briefing Sparks Authority Crisis
Reform UK Withdraws from BBC Documentary Amid Legal Storm Over Trump Speech Edit
UK Prime Minister Attempts to Reassert Authority Amid Internal Labour Leadership Drama
UK Upholds Firm Rules on Stablecoins to Shield Financial System
Brussels Divided as UK-EU Reset Stalls Over Budget Access
Prince Harry’s Remembrance Day Essay Expresses Strong Regret at Leaving Britain
UK Unemployment Hits 5% as Wage Growth Slows, Paving Way for Bank of England Rate Cut
Starmer Warns of Resurgent Racism in UK Politics as He Vows Child-Poverty Reforms
UK Grocery Inflation Slows to 4.7% as Supermarkets Launch Pre-Christmas Promotions
UK Government Backs the BBC amid Editing Scandal and Trump Threat of Legal Action
UK Assessment Mis-Estimated Fallout From Palestine Action Ban, Records Reveal
UK Halts Intelligence Sharing with US Amid Lethal Boat-Strike Concerns
King Charles III Leads Britain in Remembrance Sunday Tribute to War Dead
UK Retail Sales Growth Slows as Households Hold Back Ahead of Black Friday and Budget
Shell Pulls Out of Two UK Floating Wind Projects Amid Renewables Retreat
Viagogo Hit With £15 Million Tax Bill After HMRC Transfer-Pricing Inquiry
Jaguar Land Rover Cyberattack Pinches UK GDP, Bank of England Says
UK and Germany Sound Alarm on Russian-Satellite Threat to Critical Infrastructure
Former Prince Andrew Faces U.S. Congressional Request for Testimony Amid Brexit of Royal Title
BBC Director-General Tim Davie and News CEO Deborah Turness Resign Amid Editing Controversy
Tom Cruise Arrives by Helicopter at UK Scientology Fundraiser Amid Local Protests
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson Face Fresh UK Probes Amid Royal Fallout
Mothers Link Teen Suicides to AI Chatbots in Growing Legal Battle
UK Government to Mirror Denmark’s Tough Immigration Framework in Major Policy Shift
UK Government Turns to Denmark-Style Immigration Reforms to Overhaul Border Rules
UK Chancellor Warned Against Cutting Insulation Funding as Budget Looms
×