Hein Wagner - a 33-year-old blind driver - will attempt to break the World Blind Land Speed Record on 8th September outside Mafikeng in South Africa, behind the wheel of a Maserati GranSport Coupé.

South African Ferarri and Maserati importers, Viglietti Motors in Cape Town, agreed to make the vehicle, valued at R1.25 million, available to Wagner for his daring attempt. The National Council for the Blind supports Wagner, who wants to use the event to raise funds for the organisation. “We support him completely in his attempt to realise his dream,” says Jill Wagner, National Council for the Blind CEO. “Hein’s attempt at the land speed record is another way of showing how blind people can exceed expectations.”

"I’m very excited about the Maserati sponsorship! I was not to keen to use a modified race car, because they can be troublesome and difficult to drive,” says Wagner. "It's also a great advantage to have the Formula 1-style gearshift with the shift paddles on the steering column, because a floor shift would force me to move my hand from the wheel and that would disrupt my rhythm. Another advantage is that the Maserati's gearbox changes down automatically when you slow down or brake. This will also make it a lot simpler and safer, because I won't have to shift down to stop."
 

Hein, a motivational speaker by profession who has been blind since birth, will attempt to beat the current World Blind Land Speed Record of 144.75mph (233km/h), held by Mike Newman, a blind bank manager from Cheshire in the UK. But Wagner says that he will aim to get as close as possible to 300km/h during his own attempt. Ray Wakefield, a 62-year-old retired engineer from Port Elizabeth and owner of Speed Record SA, will act as Wagner’s navigator. Wagner explains: "We plan to have steering points from, say, one to nine, with five being the straight point. Ray will guide me by telling me to either move the wheel to four or six to correct the line as we travel, thereby putting me back on to five."

Guinness World Records and MSA, the governing body of motor sport in this country, have been approached to assist with the verification of this attempt, “We are still seeking fuel and travelling sponsorship for our team to make the attempt a reality and branding opportunities are still available on the vehicle for any potential sponsors.” Wagner says.