Mike Newman MBE
CEO - Speed of Sight Ltd
Mike Newman started his career in racing car for charity purpose. He was born to be fast and came from racing heritage.
It all started with one man. One man we like to call “Super Human, Mike Newman”
Born completely blind, Mike always had a passion for cars, so much so, it was his life’s ambition to become a racing driver.
But, as you can imagine, this ambition came with many challenges. No blind person in history had ever achieved this goal.
However, just because he is disabled, doesn’t mean he’s UNABLE. Mike worked tirelessly to live his dream, and through grit and determination to succeed, he worked alongside a local Jaguar dealership, to acquire a racing car that would enable him to do it.
Fast-forward over a decade, and Super Human, Mike Newman is a 9 times World Record Holder and currently the fastest blind man on land and water on the planet. His unrivalled achievements speak for themselves…
The Speed of Sight charity lets blind and disabled people take part in unique driving experiences. The charity didn’t happen by accident, it is actually the creation of one of the world’s biggest speed freaks – Mike Newman.
But who is Mike Newman? The enigmatic vehicle lover who has a need for speed – some would say a death wish – and the man you’ll always find behind the wheel, no matter what vehicle he finds himself in.
Providing blind and disabled people the chance to get behind the wheel and experience driving first-hand is something that is very close to Mike Newman’s heart as he is currently a record holder in a number of blind world speed record on land, air and sea.
Racing is in Mike’s blood. 2001 was his first endeavour into the world of racing where he reached speeds of 89mph in an Aprilla Falco 1000cc V twin motorbike after just three days of practice. This was a World Blind land speed record for a motorcycle. From there, things only got quicker.
From two wheels he progressed to four. Getting behind the wheel of a supercharged XJR Jaguar in 2003 and setting the land speed record at Elvington Airfield in York where he reached speeds of 144mph. This he did to help raise money for Guide Dogs for the blind and Vision 2020.
Since then he has broken the Land Speed record on three other occasions; 178mph in 2005 behind the wheel of a BMW M5; hitting the 186mph mark in 2013; and hitting the big 200mph in 2014.
It wasn’t just on the track that Mike Newman set records. In 2013 he also set the Blind Water Speed record with a staggering 93.58mph over the water. In the skies he set a team record with The Blades Aerobatic Team in 2011, performing the most consecutive loops in formation.
His 8 World records for speed is unparalleled. As co-founder of Speed of Sight, Mike ‘Superhuman’ Newman has helped drive charity fundraising and allowed others in similar situations to himself to achieve speeds they otherwise wouldn’t be able to as well as the freedom of experiencing driving first-hand.
Experience Driving a Car Blindfolded - Book your tickets for It's Mental Live 2023.
Book Tickets
