Covering 47,385 Miles over 6 Continents in 72 days and 13 Hours
We all enjoy taking a ride through unchartered countryside on a motorcycle road trip, but nobody goes for a ride quite like Swiss Endurance rider Urs “Grisu Grizzly” Pedraita. Grisu Grizzly is the first person who successfully crossed all countries along their longest axis – no other vehicle has ever reached this achievement – in an unbreakable time, only 72 days and 13 hours.
Joined by hundreds of Victory owners, Grizzly set off on his adventure from Daytona International Speedway on March 11, 2016 after a lap around the Daytona 200 road course. From Daytona Beach, he traveled 3,971 miles in only 6 days and 14 hours to the first checkpoint in Panama City, Panama. The next 9 days and 23 hours were spent riding his Victory to the tip of South America, Ushuaia, Argentina, then returning to Santiago, Chile, where he loaded his bike onto a plane and flew to Sydney, Australia. After riding 4,604 miles across Australia in six days and five hours, Grizzly and the “Daytona One” flew from Perth, Australia to Cape Town, South Africa.
Grizzly then rode the 7,509-mile journey from Cape Town to Cairo, Egypt in 13 days and 23 hours, ending this leg of the journey with a ferry across the Mediterranean to Tarragona, Spain. 5,447 miles and 6 days and 23 hours later, Grizzly found himself in North Cape, Norway. From there, he traveled east across Russia completing a mammoth 7,280 miles in 11 days and 7 hours. Next, a quick 4-hour trip across South Korea, and a 5-day and 11-hour ride through Thailand and Malaysia.
The last leg of his journey began in Anchorage, Alaska and took him zig-zagging across Canada and North America to a celebration in Williams, Arizona on Friday, July 8. Two days later, Victory owners and other motorcyclists gathered at Volusia Motorsports in New Smyrna Beach, Florida to celebrate the world record and greet Grizzly as he finished his epic ride. In 72 days and 13 hours of riding, Grizzly covered 47,385 miles over 6 continents. (An average of roughly 650 miles a day).
The Bike:
A modified Victory Cross Country Tour with a 9-gallon tank, a custom seat, modified tail section, storage space in place of speakers, and a spoked front wheel for easier flat fixes. The “Daytona One” has numerous GoPro, camera, and GPS mounts along with many drink holders for the journey. Not only was the bike modified for the distance and comfort of Grizzly, but also for the safety.