Back in 2019, we told you aboutWendy Crockett’sIron Butt Rally (IBR) win. During the event, she rode nearly 13,000 miles in 11 days while accumulating a little over 154,000 IBR points. In doing so, Wendy became thefirst woman to win the prestigious long-distance rally.
Later, Wendy would receive the AMA Bessie Stringfield award, which commemorates the accomplishments of AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame member Bessie Stringfield. The honor recognizes the recipient’s efforts to introduce motorcycling to new or underserved markets.
Crockett earns new Guinness World Record
But now, Wendy can add a third significant accomplishment to her riding resume. Recently, she was awarded a new Guinness World Record for the Longest Journey By Motorcycle Within A Single Country (Team). To set the record, Wendy and riding partner Ian McPhee of Luscombe, Queensland, Australia, rode a total of 97,319 miles with 80,208 miles within the contiguous United States between April 7, 2022 and September 25th, 2022.
To set the record, Crockett and McPhee traveled to each state in alphabetical order visiting each Capitol building, including Washington, DC. Unfortunately, along the way, they encountered numerous problems such as animal strikes, historic heat and rain, emergency surgeries, crippling illness, and a host of mechanical failures to McPhee’s BMW R1100RT.
While the mechanical incidents were numerous, Crockett and McPhee did most of the repairs. One of the few times they could not fix the problem was when the frame of McPhee’s BMW cracked. Ultimately a NASCAR welder made the repair.
Both Crockett and McPhee have significant long-distance riding backgrounds. Wendy has completed six Iron Butt Rallies, while McPhee has completed four. Together, they have accumulated more than 2,000,000 motorcycle miles.
When asked about the new record, Crockett and McPhee said:
“I doubt there are any two riders better suited to successfully pull off a massive, calamitous ride like this one. Our tenacious spirits and goofy humor kept us pushing forward as a team through one absurd left-field disaster after another, and we are absolutely over the moon to have our efforts recognized by Guinness.”
McPhee added: “Quite often adventures don’t look like much at the start: A plan, a good idea, and a desire to see something through. The adventure comes when the plan derails but the desire to complete it remains firm.”
Future book
With all these riding accomplishments under their belts, Crockett and McPhee plan to write a book about their riding experiences. It should be a fascinating read.
