Sam Sunderland has reached Istanbul after completing the opening stage of his bid to set the fastest motorcycle circumnavigation of the world. The ride from Greenwich covered 2,356 miles and took 39 hours and 34 minutes. Sunderland, a two-time Dakar Rally winner and Red Bull athlete, left at 03:00 UTC on Saturday 5 September and arrived at 21:50 UTC on Sunday 6 September.

The route crossed England, France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey. It is the first part of a journey longer than 18,000 miles, taking in five continents and two antipodal points. Sunderland is chasing the existing motorcycle circumnavigation mark of 19 days, 8 hours and 25 minutes.

What counts on the record clock

The timing system pauses while the motorcycle is transported overseas. Sunderland's passage on the Le Shuttle between England and France therefore sits outside the record time. Breaks for rest are treated differently and remain part of the elapsed total, making the 39-hour, 34-minute opening stage an important early benchmark.

The first section also included a costly navigational error. Sunderland travelled around 20 miles away from the intended route, and the clock kept running while he put the mistake right. Those extra miles are excluded from the distance that counts toward the record, even though the time spent correcting them remains part of the attempt.

Sunderland is using a Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer throughout the challenge. The motorcycle is identified as Triumph's new-for-2027 Tiger 1200 version and is intended to make the complete journey, including the eventual return to Greenwich. After the Istanbul stage, it is due to be transported to Bangkok; the record clock will stop there before the planned next section to Kuala Lumpur.