A man in a superhero costume has set a Guinness World Record for Segway distance travel on the Island.
Danny (Hurricane) Halmo, a custom car builder from Langley, B.C., has been on a mission to update B.C. laws that restrict Segway self-balancing personal transporters from use on public roads and to establish a Guinness World Record for the longest continuous journey on a Segway.
Halmo, dressed in either a Deadpool or Flash superhero costumes to draw attention, has been on the road visiting Island communities since starting out from Salt Spring Island Oct. 1 and blew through the record distance Wednesday morning just south of Ladysmith.
He rode about 32 kilometres from the Malahat into the finish line in Victoria Thursday where he planned to celebrate by putting his Segway into a spin and igniting fireworks he’d attached to the machine, before swapping his Deadpool outfit for a tuxedo and hand in a petition containing about 100 signatures from Islanders who want changes to Segway rules, which will be delivered to the B.C. legislature by the Green Party.
“There’ll be a nine-foot volcano of sparks flying out of the Segway … I’ll spin around in a tornado of sparks and fire,” he said.
Halmo, who was supported on the record attempt by Sun Country Highway, plans to ride across Canada next year to celebrate Canada’s 150th anniversary of confederation and to raise money to fight prostate cancer. He also plans to ride a Segway around the world.
Halmo held the Guinness World Record for the longest journey by electric vehicle (non-solar) – the vehicle was an electric motorcycle – from October 2013-April 2014 for riding 12,163.42 km from Seattle, Wash., to Windsor, Ont. The current record holder is American Norman Hajjar, with 19,607.96 km.
Halmo will file the results of his most recent record attempt along with the results of another record attempt at the greatest distance by personal transporter in 24 hours.
“I’m seeing an application from him that is pending evidence,” Elizabeth Montoya, Guinness World Records North America spokeswoman, said in an e-mail. “Currently no one holds the title.”