In October, 2020, the world lost multiple speed record holder and general, all-around speed freak Zef Eisenberg. For those unfamiliar, the man was keen to set all kinds of speed records in (and on) vehicles with both two and four wheels. At the time of his death, he was attempting to set yet another speed record at Elvington Airfield, near York, England, while driving a Porsche 911 Turbo.
At the time of his death, at least one witness reported seeing the car “[veer] off the runway and flip.” Eisenberg was 47 at the time, and left behind two children. In the nearly two years since his death, an inquest has been ongoing to examine what happened on that fateful day. On May 18, 2022, race marshal Graham Sykes told the inquest in a statement that he believes the brakes may have been applied prior to the car’s parachute fully deploying.
In Eisenberg’s speed record attempt, the order operations to stop the car was of course very important. In speaking to the inquest, Sykes said that Eisenberg had “got the sequence wrong,” despite his being a knowledgeable and well-respected driver.
Sykes went on to add that “Sadly, I feel driver error caused this tragic accident,” according to the BBC. The inquest has not yet concluded, and will resume at some point in the future, on a date that has not yet been determined.
This wasn’t Eisenberg’s first time at Elvington Airfield. Back in 2016, that’s the same course where he unfortunately had a serious crash on his MADMAX C20B turbine motorcycle that made some believe he might never walk again. All told, he suffered 11 broken bones in that crash, including in his pelvis.
While a lot of people would have given up after an incident like that, Eisenberg wasn’t one of them. In 2017, he was back to his racing ways—and by 2018, he was even back to racking up the speed records. In 2019, he took home the prestigious Simms Medal at the Royal Automobile Club in London. It’s an award that isn’t just given out every year like a lot of other awards. Instead, it’s only given out when the awards team believes there’s someone whose services to motoring are worthy—as Eisenberg was deemed to be.
We’ll be sure to share the results of the official inquest into the circumstances surrounding Eisenberg’s death, once it has concluded. In the meantime, we send our heartfelt condolences to his friends and family, as this procedure is no doubt a difficult time for all.
