Twelve months of careful planning have paid off for Jake Sgubin, with the Tylden resident recently breaking the Simpson Desert double crossing record on a dirt bike.
Mr Sgubin made the 1024-kilometre return journey from Bridsville to Mount Dare in 21 hours and 12 minutes, beating the previous record of 23 hours and 38 minutes.
He set off on the trip on Anzac Day, taking almost 10 hours to reach Mount Dare.
After refuelling and taking time to recharge, he was off on the return trip.
Mr Sgubin said the idea of crossing the Simpson Desert on a dirt bike came to him during a family holiday across the desert 18 months ago.
“When we got to the other side, I thought it would be good to ride by bike across,” he said.
“I got talking to a few people and the idea grew from there.
“Once I started researching, I found out there was a record that guys were trying to beat.”
Mr Sgubin spent the 12 months in the lead-up to the trip increasing his fitness and working out how much fuel and supplies he should carry to make the journey as quickly as possible.
“There is nothing forcing you to keep going other than your mental challenge,” he said.
“I had three stops on the first leg and four stops on the way back.”
Mr Sgubin said he had other ride challenges in his sights, but would need to re-enlist the support of his family before heading off again.
