Yorkshire Farmer Makes Exploration History

AUTO CENTRAL - August 21, 2008: Steve Burgess, a farmer from West Yorkshire, has put himself and his Land Rover Defender into the record books as he became the first person in history to successfully cross the Bering Straits in a road vehicle – and he says he has his Cooper 4x4 tyres to thank.

Earlier this year the 52-year-old from Mirfield, near Huddersfield, travelled 10,379 miles in 50 days to the Easternmost tip of Russia. Despite driving across icy tundra and frozen riverbeds with temperatures as low as minus 46 degrees Celsius in some of the most remote places on earth, the Cooper Discoverer ST off-road tyres provided the added traction and outstanding performance Burgess needed.

Then, in a masterstroke that differs from others who tried the voyage before, instead of trying to cross the Straits while they were covered with ice, he simply waited for them to melt in the summer.

Once they did, he strapped two huge floats on the sides of his Land Rover, added a motor and propeller on the back and sailed across the 56-mile stretch of water, pausing on the island of Little Diomede as the weather closed in, before continuing a few weeks later when conditions improved. He landed at 1a.m. local time on the beach of Wales, Alaska, on Friday 8 August, earning his place in history.

“It’s been a phenomenal trip,” said Burgess. “I can’t say it was all enjoyable – I wouldn’t do it again – but it has been incredible. We were on ice roads virtually all the way from Moscow – thousands and thousands of miles – and could not believe how much traction we got from the Cooper tyres; they were phenomenal.

“Landing on Wales was brilliant. It was the culmination of nearly nine years work, and to be the first to get across was incredible. I’d watched other people before me try to do it – rich people, big companies, and I thought ‘how am I going to square up to these people?’ But I showed them how it’s done!”

Despite the achievement, Burgess’s epic journey is far from over. After returning to the UK to raise more funds so he can continue the trip, he plans to drive all the way down North and South America to Cape Horn, after travelling a total of 30,000 miles.