Zef Eisenberg facts for kids

Ze'ev "Zef" Eisenberg (born March 22, 1973 – died October 1, 2020) was a British person known for many things. He started a company called Maximuscle, which makes sports nutrition products. He was also an amazing ultra-speed motorbike racer and a TV presenter.

Zef Eisenberg held over 70 British and world land speed records. This includes a Guinness World Record! Some of his records were for the world's fastest turbine bike (going 234 miles per hour) and the UK's fastest 'naked' bike (225.6 miles per hour). He was also the fastest motorbike racer on sand, reaching 201.5 miles per hour. He even set a record for the fastest wheel-powered vehicle in a 1,500 horsepower Porsche at Pendine Sands, going 210.33 miles per hour. He also had the world's fastest electric motorbike (without a fairing) with a top speed of 197 miles per hour.

He was the presenter for a TV show called Speed Freaks on ITV4. He also appeared on other TV shows, like The Motorbike Show, where he showed off his famous Madmax Turbine bike.

Sadly, Zef Eisenberg died on October 1, 2020, at 47 years old. He was trying to set a new British land speed record at RAF Elvington in Yorkshire when his car crashed.

Zef's Early Life and Career

Zef Eisenberg was born in Merton, south London. He left school at 15 after finishing his GCSEs. He then got a job at a health shop. Zef was a bodybuilder at the time, and he said he took the job to get discounts on nutritional supplements.

While working at the shop, Zef wrote a monthly newsletter about the science of nutrition. In 1993, he wrote and published his own book on the same topic. He used the money he made from the book to start selling protein supplements to other bodybuilders.

Zef was a qualified gym instructor and studied hormones for two years. This knowledge helped him start Maximuscle. He also went to a design and technology college. When he was just 15, he was sponsored by Digital for a new robot project. He even appeared in the Sunday Times for a special bicycle he designed. Even though Zef taught himself a lot about engineering and engines, he also got certified to work on C250 series turbines, which were used in his record-breaking motorbike.

Zef's Businesses

Maximuscle Sports Nutrition

In 1995, Zef Eisenberg started his sports nutrition company, Maximuscle. He began with just £3,000. At first, the company sold whey-based supplements. Over time, they added more products like drink powders, gels, and protein bars.

Maximuscle was the first UK sports nutrition brand to have its products checked under World Anti-Doping Agency rules. This meant athletes could trust their products were clean.

In 2011, a big company called GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) bought Maximuscle. Zef continued to help GSK with Maximuscle for a while.

Maxicorp and High-Speed Vehicles

Zef also ran a company called Maxicorp, based in Guernsey. This company worked on property and, more excitingly, built special high-speed vehicles.

Maxicorp also designed and built the Eisenberg V8. This was the world's smallest and lightest V8 engine motorbike. Zef's Madmax ultra-speed motorbike race team was also part of Maxicorp.

Madmax Race Team Achievements

Zef Eisenberg started the Madmax Race Team in 2011. This team is made of expert engineers who create amazing motorbikes, cars, and other land speed vehicles. The Madmax Race Team has set many world land speed records. They have over 50 land speed, British, world, and Guinness records! This includes the world's fastest electric unfaired bike.

Electric Motorbike Racing Tributes

Zef Eisenberg was a big fan of the Isle of Man TT race. In 2019, he sponsored Daley Mathison, a three-time IOM TT winner, and Dr. Miguel Gimeno Fabra. They were racing an electric motorbike from Nottingham University (NOU) in the Zero TT class. Sadly, Daley Mathison died in a crash the day before he was supposed to race the NOU bike.

Zef Eisenberg promised Daley's wife, Natalie, that he would take the NOU bike to world record glory as a tribute to Daley. The Madmax / NOU electric motorbike was made even more powerful. On September 21-22, Zef, with Dr. Miguel's help, achieved four FIM world speed records at Elvington, Yorkshire. Zef wore Daley's knee sliders, and Natalie was there to see it. Zef kept his promise and made the bike a world record holder for Daley. Because of this amazing achievement, the Royal Automobile Club (RAC) gave Zef Eisenberg the SIMMS award, which is a very special honor given for outstanding motorsport performance.

Eisenberg V8 Motorbike Details

Zef's autosports team built custom high-speed bikes and cars. They created the Eisenberg V8 (EV8), which has the world's smallest and lightest V8 engine. Zef worked with Prodrive, a big motorsport engineering company, to make a limited number of these 480 horsepower motorbikes. This bike is thought to be one of the most powerful production bikes ever made. It can go over 225 miles per hour! It weighs only 280 kilograms (dry) and is not much longer than a Ducati Diavel.

Zef on TV and Media

Speed Freaks TV Show

Because of his success in land speed racing, Zef Eisenberg became a TV presenter and racer. He starred in a new TV series called Speed Freaks. This show had six episodes on ITV4. In the series, Zef took on a huge challenge: to break the British land speed record in a car he designed himself.

David Williams from Keshet Productions said the show was full of exciting things for anyone who loves cars, motorsports, and engineering. He added that Zef's passion for speed was contagious. In May 2019, Zef achieved his goal of having the fastest ever wheel-driven vehicle (bike or car) at Pendine Sands, going over 210 miles per hour.

Other TV Appearances

Zef Eisenberg also appeared on other TV shows. He was on The Bike Show with Henry Cole, where he showed off his Madmax Turbine bike. Zef, his Madmax Turbine bike, and his famous 230 mph crash were also featured in a Channel 4 documentary with Guy Martin about the world's fastest tractor.

Amazing Speed Records

Zef Eisenberg was an incredible ultra-high-speed motorbike racer. He held a Guinness World Record for the fastest turbine-powered motorbike. It averaged 225.4 miles per hour over a mile. He also held the record for the fastest naked motorbike (without a fairing) in Britain, also at 225.4 miles per hour. The world land-speed record for this motorbike was a peak speed of 234.01 miles per hour, set in May 2018. This motorbike was powered by a 580 horsepower Rolls-Royce C20W engine, which comes from an Agusta 109 helicopter.

Zef also held the world record for the fastest turbine-powered streetfighter at 231 miles per hour. He held the UK record for the fastest no-fairing naked bike. He also set the record for the fastest production motorcycle (no changes or tuning) at Pendine Sands, reaching 186 miles per hour.

In May 2018, Zef Eisenberg broke the world land speed record for a motorbike on sand, reaching 201.5 miles per hour. This was the first time anyone had gone over 200 miles per hour on a motorbike or car at Pendine Sands.

In April 2019, Zef set a new record for the fastest 'wheel powered' flying mile on a motorbike at Pendine Sands, reaching 182.40 miles per hour. This beat the record set by Sir Malcolm Campbell in 1927 and actor Idris Elba's record from 2015.

On May 17, 2019, Zef Eisenberg returned to Pendine with his Madmax Race Team and a special 1200 horsepower Porsche 911 Turbo. On his very first runs, he set these records:

• Fastest sand speed record ever by a wheel-powered vehicle at 210.332 miles per hour at Pendine Sands.
• Fastest flying quarter (one way) wheel-powered record at 206.492 miles per hour.
• Fastest flying mile (one way) wheel-powered record at 196.970 miles per hour.
• Fastest Flying mile (two way) 187.962 miles per hour (the same way Sir Malcolm Campbell's record was measured).

As of 2019, Zef Eisenberg was the only person in history to have gone over 200 miles per hour on both a bike and a car at Pendine. He was also the only person to hold car and bike records, besides John Surtees, who raced in both motorcycle Grand Prix and Formula One.

In September 2019, Zef achieved four FIM world records for the fastest electric (unfaired) motorbike with the Madmax / Notts Uni Zero TT bike. He reached 185 miles per hour over one kilometer (two-way average) and 194.04 miles per hour over one mile. His peak GPS speed was 197 miles per hour.

In November 2019, Zef Eisenberg received the Royal Automobile Club Simms award, a very special honor given for amazing motorsport achievements. In January 2020, he was also nominated for an award for outstanding individual sporting achievement in Guernsey.

Zef's 2016 Crash

On September 18, 2016, Zef Eisenberg crashed on a turbine-powered motorbike. He was going 234 miles per hour at Elvington Airfield, Yorkshire. He was taken to the hospital by helicopter.

Zef broke 11 bones in the crash, including his pelvis, hip, and thigh bone. By July 2017, Zef said he had "90% recovered." He believed a strict exercise and nutrition plan helped him get better. By September 2017, Zef seemed to have fully recovered. On the anniversary of his crash, he even went back to Elvington Airfield to race the same bike! He was nominated for 'overcoming adversity' awards in Guernsey in 2017 and 2018.

Zef's 2020 Crash and Death

Zef Eisenberg died on October 1, 2020, at 47 years old. He was trying to set a British land speed record at RAF Elvington in Yorkshire when his car crashed.

Zef's Personal Life

Zef Eisenberg lived in Saint Peter Port, Guernsey. He moved there full-time in 2005 with his partner Marni Alexander and their two children. He had visited Guernsey regularly since he was seven years old with his father. Zef helped manage projects and raise money to build the largest concrete skatepark in Guernsey. He also helped build the largest adventure playground at Saumarez Park.

In 2019, Zef Eisenberg was named 'Parish champion of the year' in the 'Pride of Guernsey' awards for his five-year project to create the Saumarez Park playground. He was also nominated for the 'Overcoming Adversity' award in 2017 and 2018. In 2015, Zef came second for the ITV Ambassador of the year for Guernsey. In 2002, Zef Eisenberg received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.