Le Minz breaks Guinness record

It's one of the world's more bizarre race events - a 24-hour endurance race for 50cc scooters -and this year's Le Minz on the Gold Coast broke the previous record.

Here is what the organisers had to report: Minutes became hours for riders and teams as the enormity of the task set in, with well over 1500 laps of the 660 metre track still in front of them. The teams enjoyed a strong start, and local scooter dealers were on the pace early with their strategy favouring longer stints on their respective machines.

Riders were free to pit to change or refuel at any time, but the first mandatory break after the three hour mark was a welcome breather and provided everyone with a chance to refocus.

Daylight quickly became scarce, and the headlights were flicked on, followed by flood lighting. Mental focus was a major factor in maintaining rhythm for the riders overnight and a handful of small spills kept everyone on their toes.

A scorching pace saw the current Guinness World Record approach mid-morning, and the mark was easily eclipsed by young Jake Dolan on a TGB 101S, the individual rider winner, who clocked up an incredible 1178.76 kilometres at the event's midday finish. Jake's name will replace former record-holder Julio Languillier as the rider to complete the longest distance on a 50cc scooter over a 24-hour period.

The 18-year-old rode with a maturity beyond his years, holding his own towards the end of the event and receiving a huge cheer from the crowd as he greeted the waved Australian flags to signal the end of the iconic 24-hour event.

"It's pretty hard to put in words how it feels, it was so hard and I will definitely be aching for days to come," said Dolan.

"I just tried to get into a rhythm, and ride fast and consistently, there was no point in battling for position if it was going to risk having a slide," he said.

It was a local team from the Gold Coast's Scooter Shop that took the team victory and overall event honours.

Peter Whitehead, Peter Heran and Ron Funk made a formidable trio, holding off the CAPA Stuntriders by a small margin. The Scooter Shop team completed 1831 laps, with the CAPA team close behind on 1829, a good indication of the close and even nature of the competition.

Whitehead said the 24 Hour had been an extremely tough physical challenge and said fatigue played a big part.

"As a team we were able to take breaks off the bike, so I can only imagine how tough it would have been for the guys going it alone," he said.

In total, eight manufacturers were represented at this weekend's event: Arqin, TGB, Yamaha, V Moto, Peugeot, Aprilia, Bug and Daelim.