DOWNTON motorsport enthusiast Steve Venables is celebrating after breaking a European speed record on a bike he built himself.
Venables, 38, established a new European speed record at the British Drag Race Championship heat held at the Shakespeare County Racetrack in Stratford-upon-Avon.
The managing director of a Romsey-based contracting business completed a quarter of a mile in an average speed of 186mph.
Venables is currently second in the British Championships with three meetings left after winning his first-ever race in the series in Warwickshire.
He has ploughed about £35,000 into building his bike - the only Kawasaki in the tournament, the rest are Suzukis - and asked if he has any other hobbies, he replied: "No!
"My job and working on the bike takes up a lot of my time.
"Sometimes I get home from work and go straight into the garage to work on the bike.
"It is not unusual to still be there at 2.30 in the morning"
Venables even spends part of his holidays scouting for new engine parts.
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