Car crash millionaire died in ‘high-speed pursuit of social media bragging rights’

A millionaire thrillseeker who died in a crash during a world speed record attempt had been on a mission for social media “bragging rights”, an inquest has heard.

Zef Eisenberg, the founder of the Maximuscle fitness nutrition company, was killed when his custom Porsche spun out of control at more than 200mph in Oct 2020.

The 47-year-old had been trying to prove to the racing world that he had created “the world’s fastest Porsche” by tackling four British short-distance racing records at Elvington Airfield, near York, a coroner’s court in Northallerton heard.

Under motorsports rules, the millionaire was officially being judged only on the records he was trying to break for his class of vehicle.

However, he was determined to set a speed performance unmatched by any Porsche, even though this would not be recognised officially, the court heard.

Eyewitnesses told the inquest they believed Eisenberg had hit his brakes a moment too soon, meaning that the rear parachute had not been properly deployed to slow the vehicle and keep it straight.

His Porsche 911 then lifted off the ground and rolled several times at high speed before bursting into flames. Eisenberg died at the scene from multiple injuries, the inquest was told.

The Guernsey-based businessman, who holds a number of high-speed records, was almost killed in another crash at the same airfield in 2016.

Michael Pittwood, who was appointed by the sport’s governing body Motorsport UK to liaise with the stewards and oversee the record attempts, told the court that racing drivers often wanted to acquire “bragging rights” on social media that their car was fastest.

Eisenberg, whom he had known for more than eight years, had wanted to break the British records for that distance and class of vehicle, he said.

“But he had also decided he wanted to show himself and his group had created the fastest Porsche for bragging rights in the social media world,” Mr Pittwood added.

“We all love bragging rights, but bragging rights do not have a bearing on national British speed records.”

Mr Pittwood said that there were a number of concerns with the car, including a pipe from the turbocharger falling off ahead of the attempt and wheel trims requiring removal because “they were not structurally sound”.

However, the condition of the car was down to the driver and he had seen “the car was performing and Zef was braking perfectly”.

Eisenberg had used the parachute successfully during a number of the passes that day, reaching speeds of up to 228mph, before setting out on his final run at 4.25pm.

The chute was activated by a handle in the cockpit, which activated a spring-loaded pulley to push it out of a canvas bag, the inquest heard.

Graham Sykes, a race marshall, was parked by the runway in a van to observe the attempt, with David Taylor, another marshall. He told the inquest: “The car looked smooth and stable as it passed us and set off at around 80mph. I saw the parachute deployed and the rear end of the car appeared to lift and go right as if air had got under the car.

“He tried to correct by steering left but the car hit the grass. In my opinion, he got the braking and parachute sequence wrong. He has applied the brakes before the parachute has deployed.”

He believed that when the chute was pulled, the back of the car “went light”.

‘Nothing to stop the car spinning’

Mr Sykes continued: “Without the parachute fully open, there was nothing to stop the car spinning.”

The car then hit the grass, with Mr Sykes recalling: “There was lots of dust and debris in the air. It is difficult to say how many rolls the car did because it happened so fast. Both Dave and I jumped from the van grabbing a fire extinguisher.

“We ran towards the vehicle, which was on fire. Within seconds, the safety ambulance arrived.”

Michael Hausmann, who fitted the parachute, said Eisenberg had insisted on activating it using a handle, rather than a button on the steering wheel like most other racers.

He added: “Zef was one of those characters who would not be told. Once he had something in his head, he would not be swayed.”

The inquest continues.