THEIR car was too slow, their bike was too old and the runway used for the record attempt was - in theory - too short.

The back of the car being used to tow Neil Campbell, as he built up speed for the British and Commonwealth motor paced cycle land speed record, was wrapped in gaffer tape.

A crutch was attached to the front of his 20-year-old converted tandem ready to release from the car when it hit 90mph.

But their ingenuity - which also included the use of knicker elastic and exhaust mounting rubbers from a 1989 Ford Escort - and some determined cycling saw him do it.

Neil - dressed in motorcycle leathers and a crash helmet - pedalled at 114mph to take the British record and 20 years of planning and hoping suddenly reaped its rewards.

The challenge was born of a night in the pub but whilst the hangover went, the idea remained.

It is fair to say it had not gone smoothly.

"I woke up in the morning with a dreadful cold," said Neil, a 42-year-old architect.

"But adrenalin is a wonderful anaesthetic which helped, that and caffeine and paracetamol."

He added: "Nothing went smoothly. The weather was awful and there was a horrible cross wind.

"The runway at Elvingdon Airfield, near York, was rough and if we got a puncture, that would have been it.

"The car, a 1998 VW diesel family estate with 244,000 miles on the clock, would not go fast enough on its own so we had to use Dave LeGrys's car in front which was up to driving at more than 100 mph."

When the cars hit 90 mph, Neil was released from his tow and in their slipstream pedalled furiously until he hit 114mph to break the British and Commonwealth motor paced cycle land speed record.

Neil's previous attempt last year failed but that was all forgotten.

"I don't think it has really sunk in yet. What do they say - the harder the battle, the bigger the victory?

"We were fighting hurdles all the way, none of it was perfect. There is quite a lot of satisfaction in getting the record."

For Dave, from Little Horkesley, it was the third time he had been involved in breaking the record.

He broke it in 1986 when he rode at 110mph behind a British Touring race car on a closed section of the M42.

Then in 2013, he helped racing motorcyclist and TV presenter Guy Martin break it during the TV series, Speed.

Guy reached 112.9 mph thanks so some impressive cycling, six miles of the Pendine Sands and having a £1 million budget behind him.

Neil's expenditure totalled less than £1,000 using the converted bike and lots of imagination.

"We didn't have anything fancy, it was just a bit of a Scraphead Challenge," he admitted.

In addition to their British and Commonwealth record, the team also raised £2,000 for the British Heart Foundation.

It is a cause which matters.

Dave had open heart surgery to repair a mitral heart valve and Neil's mother, Silvia, died suddenly in 2012 from a previously undiagnosed heart condition.

Now Neil has his sights set on European record which stands at 135 mph and the world record which is currently 167 mph.

Perhaps he will have to come back to that one.

MAD cyclist Neil undertook another ride to support the charity Oddballs.

The charity raises awareness of men's health and Neil donned nothing but some colourful pants and a motorbike helmet to complete another challenge.

"I rode in the helmet and pants at 80mph, just to raise awareness," he said.

Anyone wanting to donate towards Neil's British Heart Foundation fundraiser can do so via justgiving.com/operationpacemaker