Breaking Records Fast

27-year-old Diego Poncelet was already an accomplished two-time downhill champion, but that just wasn’t enough. In September he set the Guinness World Record for the fastest skateboard speed in a standing position. Poncelet once had early ambitions to be a Formula One driver, so it makes sense that he’d push the technology of his chosen sport to reach speeds never seen before in skating.

I’ve bombed a hill on a regular board before and the feeling is both intoxicating and terrifying when the speed wobbles start to kick in. But going at 151.83km/h must be like nothing else. On his first day of testing he’d already set the record at 146.88km/h, but was shy of the personal 150km/h goal due to wind conditions, so they waited five days and tried again with a 10–14km/h tailwind to achieve the record-breaking number. His hill of choice was the Route du Port in Les Éboulements, Quebec. Its steepest section is an 18% gradient, sustained over 600m of straight.

“I’ve spent countless nights looking at maps trying to find something better, especially when I was told that it was too damaged and consequently did not see it as an option. I went crazy trying different roads, but at some point realised that it could not be beat. There’s no other road in the world like it, so I went to check it out and see if it could still be ridden.”

The road was the same one used to set the previous record, by Pete Connolly, who passed away from cancer in 2025. This project was dedicated as a tribute to him.

Training included wind tunnels and training his core strength and neck to be able to bend to the point it could touch his knees for maximum aerodynamics. He compacted himself to the point that he couldn’t see where he was going, instead relying on memorising the corners of the 2.2km road and following the markings on the ground. Standing up or doing any sudden moves would flip him off the board immediately. While he was wearing an aerodynamic helmet, there wasn’t much more between him and the road. Prada Linea Rossa (yes, THE Prada) collaborated closely with Poncelet to develop bespoke footwear and gloves, combining high-performance materials with protection, comfort, and grip. The handcrafted shoes featured a sticky rubber compound combined with a herringbone traction design to optimise board contact and control.

The board he used couldn’t just be your stock-standard either, although he was using a 9.81 Skateboards pro model (currently out of stock). It was fitted with Seismic wheels, bearings and grip tape, but had its entire profile changed by encasing it in a custom carbon-fibre aerodynamic shell.

Documenting the feat was handled by fellow skater and now chase car driver Grégoire Schab, who used a Porsche 911.

“Following Diego at these speeds, it’s super scary. As a skater myself, when I see this beast of a road, the steepness is intimidating because as soon as you drop, there’s no braking, so you have to go all the way through. It’s a total send.”

Congratulations to all involved. May your ride be forever smooth.