UWTSD Students and Staff Help Set Four British Records with Rare Arc Vector Electric Motorcycle at Pendine Sands

14 May 2026

Students and staff from the Motorcycle Engineering programme at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) have helped secure four new British records at the Straightliners event held at Pendine Sands on May 2 and 3, using a production electric motorcycle developed by UWTSD alumnus Mark Truman.

Using the Arc Vector, a highly sought after ultra-high performance electric motorcycle, the team set new national records for a production electric motorcycle on sand in the following categories:

Standing start quarter mile – 107.782mph
Standing start half mile – 115.985mph
Standing start 500 metres – 106.680mph
Standing start kilometre – 111.009mph

The 500 metre and kilometre records were achieved on May 3, in particularly wet beach conditions, making the longer-distance runs even more challenging.

The record-setting machine was created by Arc, the pioneering electric motorcycle company founded by graduate Mark Truman following his studies at UWTSD.

Arc has attracted international attention in recent years, including praise from Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds, who described the Arc Vector as “the coolest bike” he had ever ridden. Reynolds’ social media posts about the motorcycle generated significant global interest in the company and highlighted the innovation behind the British-built electric machine.

The achievement highlights the university’s strong industry links and its commitment to providing students with real-world, hands-on engineering experience at the forefront of motorsport innovation and electric vehicle technology.

Ian Henshaw, UWTSD’s technical demonstrator, who was part of the Pendine Sands team, said: “This was an incredibly important project for the university to be involved in. To work with cutting-edge electric vehicle technology and help achieve four British records is a fantastic opportunity for both staff and students. Experiences like this give our students invaluable practical knowledge, allowing them to apply what they learn in the classroom to a genuine high-performance engineering environment.

“It also demonstrates the strength of the relationships we build with our graduates and industry partners. Seeing former students like Mark return and collaborate with the university is hugely inspiring for current students and shows what can be achieved through passion, innovation, and determination.”

The project enabled students to experience the fast-paced demands of advanced vehicle development first hand.

Student Neil Sandilands said: “Working with Arc made my dissertation feel like a real engineering project. It gave me the chance to apply the skills I had developed during my degree to a genuine motorcycle design challenge, while learning more about the practical realities of the design process.

“I gained a much better appreciation of how performance, packaging, cost and validation all have to be considered together, and the collaboration gave the project a real sense of purpose.”

Fellow student Harry Rogers added: “Working with Ian Henshaw to provide technical support during the Arc programme at Pendine was an exciting and insightful experience. The Vector is such a unique machine compared to anything else on the road, and the project gave me valuable hands-on experience with electric vehicle technology.

“I’m really grateful to Arc for the opportunity to be involved.”

Mark Truman continues to maintain close ties with UWTSD. Currently both the Motorcycle Engineering students under Dr Owen Williams and the Automotive Design students under Sergio Fontanarosa are working on collaborative projects with Arc including the development of new models. Mark also regularly returns to speak with students and share insights from his career journey, helping to inspire the next generation of engineers and innovators. His success story reflects the university’s emphasis on practical learning and industry-focused education.

Describing his time at UWTSD as “incredibly helpful and nourishing,” Mark said: “The things I learnt in terms of work ethic have been invaluable, which I’ve carried with me throughout my career.

“The fundamentally great thing about this university is the real hands-on, practical experience that it gives people. I had looked at more theoretical courses at the time, and I don’t think any of them would have ignited the passion in me as much as being able to get my hands on vehicles, experiment, make modifications and take them on the track to see how they perform. That’s something this university does extremely well.”

Speaking about the new records he said : “Setting multiple British records on Pendine Sands is a powerful demonstration of what the Arc Vector is capable of in some of the most demanding real-world conditions. Sand specifically presents a unique challenge for any high-performance motorcycle, particularly when it comes to traction, stability, and consistent power delivery, so to achieve these results is a testament to the engineering behind the bike.

“We’re proud to have collaborated with UWTSD on this project, not only to showcase the performance of the Vector, but also to support the development of the next generation of engineers. Partnerships like this are incredibly important to us, enabling us to push boundaries while giving students meaningful, hands-on experience with cutting-edge electric vehicle technology.

“Perhaps as part of our new model development we will come back next year and improve on the records. This could be a really interesting test for the new technologies we are working on.”

Offering advice to current students, he added: “Don’t be afraid to take risks, don’t give up, and really cherish what you’ve got. If you keep trying, you’ll get there in the end.”