Stark shatters high-altitude riding record with electric VARG EX
Stark Future just planted a flag where combustion bikes run out of breath. The company announced that Swiss mountaineer-rider Jiri Zak has set a new Guinness World Record (pending final verification) altitude mark for motorcycles, piloting a stock Stark VARG EX electric enduro to 22,044 ft. on Chile’s Los Ojos del Salado, the highest active volcano on Earth.
The attempt, completed November 30, pushed both rider and machine into brutally thin air, sub-zero temperatures, and unstable volcanic terrain. The team certified and calibrated GPS devices in advance, with the final logs now undergoing independent verification.
Los Ojos del Salado has long been the industry’s proving ground: Porsche, Yamaha, and Jeep have all chased altitude records there since the early 2000s. But the VARG EX’s electric drivetrain — no gears, fewer moving parts, and zero power loss from thinning air — gave Stark an edge where internal-combustion engines typically suffocate.
Zak said the climb was as dangerous as it was historic: “Two years ago, this was just a dream — to do it on an electric bike, where combustion loses its breath. Ojos is unforgiving; one mistake can cost your life. That’s why I’m here with a team I trust and a motorcycle that keeps delivering power in thin air.”
Stark Future founder and CEO Anton Wass framed the record as a statement to the industry: “This was never about a standalone number. It’s about proving that electric is not a compromise. The VARG can operate at the edge of the atmosphere—further than any combustion bike could. Next stop? The moon.”
A dedicated logistics and production team supported the multi-day effort, managing acclimatization, weather, filming, and the technical demands of running battery systems in sub-freezing, low-pressure conditions.
For dealers, this record reinforces a message Stark has been pushing since launch: electric platforms aren’t just competitive — they’re expanding performance boundaries ICE bikes can’t reach.
