World accordion champion shares recap after attempt to set new world record at IMS

The excitement from Sunday’s Indy 500 extended into Memorial Day as three-time World Accordion Champion Cory Pesaturo sought out to break a Guinness World Record at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday.

Racing legend Mario Andretti drove him around the track in a two-seater Dallara IndyCar at the average speed of 200 miles per hour while Pesaturo played his custom accordion.

If approved, they will have the Guinness World Record for the fastest a vehicle having been driven with an on-board live performance.

This Guinness World Record attempt was particularly challenging because the accordion requires multiple human actions to play the instrument; these include both hands and arms using all the fingers while moving the accordion bellows in and out simultaneously while coping with the G-forces created by the speed of 200 miles per hour and handling the corners of the racetrack, and perhaps even reaching 220mph at the end of the straights. 

Previously, Cory Pesaturo set a new Guinness World Record in 2017 for the longest accordion performance playing his accordion for over 32 hours.

As a lifelong major motorsports enthusiast and historian, Cory Pesaturo has developed a personal friendship, over the past year, with both Mario Andretti and Giampaolo Dallara, president of Dallara Automobili S.p.A, who was also in attendance.

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