Tributes flooded in this week for race car driver Zef Eisenberg who died attempting to break the British land speed record.
Mr Eisenberg was killed when his car “veered off the runway and flipped” at Elvington Airfield, York.
Millionaire businessman Eisenberg drove a highly modified Porsche 911 Turbo S before losing control.
The race driver was born in Merton and moved to Guernsey in 2005.
A family statement said: “Known for the enthusiasm that he applied to each of his projects, Eisenberg injected his positivity into everyone he came into contact with.
“His family has described him as a true genius with unique talents.
“Eisenberg leaves behind a loving partner Mirella D’Antonio and two children.
“His parents and four siblings all adored him and followed his progress with great admiration.
“All have expressed their great sadness and ask for their privacy to be respected at this tragic time.”
The 47-year-old recently ventured into the hospitality industry, opening new restaurant Mad Max Pizza in Richmond in July.
Mayor of Richmond upon Thames, Councillor Geoff Acton officially opened Mad Max Pizza alongside Eisenberg.
Credit: Zef Eisenberg Facebook
Councillor Acton said: “I am very sorry to hear about Zef’s death and condolences to all his family and friends.
“He died doing what he loved and will be sorely missed in the racing fraternity.
“We hope Mad Max will continue as it is a welcome addition to the Richmond food and drink offer.”
Zef ran Mad Max with business partner Stefano Bergamin, 50.
He said: “I am still in a state of shock. It is incredibly devastating news.
“I had a phone call in the morning to say Zef had died. Still, now, I am just waiting for his phone call. But it’s never going to be there. It hurts me because I haven’t seen him properly recently. This business was his baby.”
The new pizza restaurant has a unique race-car-spin to it, with pizzas sharing names the names of famous car brands including Lamborghini, and Ferrari.
The Maserati Pizza was said to be Zef’s favourite.
Bergamin said: “We will keep Mad Max Pizza going to make sure the legacy of Zef remains.
“I’m just sorry to miss him. God bless him. There is no word to describe it.”
Eisenberg founded sports nutrition brand Maximuscle which he later sold to GlaxoSmithKline for £162million.
He also saw success in TV when presenting Speed Freaks on ITV4.
A self-proclaimed ‘Speed freak’, he currently holds a Guinness World Record as well as over 70 world land speed records.
Motorsport UK said a full investigation will be held into what happened.
A spokesman said: “The thoughts of everyone at Motorsport UK continue to be with Zef Eisenberg’s family, the organisers of the event and other members who were present at Elvingdon Airfield.”
Featured image credit: Zef Eisenberg Facebook
