Speed Record Club

speed on wheels, water and wings

Work in Progress - November 2009

... an extract from FastFacts 75

Contents:
Motorcycle World Land Speed Record
New Record for Blind Driver
Eccentric speed records
British Motorcycle Land Speed Record Challenger

Motorcycle World Land Speed Record

On the 24th September 2009 under FIM governance at the Bonneville Shootout 2009 private invitation meeting organised by Mike Cooke Snr, the Denis Manning BUB 7 team, with Chris Carr (Honorary Club Member) at the controls of the BUB 7 streamliner, regained the World Motorcycle speed record at over 367 mph.

Naturally Wagner wanted to achieve this milestone first and on South African soil. “We were the first to hit 150 mph but 200 mph for a blind driver is like conquering Everest,” he warned. “With my navigator, Ray Wakefield, himself a (sighted) land speed record contender, we’ve proved we have what it takes to reach 200 mph and bring the record back to South Africa.”

On Wednesday, 7 October we were pleased to receive an email from Ray which stated that “at around 7.10 yesterday morning (6 October) blind Capetonian Hein Wagner, navigated by myself, raised the World Land Speed Record for the flying kilometre to 200.393 mph (322.50 km/h), Hein thus becoming the first blind man to exceed 200 mph (we hope – sorry Mike Newman).

More in FastFacts 75

New Record for Blind Driver

Four years ago blind adventurer and motivational speaker Hein Wagner earner South Africa a World Land Speed Record. He drove a 4.5 litre Maserati into the record books by setting the record for a blind driver at 242.2 km/h. Since then another blind driver, England’s Mike Newman has exceeded that speed and recently announced that he hoped to be the first blind person to reach 200 mph (322 km/h) by driving a specially prepared Keating SKR super sports car in America in October 2009.

Full update in FastFacts75

Eccentric speed records

It is often said that if it has an engine or can be fitted with an engine then any wheeled device will be used for record breaking. In the US they even take objects that have never had wheels and make them suitable for setting speed records.

Number 1

The motorised bar stool is one of the most eccentric of all speed vehicles. The stool has to have existed in a bar but by mounting it on a chassis, adding steering and an electric motor you can set a record on the salt if you are mad enough. You have to sit on the seat of the stool and the wearing of full motorcycle protection is enforced. A tucked skiing style position provides some aerodynamic assistance. The IMDS Racing Team got into the record books in 2009 at 53.55815 mph during the USFRA World of Speed meeting held in September. Two runs have to be made through the timing traps to set the record. The first run was at 55.55033 mph and the second at a slightly slower 51.56597 mph. The rules are published on the USFRA website if you want to partake in this class (www.saltflats.com).

Number 2

When an enforced break was the result of life saving heart surgery, self confessed eccentric Stephen Vokins took the time away from his day job at the National Motor Museum to cement a decision to move ahead with a project to bring the speed record for lawnmowers back to Britain. Project Running Blade will need a very serious sit on lawn mower, because American Bob Cleveland set a speed of over 80 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats in July 2006. Stephen and his team have a goal of achieving a record at over 100 mph.

As news of the project became available the design and specification of Running Blade had not been released. No photographs of the finished machine have been released. The track however will be familiar to all land speed lovers - the beach of Pendine Sands, Carmarthenshire. The choice possibly influenced by one of the quartet of world land speed record holders on display in the NMM. The Running Blade attempt will be made next February.

To ensure that the vehicle retains the full characteristics of a lawn mower it will be used to cut grass before the attempt and only after necessary safety modifications will it move on to the beach to challenge the speed record. This removes the contentious US ‘lawndragsters’, that have high powered motorcycle engines nestling under bodywork that mimics the original lawn mower mounted onto space frame chassis, but have no grass cutting potential.

A driver with experience of running on the sand has been drafted in to the project team. Don Wales has been appointed as driver to work alongside team principle Vokins to achieve the project goal.

Number 3

The International governing body of two and three wheeled motorsport - the FIM - has a class for snowmobiles. Designed as tracked powered single and two seat devices for winter transport for people who enjoy exploring snow covered lakes, lands and mountains the snowmobile was a more practical alternative to the quad bike. But these winter devices are also used by racers who compete on snow courses created with jumps and banked bends set out in indoor and outdoor stadia.

The Americans love to race all year around and to begin with they modified their snowmobiles for asphalt and dirt drag racing. Then when racing became established they created bespoke ? mile and 1/8 mile machines but the skis had come off and the track belt had to be a special material and surface design.

The French Canadian team of Lamtrac/G Force One led by Gilles Gagne had shown the speed potential of their ‘snowmobile’ on a runway in 2008 when they attained a speed of 210.3 mph supervised by snowmobile racing officials. With an International governing body officiating and a world record to attempt the team entered the Bonneville Shootout 2009. Running in a class designated as “snowmobile, partially streamlined, 1000cc, forced induction” the Yamaha R1 engined device christened the “saltmobile” produced 600 hp assisted by the alcohol/nitro methane fuel blend. Rider Francis Moran had to cope with numerous early problems and the team had to make modifications and replace some of their ‘trick’ parts but on the groomed salt course his average speeds for the mile and kilometre exceeded 200 mph. The runs were 198.008 mph for the mile and 198.485 mph for the kilo backed up by the best of 208.053 mph for the mile and 209.126 mph for the kilo.

British Motorcycle Land Speed Record Challenger

The second British Challenger for the motorcycle wheel driven record was announced just as the last issue of Fast FACTS had been written. Ron G Holland (60) has announced a thirty foot long streamliner which is to be powered by a Puma V8 drag bike engine modified for use at Bonneville capable of producing 1,000 hp. The machine has a target speed of 400 mph.

Author Ron, whose latest book is called The Eureka! Enigma has a plan to raise a $1 billion US each year for charities using the power of collective will. He will use the bike project and attempt to publicise the charity giving scheme. The scheme will be linked to "The Billion Dollar Biker".