Triumph record bid postponed
Salt flats are not in top condition
HINCKLEY’S Triumph Motorcycles has delayed its ambitious bid to break the motorcycle world land speed record to wait for optimal conditions.
The attempt will now take place in mid-September in the USA - weather permitting.
The announcement follows a successful practice session at the famous salt flats of Bonneville, which saw the Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner reach a speed of 274.2mph on August 9 to become the world’s fastest Triumph yet.
Triumph’s aim is to exceed the current record that stands at 376.363mph, using the purpose-built 1,000bhp motorcycle.
Riding the high-powered superbike over a measured mile will be Isle of Man TT racer and multiple speed record holder Guy Martin.
Triumph had originally hoped to stage the attempt in August but despite having a good course surface for testing the team felt the salt wasn’t yet fully capable of supporting a topspeed streamliner run.
In consultation with FIM course manager Mike Cook, the team are targeting the September dates as the best possible opportunity for the optimal course conditions required for the record attempt.
Guy Martin’s first week in the streamliner saw him master the controls of the machine quickly - achieving all the goals set by crew chief and designer Matt Markstaller and his team.
Mr Markstaller said: “We achieved a great deal during our test week at Bonneville and feel we are in a great position to move ahead with our record attempt.
“Guy settled into the streamliner very quickly and impressed us with the speed in which he mastered both the motorcycle and riding on the salt.
“While conditions were some of the best I have seen over the last few years, we feel there is still some room for improvement.
“When chasing a record such as this on two wheels the conditions have to be the very best they can be, to give us the greatest chance of achieving the speeds we require to set a new record.”
Triumph has a history of breaking the land speed record, holding the title of ‘World’s Fastest Motorcycle’ between 1955 and 1970.
The record-breaking Triumph Streamliners included Devil’s Arrow, Texas Cee-gar, Dudek Streamliner and Gyronaut X1, the former achieving a top speed of 245.667mph. Today’s record, held by Rocky Robinson since 2010 riding the Top Oil-Ack Attack streamliner, sits at 376.363mph.