BRITAIN’S FASTEST GRAN
‘I want to beat Guy Martin’
Until a few years ago, Louisa Swaden was just a typical British grandma but now she’s raced at Bonneville, holds a land speed record and dreams of taking on Guy Martin at his own game. Swaden, who’s 51 years-old, a grandma to three and from Reigate, has just become the UK’s ‘fastest woman on sand’ after setting a new record at Pendine Sands last week, as well the UK’s 650cc motorcycle land speed record. This comes after making another land speed record attempt at Bonneville Salt Flats, riding across the USA and becoming a Blood Biker. Not bad for someone who only rediscovered bikes three years ago.
“I’m a bit of a thinker,” the former businesswoman and now blogger and speaker told MCN. “I did a lot of introspection a few years ago and really longed to have adventures. I hadn’t sat on a bike for 20-something years but decided to ride across the USA. I was so scared but people around me just inspired me and kept me going.” After being bitten by the biking bug, she then started to travel the globe by bike, became a Blood Biker and even took part in the Women Riders World Relay, where a chance encounter brought the opportunity to race in Bonneville Speed Week. “I met a lady who introduced me to someone taking a bike to Bonneville Speed Week,” she explains. “Unfortunately, the LPG powered bike I went out there to ride developed an engine problem. It was a massive blow but I thought ‘I’ve come all this way – I’m going to race’. Some Americans heard of my predicament and before I knew what had happened they’d found this Suzuki Hayabusa – but we still had to get it ready and it was really touch and go. In the end, I managed to get one run in achieving 139mph on my first time out – which was just shy of the maximum speed allowed for a total novice.” Bitten by the speed bug, on her return to the UK from the USA, Swaden decided to head to the Straightliners event at Pendine Sands in Carmarthenshire last week – the closest British equivalent to Bonneville Speed Week – to chase more records with a ZX-6R that she bought off eBay. “I was only going to run the Saturday initially and after a couple of runs I managed 133mph but I really wanted to get the UK 650 record, which stood at 137mph. However I’d maxed the bike out – absolute full throttle – so I thought the bike just wasn’t capable of anymore.
“But the surface at Pendine changes almost hour by hour and I heard that others had been struggling for speed, too. I waited a bit for the sand to dry out and I knew I had one more run before the tide came in so I went for it and cracked it at 138mph. The next day I thought ‘could I go quicker again?’ I did one last run and hit 145mph, which makes me the fastest woman on sand as well!”
Nor is she planning on stopping there. “I’ve found that in motorcycling people are so giving and I want to show that to people. I’m a grandmother and I can do it – you’re never too old to try something new!
“I’m going to go over 200mph next and it’s not a question of ‘if’, it’s ‘when’. Ultimately I’d like to get close to Guy Martin and who knows – maybe I’ll even beat him!”
‘Ultimately I’d like to get close to Guy Martin’ SPEED-CRAZED LOUISA SWADEN