[RideApart] - Triumph Sets Date for Land Speed Record Attempt

[Ninjette Newsbot]

Triumph Sets Date for Land Speed Record Attempt

Following a successful practice session at the Bonneville Salt Flats, achieving a speed of 274.2 mph to become the world’s fastest ever Triumph , Triumph Motorcycles has confirmed the attempt to set a new outright motorcycle Land Speed World Record will take place mid-September 2016, weather permitting.

Piloted by Isle of Man TT star Guy Martin the Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner will return to the famous Bonneville salt flats and attempt to beat the current 376.8mph record speed on an 11 mile-long course. Despite having a good course surface for testing the team felt that the salt wasn’t yet fully capable of supporting a top-speed 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.

The practice week demonstrated that both the Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner and rider Guy Martin are ready for the task ahead.

“We achieved a great deal during our test week at Bonneville,” said Matt Markstaller, crew chief and designer. “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. We feel that waiting a few weeks will provide us with even better conditions and put us in the ideal position to make our record attempt.”

The Triumph Infor Rocket features a carbon Kevlar monocoque construction with two turbocharged Triumph Rocket III engines producing a combined 1,000 bhp at 9,000 rpm. The motorcycle is 25.5 feet long, 2 feet wide and 3 feet tall. Powered by methanol fuel, the bike is competing in the Division C (streamlined motorcycle) category.

Triumph has a history of breaking the land speed record, holding the title of ‘World's Fastest Motorcycle’ between 1955 to 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 245.667 mph (395.28 km/h). Today's record, held by Rocky Robinson since 2010 riding the Top Oil-Ack Attack streamliner, sits at 376.363 mph (605.697 km/h).

The Triumph Bonneville name was conceived following Johnny Allen’s land-speed record runs at the Salt Flats in September 1956, when he reached the record breaking speed of 193.72 mph. The first T120 Bonneville model was unveiled at the Earls Court Bike Show and went on sale in 1959.

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