Fifty years after Burt Munro set a land speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats, his great nephew Lee Munro has set a new speed record on a customised Indian Scout at the El Mirage Speed Trials in Southern California. Lee Munro clocked 186.81 mph (300.4 kmph) with a v-twin 1350 Scout engine for a new record in the MPS-G class. MPS-G class means 'modified partial streaming' and G for gas/petrol. Lee and his support team are in the US for the upcoming event 'Speed Week' at the Bonneville Salt Flats from August 12-18. His record was set while progressing through tests to prove he could handle high speeds on his specially-engineered 'Spirit of Munro' Indian Scout.
"Everybody's been coming up to me and they associate me with Burt and what he accomplished on his Indian," said Lee. "It's quite a special feeling. I've been told 'get used to being recognised, boy, because it's about to happen'. I'm very very proud to be able to carry the name."
This year also marks the 50th anniversary of Burt Munro's iconic land speed record on a self-modified 1920 Indian Scout. Lee's run in Bonneville is not to better the record, but is described as "in honour" of Burt's original record-breaking run in 1967. At age 68, Burt Munro set the under-1000 cc land speed record on August 26, 1967 on his streamlined 47-year-old Indian motorbike. Burt Munro's record was immortalised in the movie "The World's Fastest Indian", and his character was played by Sir Anthony Hopkins.
