Triumph's land speed attempt to set a new world record of over 400mph has hit some unexpected roadblocks. The Bonneville salt flats in the last few years have been getting more and more difficult to run on due to unexpected weather changes and rain. In fact, a few years ago, the salt flats were completely flooded with a few inches of water due to heavy rainfall.
When the Triumph team ran in August, their run of 274.2m/h (441.2km/h) made them the fastest Triumph motorcycle ever. But their aim was to go much much faster and beat the land speed record that currently held by the Ack-Attack team and stands at 376.3m/h (606km/h). And this is why the team returned to the salts on the 14th of September. The first run scheduled for the 14th had to be postponed due to a wet salt surface due to incessant rain on the days that led up to the practice session.
Triumph's Land Speed Record Attempt Postponed Due to Unexpected Weather
Back early the next day and hopeful for better condition, the Triumph team prepared the Infor Rocket Streamliner for a mid-morning run. Sadly, even though the salt surface was prepared enough and dry to run the streamliner, gusts of the wind between mile marker 6-8 caused delays to the run. As the afternoon rolled into early evening, the winds picked up through the course to well above the permissible 3m/h limits which meant that the streamliner had to be packed up into its trailer for the night with another day spent at the mercy of the weather.
The 16th of September looked promising for the Triumph team with the course director announcing that the salt is in the best condition it has been in the last two years. With winds at permissible levels, the streamliner was hooked onto a pickup truck to be towed to the far side of the salts for its first run. Sadly, on the way there, the streamliner hit a deep rut in the salt surface which caused it loose control and tip onto its side. Rider Guy Martin of the Isle of Mann TT was unhurt but the streamliner had to be brought back to the pits for a checkup.
Triumph Team had its First Official Run on the 17th of September
Finally, with everything in place and well, the Triumph team had its first official run on the 17th of September. This run was an official FIM run that needed the streamliner to cross the 300m/h mark in order to qualify for another 'record-breaking' run. Although climatic conditions and the quality of the salt surface was both as good as it would get, the streamliner suffered a crash as it lost control about a mile after leaving the start point. The crash was a result of the rear wheel hitting a damp patch and looking control due to loss of traction.
An unhurt Rider Guy Martin said, "It's all part the job boy, isn't it? Feeling our way. I guess if it was an easy thing to do everyone would have done it by now. So we'll get a plan sorted and get on with the next go at it as soon as we get the chance." "It's one of the challenges of Land speed racing - the salt surface can be so unpredictable. We'll fully inspect the streamliner and get ready for the next phase of our attempt", commented Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner designer Matt Markstaller.
Triumph Will inspect the Streamliner and get Ready for the Next Attempt
Land Speed records are no easy task. As we found out during one of our many interactions with other competitors who were at the Bonneville Salt Flats, it takes years of efforts to get to that magic figure that is engraved into one's mind. Some old timers that we spoke to told us how certain riders/drivers/teams would come back year after year until they reached their goals. As one of the members of the 200m/h club and an organiser of the event said, "The business of going fast, is very very slow."
