Land Speed Racing - Ausie Style!

[DarthRider]

Check this site for Lake Gairdner updates on the American "Ack Attack" team's assault on the World Land Speed Record for motorcycles.
http://landracing.com/
Also more pics from "The World's Fastest Indian" and LSR racing at "The Texas Mile".
Hoochie Mama, dees boys is F-A-S-T!

Dave

[DJ Down Under]

Thanks Dave...I'll let you know if I hear anything...I'm amazed that the guy riding is 62...good luck Sam..:023:


On its first run, the Top-1 streamliner will be piloted by Sam Wheeler, a 62-year-old veteran of many land-speed record runs on streamliner motorcycles. Also on hand for several runs will be FIM record holder John Noonan, who recently set a new 252.7 mph world record for open-wheel motorcycles.

They are going for 400 MPH...Wow!...they have already done 328 MPH (unofficial)..and that was with just one Busa engine..now they have two..:icon_eek:

DJ

[DarthRider]

Sam Wheeler is a true gentleman...and a very fast one!
He has a record at, I believe 324MPH in his own single Kawasaki streamliner.

Dave

[DJ Down Under]

Latest news.


06/03/2006 (Monday) There has been some rain in the area and there is some water on the northern end of the lake. A station north of the lake had 30mm and Mt. Ive had 8mm. And the wind has been blowing the water around over the surface of the lake as it does.
The track up at the 10 mile end has a couple of inches of water, so there will be no racing today (Monday).
However racing is scheduled for tomorrow (Tuesday).
There are some rumours going around that the event has been cancelled, this is not true.

[DarthRider]

One time at Bonneville we had a rain out, then it cleared and dried enough to race the next day.
Strange thing...there was this little "lake", maybe 1/4 mile in diameter and about 3mm deep that "travelled" around the pit & practice area all day. It is so flat there that the breeze would roll this little pond around and every time the wind direction shifted the pond would move.
We were sitting our pit, cleaning turbo parts and lapping valves when the little lake started creeping in. We sat there in thin water for about an hour and it finally drifted on through and out of sight.
We saw it off & on for a couple of days before it evaporated...or migrated to Salt Lake City, 80 miles away!

And then there was the time that a storm blew all 20 crappers over and turned the pit road brown...but that's for another time!

Dave

[DJ Down Under]

Still looking....:eusa_shifty: :eusa_shifty:

DJ

http://photobucket.com/albums/y108/dlra2/speedtrials2006-007.jpg

http://photobucket.com/albums/y108/dlra2/speedtrials2006-008.jpg


Motorcycle speed record attempt of 530+kph
Thursday February 23, 2006 at 05:24:05 PM by JD | Send To Friend

A Suzuki Hayabusa-engined motorcycle "the Ack Attack" will attempt to break the 16 year old world FIM land speed record at South Australia's Lake Gairdner in early March.

With conditions at the spiritual home of land speed racing (Bonneville USA) not up to scratch in 2005, Californian-based Mike Akatiff has decided to shoot for the record in Australia, with the initial run planned at first light on March 6.

The record attempt will be the highlight of the 2006 Lake Gairdner Speed Trials, which runs from March 6-10.

The streamliner, designed by Akatiff and constructed at the Akatiff-owned ACK Technologies (an avionics emporium) in San Jose, is powered by two turbo-charged 1300cc Hayabusa engines producing around 900 horsepower, which are ensconced in chrome moly tubing and a predominantly carbon-fibre skin.

There is a 68-litre ice and water cooling system, as well as dedicated mechanisms to keep the chain, brakes and cockpit at sustainable temperatures. Safety equipment includes a seven-point safety harness for the pilot; parachutes which deploy automatically when the bike exceeds 45 degrees of lean; and low-speed stabilising wheels. Ack Attack, which Akatiff first started building in November 2002, will be piloted on the first run by 62-year-old American Sam Wheeler, who has years of experience in motorcycle streamliners.

The current FIM land speed record of 518.450 km/h is held by American Dave Campos, who set the benchmark on the Easy Rider twin-engined Harley-Davidson in 1990. Before that, the record was held by Don Vesco (512.733 km/h in 1978).

Unofficially, Ack Attack has already usurped Campos' record, when Jim Doom went 528.334 km/h at Bonneville in 2004. However, it was not an FIM-sanctioned event.

This time, officials from the FIM will be at Lake Gairdner to certify any successful attempt. In addition, the timing traps must be surveyed by a licensed land surveyor, while the timing equipment must be certified for accuracy. If Ack Attack sets a new land speed record at Lake Gairdner, the ambitious Akatiff's ultimate goal would then be to break the magical 400mph (676.12kmh) barrier. "There are only five wheel-driven, piston-engined vehicles that have exceeded 400mph," said Akatiff, "and no motorcycle has approached that speed. To reach this speed we would probably need to switch from gas to mild fuel and run the longer courses. At the moment, we have the only motorcycle streamliner running with tyres designed for and proven at these speeds."

Akatiff, 50, is co-ordinating a multi-pronged blitz on the FIM records at Lake Gairdner, for as well as the Ack Attack, two other bikes will be unloaded out of the crate in Adelaide on March 1: John Noonan's 1350cc turbo Suzuki Hayabusa, and John and Joe Amo's 394km/h-plus plus 1000cc machine. Noonan already holds the FIM record for forced induction (and partially streamlined) machines on the Hayabusa, when he averaged 406.893kmh over the measured mile at Bonneville in September, 2004. Noonan will also jump inside Ack Attack after Wheeler.

More info:
http://www.dlra.org.au/2006.htm
http://www.topoil.com/news_ack_attack_readies_for_trip_downunder.htm

[DarthRider]

They launch the Ack Attack 'liner right out of the covered trailer/transport/sun shade/hangar.
This is one of the lower-tech 'liners and probably destined to be one of the most successful...I just love it when that happens!

Dave

[DJ Down Under]

Still no news...found this info.


Evolution of the FIM Land Speed Record
1937 Ernst Henne BMW 500 274.494kmh
1951 William Herz NSU 500 289.681kmh
1955 Russell Wright Vincent 1000 297.728kmh
1956 Johnny Allen Triumph 650 311.778kmh
1956 William Herz NSU 500 338.992kmh
1956 Johnny Allen Triumph 650 345.426kmh
1962 Bill Johnson Triumph 650 361.410kmh
1966 Bob Leppan Triumph 650 395.362kmh*
1970 Don Vesco Yamaha 350 405.425kmh*
1970 Cal Rayborn Harley-Davidson 427.267kmh*
1975 Don Vesco Yamaha 700 487.084kmh*
1978 Don Vesco Kawasaki 1000 512.733kmh*
1990 Dave Campos Harley-Davidson 518.450kmh*

* = two engines



Also found this cool pic taken just the other day at the Aussie Speed Trials.

http://photobucket.com/albums/y108/dlra2/speedtrials2006-011.jpg

and more info on the US Ack Attack bike...great pics... http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/ack-attack/construction%20page%201.html

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/ack-attack/construction-1.jpg

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/ack-attack/construction-3.jpg

[DarthRider]

DJ -
If you want to learn more about the 1956 Triumph Johnny Allen record of 214+ MPH see www.SaveOurStreamliner.com

Dave

[DJ Down Under]

Latest new on the world record speed attempt down under..here.. http://www.mcnews.com.au/latest.htm March 22 news..FIM land speed record attempt at...

Bugger!

DJ

[DarthRider]

Yeah...double bugger!
Sounds just like Bonneville...

Dave