Monday 19th September 2016
No luck for Guy in Bonneville
Damp weather stalls Triumph's 400mph attempt
A crash during a high speed run has seen Triumph and Guy Martin's bid to break the FIM Land Speed record fail, much to the disappointment of everyone involved. Despite having set a speed of 245.667mph in August, which made the Infor Rocket Streamliner the fastest Triumph ever, the record attempt last week was hampered by bad luck and tricky conditions as Bonneville's salt refused to play ball.
Having completed a few 'steady' test runs and recorded a speed of near to 200mph, the streamliner was briefly put out of action when it fell over whilst being towed to the start line. Having checked it for damage, the team then attempted a record run only for the rear wheel to hit a patch of damp salt, causing Guy to lose control and crash. As this accident happened at a higher speed, the team decided to cancel the bid as they needed to return to base and thoroughly check the streamliner over for damage. When you are attempting to hit 400mph, safety is always a priority.
According to Triumph, "Guy was making good power in mile one when the Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner lost traction on a damp section of the salt surface, causing the rear of the machine to step out of line and the streamliner to go down on the course. Guy was completely uninjured in the incident, however the streamliner will now require a full inspection before any further runs can take place."
What next? Triumph is still dead set on taking the record, however the window for it happening at Bonneville may well be shut for this year. The only comment on Triumph's website about future plans is "we'll keep you updated with the next phase..." On the bright side, at least Guy has a 160mph Transit van to keep him amused in the mean time...
