Photo: motohubb.com
Straightliners have organized a massive land speed event at the Elvington Airfield, in North Yorkshire last weekend and a lot of interesting speed records have been established.
One of the most notable belongs to Gary Rothwell, a rider hailing from Liverpool, UK, who became the fastest wheelie rider in the world. He was clocked with a top speed of 197.879 mph, that translates to 318.387 km/h, in case the imperial units are not making a sufficiently strong impression on you.
And because this Straightliners event is about much more than kids who think they're cool as they lift that front wheel a bit from the road, we should tell you that the wheelie needed to last for a whole kilometer (0.62 miles).
Sounds incredible, and certainly looks impossible, yet Rothwell was not the only one to break the 300 km/h wheelie. In fact, the runner-up, Dutch rider Egbert Van Popta did 195.805 (315.05 km/h), while the third-fastest wheeler was Irishman Paddy O’Sullivan, clocked at "only" 189.822 mph (305.423 km/h).
If it helps you in any way, all the guys in the podium rode turbocharged bikes, with the first two adding even more glory to House Hamamatsu with their Hayabusa Turbo. O’Sullivan also rode a Suzuki, but it was a turbo GSX-R1000.
According to local sources, a strong gust of wind destabilized her bike and forced her upright on the bike. Rider and machine then veered off the runway into the nearby field at around 230 mph (370 km/h). She miraculously escaped with a broken ankle, bruised ribs and will wear a cast for six weeks.
Even so, Becci arrived at the airfield the next day to collect her prize, to the utter stupefaction of the audience. She also became the fourth-fastest person in the world in her class. Her Busa was utterly destroyed in the crash, and the team has asked for help retrieving at least the ECU that is still buried somewhere in the field.
Other interesting machines that took part in this speed trial included a motorized shed, a jet-powered shopping cart and, believe it or not, a four-wheeled toilet!
And because this Straightliners event is about much more than kids who think they're cool as they lift that front wheel a bit from the road, we should tell you that the wheelie needed to last for a whole kilometer (0.62 miles).
Sounds incredible, and certainly looks impossible, yet Rothwell was not the only one to break the 300 km/h wheelie. In fact, the runner-up, Dutch rider Egbert Van Popta did 195.805 (315.05 km/h), while the third-fastest wheeler was Irishman Paddy O’Sullivan, clocked at "only" 189.822 mph (305.423 km/h).
If it helps you in any way, all the guys in the podium rode turbocharged bikes, with the first two adding even more glory to House Hamamatsu with their Hayabusa Turbo. O’Sullivan also rode a Suzuki, but it was a turbo GSX-R1000.
Britains Fastest Woman becomes World Champion
Becci Ellis became the world's fastest woman, also on a turbo Hayabusa in the outright speed race. Her record stands at 259.542 mph (417.603 km/h), even though she was later involved in a high-speed crash.According to local sources, a strong gust of wind destabilized her bike and forced her upright on the bike. Rider and machine then veered off the runway into the nearby field at around 230 mph (370 km/h). She miraculously escaped with a broken ankle, bruised ribs and will wear a cast for six weeks.
Even so, Becci arrived at the airfield the next day to collect her prize, to the utter stupefaction of the audience. She also became the fourth-fastest person in the world in her class. Her Busa was utterly destroyed in the crash, and the team has asked for help retrieving at least the ECU that is still buried somewhere in the field.
Other interesting machines that took part in this speed trial included a motorized shed, a jet-powered shopping cart and, believe it or not, a four-wheeled toilet!
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