Photo: jetreaction.net
A British team is bent on reaching beyond the 400 mph (644 km/h) bar this fall. The Brits are travelling to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah with a jet-powered motorcycle, trying to settle some business they left unfinished in 1999.
Back then, their older machine, the Mach 3 Challenger had reached a speed of 332.887 mph (535.730 km/h), which was a record at that time. Their speed was, however, not homologated as a new land speed record on two wheels because the unfavourable weather prevented them from making a second run at that time.
British team Jet Reaction did not idle all this time, and has constantly developed their motorcycle. The machine they will bring to Bonneville this year is powered by a jet engine sourced from a helicopter. The two-wheeler is 20 feet (6.1 m) long and was engineered by Richard Brown, a man who, according to himself, is not in this game as a thrill-seeker but to deal with the technical challenges such an endeavor comes with.
Brown believes that his motorcycle could even do as much as 450 mph (724 km/h). That is with everything working perfectly, ideal weather conditions and all. At least five American teams will also be in Bonneville this September, hunting the same land speed glory, so Jet Reaction's task won't be an easy one.
Below you can watch an artistic animation of how the Jet Reaction motorcycle might look like when speeding on the surface of the barren salt flats of Bonneville.
Recent tests have upped the game significantly
Since their past moment of glory, the two-wheeled land speed scene changed a bit, with the current standing record being set in 2010 at 376.36 mph (605.69 km/h).British team Jet Reaction did not idle all this time, and has constantly developed their motorcycle. The machine they will bring to Bonneville this year is powered by a jet engine sourced from a helicopter. The two-wheeler is 20 feet (6.1 m) long and was engineered by Richard Brown, a man who, according to himself, is not in this game as a thrill-seeker but to deal with the technical challenges such an endeavor comes with.
Brown believes that his motorcycle could even do as much as 450 mph (724 km/h). That is with everything working perfectly, ideal weather conditions and all. At least five American teams will also be in Bonneville this September, hunting the same land speed glory, so Jet Reaction's task won't be an easy one.
Below you can watch an artistic animation of how the Jet Reaction motorcycle might look like when speeding on the surface of the barren salt flats of Bonneville.
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