Who said baggers can’t go fast? Indian Motorcycle just set the class record at 196.576 mph, two-run average record of 194.384 mph. The previous class record was 169.828 mph set in 1972, by J. Angerer riding a Triumph.

Indian built its Bonneville contender on a stock Challenger race bike, in collaboration with S&S Cycle. It uses the Indian's 112 ci PowerPlus V-twin motor, which produces 126 horsepower in stock condition. But it gets fitted with larger throttle bodies, ported cylinder heads, two-into-two exhaust, and race camshafts.

S&S Cycle also used a larger compression ratio to extract a few more horsepower, considering Bonneville lets you run high-octane fuel. The KOTB lightened crankshaft is also replaced with a full-weight one. And with ground clearance being of next to no concern because you’re essentially blasting in a straight line down the salt flats, S&S also created a muscular exhaust to prioritize flow over volume.

The rest of the bike is heavily customized with forged wheels, top-spec Brembo brakes, 43-mm Öhlins FGR250 forks, and an Öhlins TTX monoshock.

The rider triangle was tweaked further by fitting lower clip-ons and pushing the foot pegs further back. The land-speeder's cockpit uses the same AIM dash and data-logging system as its KOTB counterpart, but the braking system is wildly different. The crew removed the front brake lever and calipers, and installed a bar-mounted thumb lever with a Beringer master cylinder to trigger the rear brake.

Buttons on the left-hand side of the bars control the bike's air-shift system. The brake and shift systems negate the need for the rider to grab at levers or move their feet, so that they can remain perfectly tucked at all times

https://www.bikeexif.com/indian-challenger-land-speed-record

https://newatlas.com/motorcycles/indian-challenger-land-speed-record/

the Bugatti is no longer the fastest production car, a Chinese car has grabbed the title, at 308 mph, 4 better than the Bugatti Chiron. And it's electric. Only 30 will be made

The Chinese-built Yangwang U9 Xtreme became the fastest production car in the world after it hit 308.4 mph at the ATP Papenburg’s high-speed oval in Germany, which means the EV dethroned the Bugatti Chiron.

It gets 2,978bhp, over double the ‘regular’ car’s 1,288bhp, from four electric motors (which utilise the world’s thinnest super-silicon steel – 0.1mm – in mass production), each of which can spin at up to 30,000rpm.

It’s also the first production car with a 1,200V ultra high voltage platform, up from the existing U9’s 800V system, which allows for a quicker adrenaline shot of electricity through the platform and in turn, power to the motors, and the new batteries discharge 10 times faster than a conventional EV battery.

Heat generation is also reduced by up to 67 per cent compared to the 800V platform at matching power outputs.

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/electric/yangwang-u9-xtreme-hits-308mph-becomes-worlds-fastest-ever-production-car

Chevy took it personally when the Mustang GTD became the first American car to break the 7-minute barrier at the Nurburgring.... but they needed a prototype Corvette to do it.

 So, here are the times for the fastest cars at the 'Ring

Mercedes AMG One – 6:29.090 (Super Sports Car)

Porsche 911 GT2 RS Manthey Performance Kit – 06:43.300 (Sports Car)

Porsche 911 GT2 RS MR – 6:44.749 (Modified Vehicles)

Mercedes AMG GT Black Series – 6:48.047 (Sports Car)

Chevrolet Corvette ZR1X – 6:49.275 (Prototypes / Pre-Production Vehicles)

Porsche 911 GT3 RS – 6:49.328 (Sports Car)

Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 – 6:50.763 (Prototypes / Pre-Production Vehicles)

Ford Mustang GTD – 6:52.072 (Sports Car)

https://www.thedrive.com/news/chevy-corvette-zr1x-and-zr1-both-beat-the-mustang-gtds-nurburgring-record

the Red Baron

https://abpic.co.uk/pictures/view/1858998

https://vintageaviationnews.com/warbird-articles/the-fastest-warbird-darryl-greenamyer-rb-104-red-baron.html

On April 28, 1961, Soviet pilot Giorgii Mosolov set a world altitude record of 113,891 feet in a Mikoyan-Gurevich Ye-66, an experimental MiG-21. This did not sit well with Darryl Greenamyer, and he started making plans to use an F-104 to take that record away from the Communists.

 However, there were two problems, 1st was getting an F-104. In the 1960s it was impossible for a civilian to purchase a complete Starfighter, so in 1965 Darryl began collecting F-104 parts to build his own. 

This one-seat F-104G had been written off after a crash. The powerplant was a US NAVY Phantom J79-GE10 engine which was tuned on a tested rate of 19,000 pound of thrust uninstalled. The F-104 engine has exceptionally high compression, which enabled the airplane to set an altitude record of 103,389 feet in 1959.

 Another reason for Greenamyer's choice is that the airframe was a zero-hour, zero-defect condition, no fatigue at all anywhere. It is the kind of opportunity you don't find every day. A stock F-104 weighted 15,000 pounds empty; Greenamyer's weighted only 11,500. Armament was out and also the speed brakes, drag chute, boundary-layer-control system and the leading-edge device actuators. It received the G-model's antiskid system and brakes. Including some compensation weight inside the nose the total weight became 11,800 pounds.

The second problem was funding, because everything in aviation, especially world record attempts, takes money. Darryl says, “I thought if I used the airplane to break the 3km speed record held by the Navy, I could raise a sponsor for the altitude record.” 

At the time the low-altitude 3km Closed Course Speed Record was 902.769mph, which was set on August 28, 1961, by USN Lieutenants Huntington Hardisty and Earl De Esch in a McDonnell Douglas F4H-1 Phantom during Project Sageburner.

Darryl’s hybrid F-104 was registered as N104RB and carried the Lockheed construction number of an F-104G. However, it had built from literally dozens of F-104s of all variants. The tail section, minus horizontal stabilizer, came from a crashed TF-104G that was found in an Ontario, California junkyard. The horizontal stabilizer came from a wrecked F-104G. He obtained the forward fuselage of a discarded F-104A that Lockheed used for static testing. The cockpit side panels came from the first production F-104A that crashed in 1956.

Greenamyer got his throttle quadrant from a Tennesse flying buff he met at the Reno National Air Races who had been using it as an office decoration. The trunnion-mounts for the nose-gear, some of the cooling-system valves and a few relays on the Red Baron were no doubt the most unusual parts of any interceptor plane with front-line capability. To get those items at Eglin AFB, Greenamyer had to pay $7,500 for a 25-ton piles of junk that included ammo-cans, missile cases, several segments of a helicopter, a Continental piston engine and a refrigerator! 

What he got out of all this was a badly dented F-104 fuselage section that he hoped to patch up and smooth out.

Throughout the decade long construction Darryl searched for an engine, and it would eventually take him all the way to the Pentagon in the spring of 1976.  I went to the Pentagon, walked into this room full of Air Force Generals and made my presentation. They said, ‘Are you kidding? Get out of here.’ So I went down the hall to the Navy with the same presentation. Not only did they agree to loan me an engine, they gave me a contact at NAS North Island in San Diego where they apparently overhauled the engines.

I called North Island, and they said they had five engines just out of overhaul and told me to come down, pick the one I wanted, and they’d put it on the engine stand and show me where and how to tweak it to get more power.”

As America’s Bicentennial approached, Ed Browning, owner of the Idaho-based Red Baron Flying Service, came on board to provide Darryl with much needed financial and logistical support. Browning’s sponsorship also gave the F-104 its name, “Red Baron.”

On October 1976, the Red Baron team flew over Mud Lake, a dry lakebed 30 miles south of Tonopah, Nevada to take on the Navy speed record.

https://www.i-f-s.nl/red-baron/

the Brand X at Lions... thanks Larry W! (not what you sent, I know, but, really cool and gleaned from that video) This was a combo of Kurtis, AK miller, a junkyard Corvette chassis, and Dougs headers

Jack Lufkin and his “Brand X” Corvette

 13:1 compression, Isky 505-C cam, Hilborn port fuel injection, a Mallory Mini-Mag fired the mix, and a special set of square-port headers by Doug vented the exhaust.

Kurtis’ shop built the custom body, which was meant to be a replica of a ’62, but the proportions seem all wrong. That’s because it was treated to a 6-inch channel, and the lower edges of the body tapered inward towards the full belly pan.

 ran a 193.44 mph class record at the salt,
 nabbed the NHRA quarter-mile speed record in the BM/Sp class at 131.95 mph, 
 and the NHRA half-mile record at 151.51 mph.

Lufkin worked with Ak Miller, whose engine building skills and talent behind the wheel made him a fierce competitor in virtually every form of wheeled motorsport

The foundation for this race car was a ’60 Corvette chassis Lufkin found in a JUNKYARD. He drilled lightening holes wherever he could, and had Frank Kurtis (legendary Indy car builder, among other things) construct a beam-axle frontend with stock spindles and brakes and an Indy-type torsion bar suspension. Lufkin retained the Vette’s rearend, swapping ring-and-pinion gears as needed—tall 3.08s for Bonneville, 4.11s for the half-mile drags, and 5.12s for the quarter.

It was subsequently sold to Doug Thorley of header fame who campaigned it Modified Sports classes.

https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/corvette-hot-rods-picture-thread.545759/page-331

https://www.motortrend.com/features/1504-1960-chevrolet-corvette-triple-threat-vette-from-the-archives/

France's TGV set a speed record yesterday of 357.2mph on a new high-speed track between Strasbourg and Paris (thanks George!)

the absolute world record of 361mph was set in 2003 by the Japanese with their Maglev train.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/apr/04/france.travel#:~:text=France's%20TGV%20set%20a%20speed,or%20train%20%C3%A0%20grande%20vitesse

A new milestone in drag racing has been reached: Mike Salinas is the first person in NHRA history to go 300 mph in the 1/8th mile.

Best I've ever done was 100, in 9 seconds, in the 1/8th

If you've drag raced, or been to an NHRA top fuel or funny car race, you know how mind blowing they shoot down the track. 

Since the NHRA cut the quarter mile race to 1,000 ft in 2008, racers have been developing cars reach the same top speeds in 1,000 ft that 2007-era cars reached in the quarter mile. 

So, we knew it would happen eventually, all records eventually fall as someone comes along with more determination, more money, more engineering, or better tech. 

Frickin remarkable power and traction. 

What makes Salinas unique in Top Fuel is that he owns and operates Scrappers Racing without a major full-time sponsorship. The name Scrappers comes from his career as an owner of a San Jose, California recycling business called Valley Services.

https://www.thedrive.com/news/nhra-drag-racer-broke-300-mph-in-the-1-8-mile-for-the-first-time-ever

find a moment to focus on this record breaking run at Goodwood, it won't take much of your time, just 39.08 seconds!

 

After 23 years Nick Heidfeld's Timed Shootout record in the McLaren MP4/13 has been broken. (that was a Formula 1 race car)

 F1 and IndyCar star Max Chilton's new 39.08 second run in the incredible McMurtry Speirling fan car has knocked over two seconds off that time.

It's also taken the Outright Hill record from the Volkswagen ID race car from the 2019 Romain Dumas' time of 39.9 seconds was smashed earlier in the day in practice, and a further 0.1 seconds in the Timed Shootout.

Built as an engineering exercise free of traditional race-car regulations, this compact electric vehicle relies on a 60-kilowatt-hour battery to produce an unknown amount of power and torque -- McMurtry hasn't published any official outputs, only saying that it has a power-to-weight ratio of at least 1 horsepower per kilogram. A pair of electric fans pull the air from underneath the vehicle, generating an estimated 4,400 pounds of downforce, which is more than a Formula 1 car.

The company claims the Spierling can reach 60 mph in under 1.5 seconds, and unlike most EVs, it generates one hell of a racket in the process, reaching approximately 120 decibels with the fans running at full clip.

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/mcmurtry-spierling-electric-fan-car-goodwood-record/

Remarkably, the McMurtry Spéirling is the first fan car to compete in officially sanctioned motorsport since the 1978 Swedish Grand Prix

https://insideevs.com/news/594554/mcmurtry-speirling-electric-fan-car-breaks-all-records-goodwood/

https://twitter.com/fosgoodwood/status/1541090417319575561

This Javelin that Craig Breedlove set a new C-Production class record of 161.733 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats with, is up for sale. It’s only ever been driven 19 miles – all on the salt.

powered by a modified 304 topped with a Vic Edlebrock-designed special prototype 2 x 4-barrel aluminum intake and special heads built by Joe Mondello

https://silodrome.com/amc-javelin-bonneville-speed-spectacular/

https://www.mecum.com/lots/SC0522-502691/1968-amc-javelin-bonneville-speed-spectacular/

The first car to officially top 200 MPH on a closed course circuit

https://www.mecum.com/lots/SC0521-462053/1969-dodge-hemi-daytona-race-car/

the Renault Nervasport des Records beat 3 world records on the 5th of April 1934

The aerodynamic design of the car was entrusted to an engineer specialising in the aerodynamics of racing aeroplanes. The resemblance was unmistakeable. The single-seater was shaped like a rocket: a long bonnet, rounded at the front, with a tapered rear… Driven by an eight-cylinder 4,825cc engine, the Nervasport combined power and aerodynamic performance. 

On 4 April 1934, the car took to the Montlhéry track as it attempted a 48-hour endurance record. The target record was 6,300 kilometres at an average speed of over 132kph. 

Taking it in turns to complete three-hour stints, the four drivers – Roger Quatresous, Louis Fromentin, André Wagner and Georges Berthelon – headed by Auguste Riolfo, the Nervasport des Records ended up covering a massive 8,037km at an average speed of 167.445kph! 

The Nervasport crossed the finishing line having broken nine international records and three world records – including the average speed records for 4,000 and 5,000 miles

https://www.facebook.com/normandybeachrace/posts/4107075249321703

https://rsdev.sbh.sx/renault-nervasport-the-record-breaker-1934.html

Factory test driver Andy Wallace piloted a slightly modified 1600hp Bugatti Chiron to an official 304.773 mph at the Ehra-Lessien test track in Germany.

After years of not publicizing their fastest hyped lawn mower, Honda finally got it on film being tested.

Last seen at Goodwood 2018 https://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2018/07/the-honda-mean-mower-at-goodwood-shy.html

but it was created around 2013 with very little good publicity

Congrats to Denise! New World Land Speed Record at pedaling a bike to 184 mph!

Denise Korenek at Bonneville as she sets the new world record for fastest paced land-speed on a bicycle, topping out at 183.9MPH
Two years ago she set a record of 147 mph, http://justacarguy.blogspot.com/2016/09/fellow-san-diegan-cyclist-denise.html and I even got a thank you email when she found out I posted about her! How cool is that!

https://geekologie.com/2018/09/1839mph-video-of-the-new-land-speed-reco.php
http://theprojectspeed.com/
https://www.instagram.com/firecycle/

can you name a rim manufacturer that has made a set of wheels/rims that went over 600 mph? Cragar can

In 1970, The Blue Flame became the world land speed record holder.

Gary Gabelich shocked the world by reaching speeds of 622.407 mph in his Blue Flame, rocket powered vehicle using custom high-speed aluminum wheels built by Cragar, on the salt at Bonneville

https://www.cragarwheel.com/news/speeding-to-victory

The Isle of Man TT has officially become the world's fastest road race following Peter Hickman's outright lap record of 135.452mph in the Senior TT.

The Smiths BMW rider attributed his record lap to "perfect" weather and track conditions across practice and race week, as well as a last-minute new tyre delivery from Dunlop for the Senior event.

"They pulled something out the bag, got the factory working overtime overnight, and managed to pull in a new tyre for this race here, and I think that's also what's made a little bit of a difference in the Senior [race]."

All of race week's solo lap records bar Harrison's SBK were set using Dunlop tyres, with Harrison running Metzeler rubber on his machinery. The Birchalls dominated the Sidecar class on Avon tyres.

https://www.motorsport.com/roadracing/news/isle-of-man-tt-becomes-fastest-road-race-1045304

around 293 mph on the Texas Mile, the 2006 Ford GT from M2K Motorsports

Back in 2011, the Twin Turbo/Supercharged 2006 GT ran in the mid 220’s

In March of 2012, the Texas Mile record was 255 mph, but the GT ran 257.7mph and took the Texas Mile Record.

In October 2012, it bettered the record and ran 263.3 mph.

In March of 2013, it went faster and hit 267.6mph, but came back in October of 2013 and ran what stood for a couple of years at the speed of 278.8mph.

At the higher speeds (260+), Patrick, the driver of the GT, commented that on the 4-5 shift the car would get a bit upset. This was due to the nose dropping and lifting again when he got back on the power. With the shock data from the Motec and the help of Scott Ahlman, they figured out that the suspension was bottomed out from the down force and that was causing the issue.

http://www.motoiq.com/MagazineArticles/ID/4181/PageID/10397/M2K-Motorsports-280-mph-Ford-GT.aspx
http://www.fordgtforum.com/2016/04/11/breaking-the-texas-mile-record-with-m2k-motorsports/
https://www.motor1.com/news/140532/ford-gt-standing-mile-record/

way back in 1902-03, racing was pretty dangerous and wacky... they didn't have a lot of power, or advancements, but they could drive through walls unscathed

Back in 1902-03, Walter C. Baker built three streamlined electric racing cars. Called “Torpedoes,” these all-but-forgotten electrics should be remembered for four good reasons: 
  1) They allowed Walter Baker to become the first man in history to break the 100-mph barrier in a motorcar; 
  2) the Torpedoes’ bodies were remarkably streamlined, decades ahead of anything similar;
  3) because Walter Baker regularly crashed his cars, none of his speed marks went into the record books. Even in his own day, he became known as “Bad Luck Baker;” and
  4) what probably saved his life in all those crashes were plain, simple shoulder harnesses, an idea again much too modern for the times.

 

Baker mounted 11 batteries plus a 14-horsepower electric motor behind the seats and ran double chains to the rear axle.

 On Memorial Day 1902, May 31, the Automobile Club of America held speed trials on the streets of Staten Island, N.Y. Baker intended the Torpedo to set records that would overwhelm the makers of steam- and piston-powered machines. Rumor had it that the Torpedo was good for 120 mph, which at that time was roughly double the World Land Speed Record.

Baker chose to drive the Torpedo himself. His passenger and brakeman was the company’s chief mechanic and electrician, E.E. Denzer. Baker and Denzer covered the flying kilometer in 16 seconds, running exactly 100 mph, and they were still accelerating when Baker lost control crossing a set of trolley tracks.

 His steering went limp and, as Denzer yanked the brake lever, the car left the road and smashed sideways into the crowd. Two spectators were knocked flat but not injured. A third died instantly. The Torpedo spun 180 degrees, then stopped.

Baker and Denzer stepped out unscathed and were immediately arrested for manslaughter. But the police released them just as quickly, because the crowd had crossed protective barricades. Despite the accident, Baker had set a new record for the flying kilometer, albeit unofficially.

Then, in Aug. 1903, Baker entered both Torpedo in a special event for electric cars near Cleveland. A man named Chisholm drove one, started on the pole and was doing fine, until he got sideswiped by a Waverly Electric. Chisholm crashed and knocked down four spectators. No one was badly hurt, but Walter Baker, who’d been driving the second Kid, decided to hang up his goggles and stop running into people.

http://www.torpedokid.com/?page_id=41
https://www.facebook.com/thetorpedokid
http://www.rokemneedlearts.com/carsindepth/wordpressblog/?p=1028

Looks like Tim has the makings of a book, as he's spent 7 years researching to compile 75 pages of information on the topic of the Baker Electric Torpedo.

He hasn't printed it yet, but you can read it on a Kindle. Yes, I've pointed out to him that people who like old cars like other old fashioned things like hardcopy books. I don't think he's going to actually have any of thousands of book makers actually print some copies of his material into a book though.

I would. Once you've done that, you've created a lasting monument to your efforts of research and will forever after be known as an author. 

https://www.collierautomedia.com/web-stories/1902-when-the-worlds-fastest-car-was-electric

The full gallery of article on Danny Thompson hitting the 400 mph record at Bonneville is now up on Hot Rod.com

http://www.hotrod.com/articles/danny-thompson-finishes/

who was Oscar Egg? The most winningest cyclist of his day

1890-1961

He captured the world hour record three times before the First World War. He also won major road races and stages of the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia.

Egg's 1914 mark of 44.247 km then stood until 1933, and only two other men have ever set the world hour record 3 times. None have done that more.

A common race was a 6 day race, and he won 8 of them in the 9 years between 1915 and 1924.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Egg
http://www.cyclingarchives.com/coureurfiche.php?coureurid=572
http://www.lesrendezvousdelareine.com/2016/09/bien-plus-que-dans-certaines-soi-disant-bourse-d-echanges-il-existe-dans-certaines-brocantes-non-specialisees-bien-des-objets-inte.h