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If you have not seen the chat entries regarding the speed of 265.4 mph
achieved in the UK by a Hyabusa rider on landracing.com, then it may
interest US racers that there is a 'new' governing body offering sanction
of two wheeled land speed records (but the four wheelers may be included
later) over here.
I have not seen the event run by the IOPD, but it seems that the track is
set out on about 1.9 miles of tarmac and concrete airfield runway. There
is 1.5 miles under power and then an 80 foot long timing trap. The riders
(the first such event was for bikes) have about 0.4 miles to slow down, but
there will be turn off onto a taxiway. Then the arrangement of the track
is reversed, so that runs are made in the opposite direction. The average
of two runs it seems are used for the calculation of a record. It has not
been stated what the time elapsed is permitted between the two runs.
This arrangement creates a longer course than would be allowed by the
British LSR motorcycle or car governing bodies, who insist on the times
being taken over the same timed piece of track. Thus dictating a central
timing trap with equal (and of course shorter for the 1.9 mile runway) run
in distance to the clocks. The UK bike governing body known as the Auto
Cycle Union ( ACU) have a timing trap length of a quarter mile as their
shortest timed distance too.
So we have in the UK a new 'hybrid' record attempt arrangement that is
longer than Texas or Maxton in total, with a shorter timed trap, that
changes direction during the event! Not something that could be done at
Maxton by ECTA and probably not at Texas.
It may be that the 'maxpower' racers, with their european and japanese
turbo charged and nitrous oxide injection cars might follow suit, as they
too have used an arrangement that exceeds the Maxton/Texas one mile. With
200 mile per hour runs by road legal cars, without parachutes in almost
every case, the speed bragging rights may now focus on the UK.
As with the FIA, I have no involvement with the organisation involved -
IOPD - I am just letting the worldwide racers know what is happening over
here.
Malcolm Pittwood, Derby, England
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