Land Speed Motorcycle Racer Valerie Thompson Crashes At Nearly 350 MPH And Walks Away
[caption id="attachment_67321" align="alignright"
width="300"] Photo: FIM - Fédération
Internationale de Motocyclisme Facebook page[/caption]
Just a few short days after setting a new record of 328.467 mph at
the 28th Annual Speed Week in Australia, multi-time land-speed
record holder, Valerie Thompson crashed the streamlined motorcycle
she was piloting at nearly 350mph and was able to walk away.
Thompson and the Team "7" Racing streamliner crew had been down in
Australia to use the Annual Speed Week event (March 12-16) held by
Dry Lakes Racers Australia at the Lake Gairdner Salt Flats, as
testing for their pursuit of the world's fastest motorcycle title
at the World Speed Trials (March 17-19) hosted at the same
location. The high-speed crash occurred on the final day of the
Speed Trials.
Having just passed 299mph at mile marker 4, everything was looking
good on Thompson's run as she attempted to beat the current world's
fastest motorcycle record of 376mph held by Rocky Robinson and the
Top-Oil Ack Attack Team. However, as she hit 343 mph the tail of
the streamliner lifted, then the vehicle fell onto its right side,
slid for a second before popping up in the air and flipping around.
The streamliner then twirled as the chute deployed and then
straightened it out as hit the ground and slid on its side again
for quite a ways before finally coming to stop. Thankfully, even
though the incident looked extremely violent and scary, Thompson
was able to crawl out of the cockpit and walk away with only minor
bumps.
https://youtu.be/Yl8NDTyeHqg
[caption id="attachment_67319" align="alignright"
width="300"] Photo: FIM - Fédération
Internationale de Motocyclisme Facebook page[/caption]
Lou Fischer of Bonnevillestories.com was on hand and caught the
entire crash on video. The extensive high-speed slide the
streamliner made against the surface of the dry lake bed left a
pretty nasty gouge in the ground which was highlighted even further
by the streak of red paint left behind from the streamliner.
While the crash left the streamliner out of commission and thus
thwarted Thompson and the team's efforts for the fastest motorcycle
title, their time in Australia did bring some good news as Thompson
mentioned on her Facebook page. "Our trip to Australia had a
wonderful beginning and a rather tragic end. We set a new record of
328.467 mph during the DRLA Speed Week event and became a new
member in their 200 & 300 MPH Clubs, only the second person to
enter the 300 MPH Club in Australia. Also earned the "Fast Lady on
the Lake" award given by the Dry
Lakes Racers Australia. Unfortunately, at the World
Speed Trials Australia led to my wreck at over 343
mph."
[caption id="attachment_67323" align="alignright"
width="300"] Photo: Valerie Thompson Racing Facebook
page[/caption]
Thompson's motorcycle career is marked with many accolades and
achievements. She is a seven-time land speed record holder with
membership in six different 200 MPH Clubs. During the 2016
Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials, she earned the "The Fastest
Time of the Meet" award by clocking in at 304.263 mph and became
the first female rider over 300 mph, earning the title of "World's
Fastest Female Motorcycle Racer."
The Team "7" Bub Racing streamliner has a storied history as does
its designer and builder Denis Manning. Powered by a turbocharged
2,997cc 16-valve V-4 engine that makes 500 horsepower and 400-ft-bs
of torque, the streamliner has held the motorcycle land speed
record for several years, first from 2006 to 2008 and again from
2009 to 2010. Denis Manning is a self-taught designer and
fabricator, AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee, and the founder
of motorcycle exhaust manufacturer Bub Enterprises.
[caption id="attachment_67322" align="alignright"
width="300"] Photo: Valerie Thompson Racing Facebook
page[/caption]
The battle for the title of world's fastest motorcycle has been
traded back and forth between Team 7 and current title holder Rocky
Robinson of the Top Oil-Ack Attack streamliner for quite some time.
Robinson set the current record of 376 mph back in 2010 at the
Bonneville Salt Flats. The Top Oil-Ack Attack streamliner is
powered by two turbo charged 1,299 cc Suzuki inline-four engines
and puts out more than 1,000 horsepower.
The Team 7 and Top Oil Ack-Attack Streamliners have held the title
of worlds fastest motorcycle in the Fédération Internationale
de Motocyclisme (International Motorcycling Federation/FIM) class:
Category I - Group A1 - Division C - Type V - Cyl. 3+ - over 2500cc
to 3000cc. This class is broken down as:
Category I: Motorcycles propelled by the
action of one wheel in contact with the ground
Group A1: Solo Motorcycles
Division C: Streamlined
Type V: Spark ignition
Held on the hollowed grounds of the
Bonneville Salt Flats, the Bonneville Motorcycle Speed
Trials-AMA Land Speed Grand Championships is the premier land speed
racing event and takes place Aug 25-30. Barring several factors
such as weather and salt conditions as well as Team 7's ability to
assess the damage and determine what went wrong in Thompson's crash
it's possible we could see them go for another attempt at the world
record this year.