Valerie ThompsonValerie Thompson NewsFive-time land speed record holder, Valerie Thompson, will return to the El Mirage Dry Lake May 17 – 18 for the Southern California Timing Association’s (SCTA) land speed racing event with the goal of joining their prestigious 200 MPH Club.
The SCTA sanctions the world’s fastest speed trials and will be celebrating their 62nd anniversary of hosting land speed racing activities at the famed dry lake.El Mirage is located 30 miles east of Antelope Valley California and has been one of the world’s most celebrated racing destinations for more than half a century. Once again, Thompson will attempt the goal aboard a S1000RR.“This will be my second time racing my BMW at El Mirage. I’m still getting used to the racing surface, which is unlike any I’ve ever raced on before,” said Thompson.“Last year, I was the fastest female on a normally aspirated motorcycle with a top speed of 199.90 mph, so I am hoping we can crack the 200 mph mark this time. Becoming a member of SCTA’s 200 MPH Club has been one of my major goals,” added Thompson.For event details and records, visit http://www.scta-bni.org.
This Podcast is also brought to you by the new modular helmet from Schuberth, the C5. The C5 blends safety with light weight and amazing quietness. Visit Schuberth.com for more information.
This week, in the first segment Editor Don Williams talks to us about the new Kawasaki Versys 650 LT. It’s the middleweight ADV style machine that uses the same 650 parallel twin motor as the Ninja 650, so it’s an excellent performer in a user-friendly, good looking package.
In the second segment, I chat with one of my dearest industry friends—now retired Honda PR executive, Jon Seidel. Jon’s fascinating career spans some 30 years with Big Red, and gave him some great experiences with some incredible machines. I was fortunate enough to be invited on many of the press launches that he organized. His new project is documenting and saving many of the old archives from years gone by—and incidentally, if you have anything that may be of value to the project, please contact us by email at producer@ultimatemotorcycling.com and we’ll pass it all on to Jon.
So on that note, from all of us here at Ultimate Motorcycling, we hope you enjoy this episode!