Guy Martin on Triumph Rocket Streamliner
Last year was one of the most miserable years on record for both Guy Martin and Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials fans. First, due to Martin’s injuries at the Ulster Grand Prix in Northern Ireland, he was forced to postpone his Bonneville land speed record attempt aboard the Triumph Rocket III streamliner.
Shortly after this announcement, the entire 2015 AMA Land Speed Grand Championship – also known as the Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials and BUB Speed Trials – was canceled due to poor salt conditions at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Northwestern Utah.
But so far, the 2016 Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials are a go for August 27—September 1, and so is Guy Martin. The Brit continually makes headlines at the Isle of Man TT, though he has never won a TT and didn’t compete in the 2016 event.
Martin returns with Triumph to take on the land-speed streamliner record aboard the Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner, which is powered by two Triumph Rocket III engines and creates 1,000 base horsepower. The current streamliner record is 376.363mph, which was set by Rocky Robinson in 2010 aboard the Top Oil-Ack Attack streamliner.
“I can’t wait to take the Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner onto the salt at Bonneville for the first time this summer,” Martin says of the streamliner, which receives sponsorship from cloud application provider Infor and clothing brand Belstaff. “The Triumph engineers have built an amazing machine, giving us the very best chance to beat the two-wheeled land speed record.”
The Triumph Infor Rocket features a carbon Kevlar monocoque construction and two turbocharged Triumph Rocket III engines producing a combined 1,000 bhp at 9,000 rpm. Developed between Triumph, Hot Rod Conspriacy and Carpenter Racing, the motorcycle is 25.5 feet long, 2 feet wide and 3 feet tall. Powered by methanol fuel, the bike is competing in the Division C (streamlined motorcycle) category, Triumph reports.
As for records, Triumph held the “World’s Fastest Motorcycle” from 1955-1970. Some of the inners were Devil’s Arrow, Texas Cee-gar, Dudek Streamliner and Gyronaut X1, the former achieving a top speed of 245.667 mph.
Triumph says the iconic Bonneville name was conceived following Johnny Allen’s land-speed record runs at the Salt Flats in September 1956, when he reached the record-breaking speed of 193.72 mph. The first T120 Bonneville model was unveiled at the Earls Court Bike Show and went on sale in 1959.
To follow the progress of the world land speed record attempt, please visit Triumph Motorcycles.
