Article By: Steve Garn
t
hese are the Questions I most often get about land speed racing, so I thought it would be great to break it down to these four areas. WHY? Its hard to describe why because everyone has their own feelings on Land Speed Racing. For me, it is the excitement I feel when I see a bike I built hit its speed potential in a safe environment. Safe? Yes, I will go into detail why I consider it a safe environment in the HOW TO section. Yes, there is a danger in any sport, but with proper prep and safety course precautions, this is safer than riding on the street. The first time you attend a land speed event, either as a participant or as a spectator, the first thing you
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December ‘18 - CYCLE SOURCE MAGAZINE
will notice is how friendly everyone is. Over time as you attend these events, these people will become a family to you. They help out when they can, encourage each other, no matter if their day is good or poorly. They invite you to go out and eat with them at night, and you know, treat you as family – your land speed racing family! Another reason for the Why is when you are on your bike, waiting in line, there is a feeling that is hard to describe, but to me, it seems spiritual. And then when I’m running my motorcycle with a Wide Open Throttle, there becomes a oneness with the bike that sure brings a smile to my face! WHERE? There are many associations in the US that hold land speed events. They all have different rules and regulations.
Where you go can depend on the distance you have to travel and what kind of bike you are going to bring. This decides it for me many times. I will explain what this means in the WHAT section below. Here are the associations that I am acquainted with: 1. The Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials. This is where to go for AMA National Speed Records and ALSO the FIM World Land Speed records. It is an event that is motorcycle only and has less participants than Speedweek. Because its smaller means you can often get closer with the people at the trials. This is my personal favorite. 2. SCTA is by far the biggest event in the USA. Events are held at Bonneville and El Mirage and all the BIG GUNS show up! It’s truly a class act. Cars
