Lake Gairdner set to host FIM land speed record attempt
A Suzuki Hayabusa-engined motorcycle - the "Ack Attack" - will attempt to break the 16-year-old FIM land speed record at South Australia's Lake Gairdner in early March.
With conditions at the spiritual home of land speed racing, Bonneville, not up to scratch in 2005, the Californian-based Mike Akatiff has decided to shoot for the record in Australia, with the initial run planned at first light on March 6.
The record attempt will be the highlight of the 2006 Lake Gairdner Speed Trials, which runs from March 6-10.
The streamlined Act Attack, designed by Akatiff and constructed at the Akatiff-owned ACK Technologies (an avionics emporium) in San Jose, is powered by two turbo-charged 1300cc Hayabusa engines, which are ensconced in chrome moly tubing and a predominantly carbon-fibre skin. Output is around 900 horsepower.
There is a 68-litre ice and water cooling system, as well as dedicated mechanisms to keep the chain, brakes and cockpit at sustainable temperatures. Safety equipment includes a seven-point safety harness for the pilot; parachutes which deploy automatically when the bike exceeds 45 degrees of lean; and low-speed stabilising wheels.
Ack Attack, which Akatiff first started building in November 2002, will be piloted on the first run by 62-year-old American Sam Wheeler, who has years of experience in motorcycle streamliners.
The current FIM land speed record is held by American Dave Campos, who set the benchmark on the Easy Rider twin-engined Harley-Davidson in 1990. Before that, the record was held by Don Vesco (512.733kmh in 1978).
Unofficially, Ack Attack has already usurped Campos' record, when Jim Doom went 528.334kmh at Bonneville in 2004.
However, it was not an FIM-sanctioned event.
This time, officials from the FIM will be at Lake Gairdner to certify any successful attempt. In addition, the timing traps must be surveyed by a licensed land surveyor, while the timing equipment must be certified for accuracy.
If Ack Attack sets a new land speed record at Lake Gairdner, the ambitious Akatiff's ultimate goal would then be to break the magical 400mph (676.12kmh) barrier.
"There are only five wheel-driven, piston-engined vehicles that have exceeded 400mph," said Akatiff, "and no motorcycle has approached that speed.
"To reach this speed we would probably need to switch from gas to mild fuel and run the… longer courses. At the moment, we have the only motorcycle streamliner running with tyres designed for and proven at these speeds."
Akatiff, 50, is co-ordinating a multi-pronged blitz on the FIM records at Lake Gairdner, for as well as the Ack Attack, two other bikes will be unloaded out of the crate in Adelaide on March 1: John Noonan's 1350cc turbo Suzuki Hayabusa, and John and Joe Amo's 394kmh-plus plus 1000cc machine.
Noonan already holds the FIM record for forced induction (and partially streamlined) machines on the Hayabusa, when he averaged 406.893kmh over the measured mile at Bonneville in September, 2004. Noonan will also jump inside Ack Attack after Wheeler.
Lake Gairdner is a dry salt in central South Australia, located 550km north-west of Adelaide. It is 160km long and 30km wide, and intermittently fills with water. It is named after Gordon Gairdner, former chief clerk in the Australian Department of the Colonial Office, London.
Evolution of the FIM Land Speed Record
1937 Ernst Henne BMW 500 274.494kmh
1951 William Herz NSU 500 289.681kmh
1955 Russell Wright Vincent 1000 297.728kmh
1956 Johnny Allen Triumph 650 311.778kmh
1956 William Herz NSU 500 338.992kmh
1956 Johnny Allen Triumph 650 345.426kmh
1962 Bill Johnson Triumph 650 361.410kmh
1966 Bob Leppan Triumph 650 395.362kmh*
1970 Don Vesco Yamaha 350 405.425kmh*
1970 Cal Rayborn Harley-Davidson 427.267kmh*
1975Don VescoYamaha 700 487.084kmh*
1978 Don Vesco Kawasaki 1000 512.733kmh*
1990 Dave Campos Harley-Davidson 518.450kmh*
* = two engines
Links
Dry Lakes Racers Australia - http://www.dlra.org.au/
Lake Gairdner Speed Trials - http://www.dlra.org.au/2006.htm
Motorcycling Australia - http://www.ma.org.au
Gobert to make world championship comeback
In a surprise announcement, Australian Anthony Gobert has confirmed that he will compete in the opening two rounds of the 2006 Supersport World Championship in Qatar (February 25) and Australia (March 5).
The immensely gifted 30-year-old, whose victory in the 1994 Australian Superbike Championship first propelled him onto the world stage, will deputise for injured Spanish rider David Checa, aboard the all-new Yamaha YZF-R6.
The New South Welshman, whose battles with alcohol and drugs over the years have been well documented, is ecstatic about the opportunity afforded him by the French-based GMT 94 squad, and is hoping to really put some runs on the board in his home round at Phillip Island.
"The whole deal came together really quickly," said Gobert. "The GMT 94 team manager rang me over the weekend, and before I knew it the ride was locked in.
"There's no doubt I'm going to be on a steep learning curve at Qatar, but by the time I get to Phillip Island I hope to have everything sorted and put on a really good show.
"And I reckon I'm on the best Supersport bike at the moment in the new YZF-R6. And one of my bikes will be straight from the Yamaha factory - which I didn't expect, but I'm delighted with!"
Gobert already knows the fast way around Phillip Island, having won five of his eight world Superbike races at the iconic Victorian circuit.
Gobert, who will turn 31 during the Phillip Island weekend, still longs for a full-time return to the international arena after a couple of season spent back home in Australia.
"I've been travelling since I was 20, and to tell you the truth I'm getting a little bored back home in Oz," said Gobert.
"I would dearly love to race in another world title of some description, and if I do well I might be asked to complete in the rest of the Supersport World Championship. That would be awesome."
However, even if world title incumbency doesn't eventuate in 2006, Gobert will still compete outside of Australia in the Spanish Formula Extreme Championship, and he's also struck a deal to compete in the famed Le Mans 24-hour endurance race alongside the rehabilitated Checa. GMT 94 is an endurance specialist, having won the 2004 world title.
"Yep, the Spanish deal is there, which would see me riding a Suzuki GSX-R1000 for one of the top teams (Austin Suzuki) in the Formula Extreme Championship," continued the former 500cc GP rider. "I have always loved Spain, and I'll base myself in Madrid during the season."
In the meantime, the Losail circuit in Qatar beckons, where Gobert will be joined on the grid by four countrymen: Yamaha Motor Germany pairing Kevin Curtain (pictured) and Broc Parkes, both on YZF-R6s; 2005 Australian Superbike and Supersport champion Josh Brookes (Ducati SC Caracchi 749R); and the UK-based veteran Dean Thomas (Team Gil Motorsport Kawasaki ZX-6RR), who will be replacing the injured Stephane Chambon.
Meanwhile, in the top flight world Superbike division, reigning world champion Troy Corser (Alstare Suzuki Corona Extra GSX-R1000) will lead the Aussie assault in Qatar, as he strives to move clear of a deadlock with American Colin Edwards on the all-time world Superbike winner's list.
Corser, who won his first world Superbike title in 1996, and Edwards currently reside on 31 wins apiece, behind four-time world champion Carl Fogarty (59).
Corser won race one at Losail in 2005, before going onto win five of his next six outings - including a superb double at Phillip Island.
Meanwhile, 2001 world Superbike champion Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox 999F06), after three testing years in MotoGP, makes a welcome return to the production-based class at Qatar, while former world Supersport champions Andrew Pitt (Yamaha Motor Italia YZF-R1SP) and Karl Muggeridge (Winston Ten Kate Honda CBR1000RR) will be eager to hit the ground running after solid rookie years in 2005.
The final Australian in action will be Steve Martin (Foggy Petronas Racing FP1), entering his sixth year of world Superbike competition.
Links:
Superbike and Supersport World Championships - www.superbike.it
Phillip Island circuit - www.phillipislandcircuoit.com.au
Phillip Island ticketing - www.phillipislandcircuit.com.au/superbike.php
Motorcycling Australia - http://www.ma.org.au
Yamaha set-up report
World superbikes round 1 - Qatar
Superbike World Championship: round one - Qatar
Track length: 5400m
Opened: 2004
Fastest superbike lap: 2:01.244 (Troy Corser, Suzuki)
Lap record: 2:01.852 (Sebastien Gimbert, Yamaha)
Last year's winners: Troy Corser and Yukio Kagayama (both Suzuki)
The 2006 Superbike World Championship gets underway this weekend at the Losail
circuit in Qatar with Yamaha Motor Italia looking to build on a race-winning
debut season in 2005.
Having tested twice at the Middle Eastern circuit during the winter break, riders
Noriyuki Haga and Andrew Pitt are more than familiar with the characteristics
of the modern 5.4km circuit.
The team has worked hard over the winter to increase the competitiveness of the
YZF-R1. Most of the focus has gone into improving traction and rideability of
the bikes over race distance. The new engine management system from Magneti Marelli
has been well received by the riders, who commented on the improved power delivery
and engine braking characteristics.
"
I'm happy with the bike," explains Pitt. "The R1 is really feeling
more comfortable now and it's about evolution as much as anything else.
 Everything
is looking good, we made some good progress at our December test in Qatar and
I think that the team is well equipped to take on any problems that arise. The
important thing is that I have a lot of confidence in the bike and that I really
enjoy riding it now. The new electronics make it much easier to ride and we've
pretty much found a good set-up for the race. The main thing we need to work
on is finding a front tyre that will do the race distance. That was our big problem
here last year, although it was our first race with the R1 and hopefully it won't
be a problem this year."
Having won two races and having outscored eventual champion Troy Corser over
the second half of last year, Haga will undoubtedly be among the favourites for
the 2006 title. It's a challenge the popular Japanese rider is relishing as he
looks to win the title that has so far eluded him.
"
I don't feel any pressure," he says. "It is hard for me to say if I
can win the title or not because we have still not tested with our rivals. We
have made some good tests in Qatar and the bike is stronger than last year. It
looks like Yamaha has been able to make the improvements I asked for at the end
of last year so for now I am happy with progress. It is still my target to win
the title. Every year I am close: second position, fourth position, third position...
but never number one. I will always try my best at each race but only when we
race with the others can I know how strong we are. All I can say now is that
the championship is the one thing that I have never achieved. Every year I always
go in with the attitude and focus to win it and this year is no different."
Yamaha will be represented by a second distributor-backed squad in 2006. Yamaha
Motor France will enter a three-rider team with Japanese rider Shinichi Nakatomi
joining the incumbent Norick Abe and Sebastien Gimbert for his world superbike
debut.
In the world supersport race, Yamaha riders will make up the lion's share of
the grid, with 15 riders aiming for glory on the new YZF-R6.
Expected to lead the Yamaha charge is the officially-supported Yamaha Motor Germany
squad of Kevin Curtain and Broc Parkes. The Australians were consistently among
the front runners in the 2005 campaign and despite the early start to the season
the German squad is as well prepared as possible, having tested successfully
with the new bike at Valencia and Phillip Island.
Link - http://www.yamaha-racing.com
Yamaha Motor New Zealand
Yamaha Motor New Zealand has secured sponsorship rights of this year's FIM International Six Days Enduro to be held in the lush surroundings of Taupo on the North Island of New Zealand.
The company's General Manager, Steve Cotterell, said, "To have such a prestigious
event as the ISDE in your back garden represents a great opportunity. And what
better way to welcome Yamaha's Kiwi born multi world enduro champion Stefan Merriman
back to his country of birth than by sponsoring the event? We launched our 2006
model WRF enduro bikes in the Taupo region, so we know that competitors and spectators
alike are in for a real treat."
New Zealand is hosting the gruelling international enduro event for the first time between 14 and 19 November 2006. The Lake Taupo venue is an internationally acclaimed tourism destination known for its landscape of forests, rolling hills, volcanoes, lakes and rivers.
All riding will be off road, centred around commercial pine plantation Kinleith Forest and will be run by Event Director Sean Clarke. The many and varied tracks are designed to be rideable in all weather conditions.
Link - http://www.isde06.com
Kawasaki does the double
From Team Green: The Kawasaki Racing Team's two hot new riders for 2006 have both won their classes at the first round of the Supercross Masters run in Adelaide under lights on Saturday, February 11.
Consistently strong through each of their three races on the night, Daniel Reardon won the night in the SX Open class on his new-for-2006 Kawasaki KX450F while Mitchell Hoad took the SX Lites class on the all-new KX250F.
This year (in the outdoor events) the cumulative points for the three races decide the overall winner on the night, who receives eight points toward the championship, with second place overall getting seven and so until eighth scoring a single point.
Queenslander Daniel Reardon, the 2004 SX Lites Champion, has stepped up to the Open class, riding the KX450F. He was very pleased with taking the overall win on the night and also crossing the line first in the last race in front of a big South Australian crowd.
"It was awesome racing, I really enjoyed it. I had a lot of battles with a lot of riders and it was great!
"The KX450F is awesome. When I first rode it I sort of didn't like it - too
much power, heavy - but I stuck with it. I nearly decided to ride the KX250
two-stroke, but I'm really glad I didn't, the four-stroke is awesome."
However, like a true champion, he still knows he's got work to do to win the championship and is already looking forward to the next round in Perth.
"First round's out of the way. I'll be stronger and fitter, I'm still not at
my peak yet. My starts were alright, but weren't anything special. I think fitness
was a big thing though, I was following dudes out there with their tongues out
halfway through the moto. I think it really shows who's been doing the most preparation
for the season."
Mitch Hoad, who was signed up by the Kawasaki Racing Team when they realised this talented youngster hadn't been signed for a major team late last year, paid back the confidence shown in him by Team Green with a season-opening win.
"I'm stoked, coming out of the first round with a win is always good!"
Hoad had to put in a gutsy effort to take his win in the Pro Lites class, suffering an unlucky crash during practice which knocked him around.
"First two laps of practice, I jumped into some dude, had a little crash, but it wasn't too bad. But the same jump on the next lap I hit a little kicker and went over the front pretty hard, smashed my body up, got real winded.
"We got the bike back together, just made the second practice and put some good laps in and went from there."
With multiple podium finishes - including a win in the first championship race - Hoad took the overall win on the night.
His final ride of the night saw Hoad behind the eight ball after a collision with another rider left him at the back of the pack, but he put in consistent fast laps and made it back up to sixth, enough to give him the overall.
Team manager Ross McWatters had nothing but praise for the pair.
"We've had a really good start to the year, we're extremely happy. We've got six weeks to go to the next event, we should be able to hit the ground stronger and more prepared than we were for this race.
"I've been wanting to get Daniel Reardon in our team for a couple of years, but that hasn't been possible until now, but he's certainly living up to our expectations.
"We had to push really hard to find room in our program for Mitchell Hoad. I couldn't believe no other factory team had snapped him up. We knew he was on the market at a fairly late stage of last year. We had to do some serious reshuffling to fit him into our plans but he's paid us back tonight with such a great result.
"The conditions tonight along the starting straight were pretty difficult, you needed the right combination of power and traction. We definitely had the right tyres for the races, but maybe not the starts. We'll work on the suspension to get more traction. We'd like to thank our major sponsors Fuchs Silkolene and Michelin, plus our other important sponsors NGK, AFAM, Thor, Goodridge, Kincrome and Akrapovic for their ongoing support - we're pleased with this result and we know we couldn't have done it without you all."
Missing from this round was team rider Warren Smart, out with injury.
McWatters explained Smart's progress."Warren's foot injury is looking fairly substantial and he's going to be looking at 6-8 weeks recovery on that one, which takes him to about the third round of the motocross before he'll be back to full fitness."
Also riding for the Kawasaki Racing Team is Toby Price, who qualified for the SX Lites despite a very poor start to his race. In the heats he struggled with unfortunate gate picks which contributed to poor starts. His efforts to recover ground saw him making a few mistakes and suffering some falls. Toby however, knows that he has thetalent and the support of the team, he's looking forward to Perth and a better result.
» View the previous weeks racing news and results
|