Triumph set another speed record this Monday smashing their previous record of 245 mph. This time it was TT legend Guy Martin behind the wheel rushing the Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner across the Bonneville Salt Flats.
The previous record was set by Bob Leppan in the Gyronaut X-1, in which he also achieved an unofficial record speed of 264 mph. This week’s record run commenced during ideal conditions and took quite a bit of preparation. The Triumph team had been running trials on the salt lands for a couple of days running up to the record attempt this Monday.
It was two miles ahead of his starting position where Martin came to a fully controlled stop after hitting the insane 274 mph top speed, breaking the previous Triumph record that stood for an impressive 46 years. According to Triumph, their ultimate goal is to break the world’s two-wheeled land speed record and their current driver Guy Martin has booked impressive progress so far.
When asked about becoming the fastest ever Triumph record holder Martin commented: “It’s good and we are moving in the right direction, but it is just one step on the way to what me and team are here to do.”
Triumph is no unfamiliar name in the history books when it comes to breaking speed records. Back in the fifties the company managed to claim the land speed record for motorcycles, which remained in their hands until 1970. Taking a closer look at the powerplant of the Triumph Infor Rocket, it becomes evident the British company are not beating around the bush. Two turbocharged Triumph Rocket III engines producing a combined 1,000 bhp at 9,000 rpm are responsible for catapulting this two-wheeled rocket across the salt lands.