New Zealander Russell Wright sets a new World Land Speed Record of 184.83 mph at Swannanoa, Canterbury, New Zealand, straddled upon his Vincent Black Lightning.
Stunningly, unlike other more famous Land Speed Records Wright's were achieved not on the Autobahn or the huge expanses of Bonneville but on a narrow Canterbury road, still drying out from rain the night before, a ballsy move in itself. Tram Road at Swannanoa, about 20 miles northwest of Christchurch, was bordered by gravel, wire fences, some people and, partly on one side, a hedge.
On Russell's first run a sound like a shotgun blast pierced even the scream of his Vincent's motor. He'd hit a damn bird, unfazed, he continued twisting the throttle.
Although the Vincent was handling well, a thought crept into his mind about the Smiths 150 mph mark.
"I realized as I was gripping those 15-inch width handlebars, and with the stark knowledge that I had only 2 inches of steering leeway, that I was now completely in the hands of the good Lord above."
On the second run, just at the point where the high hedge on his left side stopped, a wind gust hit the side of the Vincent's fish-shaped shell pushing it across the road and towards spectators. An instinctive and delicate correction saved who knows how many lives. This time Wright stepped off his bike with a chalky complexion, to confirmation from an International Motorcycle Federation (IMF) timekeeper that the 187 mph run meant he was now the holder of a new World Land Speed Record.
Just thirty-one Black Lightnings were built and they were effectively a competition-prepared version of the Black Shadow. Wright's Lightning had been tweaked by the Scottish engineering legend Bob Burns, who also provided the bike's streamlined shell.
Just thirty-one Black Lightnings were built and they were effectively a competition-prepared version of the Black Shadow. Wright's Lightning had been tweaked by the Scottish engineering legend Bob Burns, who also provided the bike's streamlined shell.
After the speed record was official Burns attached a simple sidecar to the bike and Russell then broke the record for sidecars, his two runs averaging 162 mph.
Russell Wright died in 2013 at 83, his widow, Elaine, sprinkled the first of his ashes near a memorial set up to commemorate her late husband's feat. The rest were released into the wind from the back of a bike, as he would have loved.
"Russell and I have come here many times and it's very sad to think this is his last ride here, but this was his last wish, to have his ashes scattered at Tram Road."
Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD). www.nabd.org.uk
