Isle of Man TT racer Peter Hickman is going land speed record racing with GreyhoundLSR
Isle of Man TT racer Peter Hickman is targeting the outright motorcycle land speed record with GreyhoundLSR, aiming to exceed 400mph using Suzuki Hayabusa power.
The fastest rider ever to lap the Isle of Man TT course is now aiming to become the fastest man ever on two wheels, with Peter Hickman targeting speeds of more than 400mph as part of the GreyhoundLSR land speed record (LSR) project.
Hickman has been involved with the GreyhoundLSR team throughout the design and build of the bike, including helping to work out how to package a six-foot-two racer inside what is, by design, an extremely compact machine.
A video posted on Facebook shows Hickman sitting inside the bike for the first time, and it looks about as comfortable as you might expect. There's plenty of folding and contorting as he tries to find something resembling a riding position inside the streamlined machine.
Getting to this point has taken considerable time and engineering work, with the Greyhound team using 3D scans of Hickman to help design the internal ergonomics around the rider.
There's still a long way to go, though. The aim is to beat the current outright motorcycle land speed record of 376.363mph, become the first team to break 400mph on two wheels and bring the record back to Great Britain.
The attempt is planned for Hakskeen Pan in South Africa, which offers around 12 miles of flat, compacted clay for the run. Its relatively low altitude also means the air is denser than at some other land speed record locations, helping the bike's two turbocharged Suzuki Hayabusa engines produce more power.
You can follow the GreyhoundLSR team's progress on its official website.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
