Liane Langlois aims for unusual land speed record with Rocket III sidecar
Canada’s Queen of Speed is back at Bonneville with a huge Triumph Rocket-powered sidecar and another world record in her sights.
What do you get when you cross three cylinders, three wheels and almost 3,000cc? In Liane Langlois’ case, you get a 136mph-plus land speed record attempt on a Triumph Rocket III-powered sidecar.
Langlois, Canada’s first female FIM Land Speed World Record holder, is back at the Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials this week with the same frankly enormous machine that carried her to a 136.331mph record in 2025.
The bike is a 2012 JKR Powersports Triumph Rocket III Roadster, powered by the familiar 2,295cc three-cylinder engine and fitted with a weighted sidecar. This time around, though, it has gained some aerodynamic assistance in the form of a front fairing and a wheel cover for the sidecar.
Those changes are enough to move the machine into a different FIM land speed record category, Division B, which covers partially streamlined sidecars. That means Langlois isn't simply trying to beat her existing record. She is effectively starting again in a new category, and she thinks there is more speed to be found.
Langlois believes last year's record was limited by poor salt conditions and is hoping the improved surface at Bonneville, combined with the extra aerodynamic bodywork, will allow her to push comfortably beyond 137mph. She had previously hoped to reach the 140mph mark, but the deteriorating salt surface and weather meant she wasn't comfortable pushing the machine any harder.
The sidecar itself adds another complication, with Langlois revealing that keeping the outfit straight at speed requires considerably more physical effort than riding a conventional motorcycle.
There is also an element of the unknown this year. The machine is based around 1,400km from Langlois' home in Edmonton, Alberta, at her team's headquarters in North Dakota, meaning she hasn't been able to extensively test the modifications made in the last twelve months before arriving at Bonneville.
The plan is to make an initial run, assess how the new bodywork affects the handling and then start pushing the machine harder, hopefully above the 140mph mark.
The 2026 Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials run from 23-27 August.
Find the latest motorcycle news on Visordown
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!
