Luca Colombo has pipped Robbie Mathison for the water speed record by clocking a speed of 64mph, a full 6mph faster than Mathison’s previous record.
Despite beating the record, things didn’t entirely go to plan, as Colombo’s emergency inflatable system (which is basically a massive sausage) inflated and obscured his view for near enough the entire record-breaking run. When is doubt power out, right?!
Even with this pretty disastrous setback, nothing was getting in Luca’s way, as the vastly experienced rider stayed focused with his eyes on the prize.
Previously, Luca has set the riding on water distance record by skimming almost five kilometers across Lake Como, on a modified Suzuki RMZ 450. For this attempt, he swapped out the Suzuki for a modified Honda CRF 450R, which has custom hydrofoils and a paddle rear tyre to help propel the bike across the treacherous water.
Colombo had this to say after achieving the record: “I am really satisfied, I wanted this record and it was very hard to reach even one more single km/h. You never know what’s going to happen every time I place my bike on the water. This year everyone really made a great effort, from Giorgio Lumini and Angelo Pezzano, that have been following me with their great professionalism, to the Red Moto team that supported me in every requests and all the partners that gave their contributions to this challenge, because this record doesn’t belong just to me. Without their support this wouldn’t be impossible. I thank everyone from the bottom of my heart!”
Previous record attempt: https://bit.ly/2YUnxFN
What do you think the next Luca’s next crazy stunt will be? Chuck it in the comments section below.
2019 CRF450R Specs
Engine Hide
Bore × Stroke (mm) 96.0mm x 62.1mm
Carburation Fuel injection
Compression Ratio 13.5 : 1
Engine Displacement (cc) 449.7cc
Engine Type (cm³) Liquid-cooled 4-stroke single cylinder uni-cam
Starter Self-Starter
Wheels Hide
Brakes Front Single 260mm disk
Brakes Rear Single 240mm disk
Suspension Front Showa 49mm USD fork
Suspension Rear Showa monoshock using Honda Pro-Link
Tyres Front Dunlop MX3SF
Tyre Size Front 80/100-21-51M
Tyre Size Rear 120/80-19-63M
Tyres Rear Dunlop MX3S
Wheels Front Aluminium spoke
Wheels Rear Aluminium spoke
Dimensions and Weights Hide
Caster Angle 27.4°
Dimensions (L×W×H) (mm) 2,183mm x 827mm x 1,260mm
Frame type Aluminium twin tube
Fuel Tank Capacity (Litres) 6.3 litres
Ground Clearance (mm) 328mm
Kerb Weight (kg) 112.3kg
Seat Height (mm) 960mm
Trail (mm) 116mm
Wheelbase (mm) 1,482mm
Transmission Hide
Clutch Wet type multi-plate
Final Drive Chain
Transmission Type Constant mesh
Instruments and Electrics Hide
Ignition System Digital CDI
