Page 29 - Sept 2024.cdr

New World Record: Stunt Rider Gets Dragged
Behind a Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX at 160 Mph
Usually, ‘drag racing is usually defined as an
activity involving (at least) two self-powered
vehicles going flat-out on a straight line (typically a
quarter mile in length) to get across the finish line
first. An Englishman contested that definition by
adding a literal twist to the old game of ‘Who’s
faster?’ and just broke a 25-year-standing world
record.
I have a question for the bikers’ community (but the
rest of you can feel free to drop an answer, too):
how fast did you ride your motorcycle? Did you
ever go above 156 mph? (That’s about 251 kph for
metric petrol heads). If so, were you still on the
bike?
And even if you dare say ‘Yes,’ it still wouldn’t cut it.
One stunt driver from across the pond did the absolute
opposite – jumped off the bike and skidded behind it at
wide open throttle. And he put 3.2 miles (5.15 km)
above that mark, just for the fun of it.
Not only that, but it broke the Guinness World Record
for ‘Fastest speed dragged behind a motorcycle,’ a feat
achieved in 1999 by Gary Rothwell, also from England
(what is it with the Brits and their habit of getting things
done in some other manner than the rest of the
world?). Twenty-five years ago, the Liverpool rider
jumped off his specially prepared bike and hit 156.3
mph (251.54 kph).
The British stunt driving champion Jonny Davies was
at the tender age of seven when he watched the
record-setting run on national television and got the
virus. A quarter of a century later, he employed the help
of his childhood idol to surpass that milestone. He did it
– he scored 159.52 mph (256.72 kph). If you’re
wondering how he stood back up on his feet and
walked away with the record unharmed, the secret is
titanium.
Specially-made skid plates cast from the super-strong
metal allowed the rider to plant his feet firmly on the
concrete landing strip of Elvington Airfield, Yorkshire,
at the Straightliners speed records event. However,
fancy, sparkling boots alone wouldn’t have done the
job – Mr. Davies also had to keep accelerating in order
to reach the speed.
Motorcycles weren’t built for towing anything, let alone
pulling the rider in a ‘downhill skiing’ stance. The
Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX used for this attempt was fitted
with a secondary throttle control button at the back so
Jonny could push it to a new record. Due to the very
high speed at which he was moving, his left boot
became airborne during the run, and he literally
dragged behind the supercharged missile while
balancing on one foot.
The motorcycle used for this achievement is a monster
of a rig, with a one-liter four-cylinder motor paired with
a supercharger to deliver 197 hp and 101 lb-ft (200 PS,
137 Nm). The crankshaft drives the air compressor via
a set of planetary gears, with an intermediary
assembly to multiply the revolutions over nine times.
Spinning at almost 130,000 RPM, the impeller of the
force-fed induction system is backed by a Ram Air
intake at the front to boost peak power to 207 hp (210
PS). Due to its highly precise machining, the aluminum
twelve-blade screw adds minimal heat to the
compressed air, thus eliminating the need for an
intercooler.
“I think I hit 110mph before climbing off the back, and I
wasn’t even perfectly straight, to be honest. As soon as
I lined up, I just hit full throttle, and I just did not let off,”
D a v i e s s h a r e d w i t h a r e p o r t e r f r o m
motorcyclenews.com moments after the historic and
successful attempt.
It took the Peterlee, County Durham local two takes to
get the record secured. During his first try, he managed
to reach 154.677 mph (248.92 kph). Only Jonny was
allowed on the motorbike for the latest ‘drag’ record to
count. To make things spicier, the stunt rider had to
climb back on the Kawasaki and bring it safely to a full
stop.
“It was just a blurry, bumpy ride. It was pretty chaotic,
but the bike was just super stable. The Ninja H2 SX
was an absolute machine, perfect for the job. I’m just
overwhelmed with the whole situation. It’s been some
build-up, and finally, to have broken the record, it feels
pretty good.” LHR
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