At the 2010 BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials week Lightning Motors took the FIM and AMA land speed record for special construction partial streamlining electric motorcycles (300-APS-W) with an official two-way average speed of 173.388 mph. Blasting down the course at 170.732 mph with a 10 mph headwind, Lightning Motors’ return run was clocked at 176.044 with no wind.
This was a marked improvement over the team’s unofficial 166mph pass last year, but still short of the company’s goal of hitting 200 mph on the salt flats. Coming straight from the track at VIR, the only modifications to the Lightning electric motorcycle was a larger sprocket, as you can see above, it’s still in its track fairings (note: other sites have been running photos of the the Lightning bike in an open streamliner fairing, which was used last year, not this year).
Richard Hatfield, owner of Lightning Motors, intends to be back at the salt flats in October with the SCTA’s World Finals, and will be gunning for the 200 mph mark. Giving Hatfield and Lightning Motors a run for their money was Michael Czysz and the MotoCzysz crew.
Unable to top Lightning’s time, Czysz still considered the outing a success after they reached their goals for the weekend. With an anticipated best speed of 165 mph, Czysz & Co. hit 163 mph. Vowing to be back next year, Czysz’s focus all about the complete package, but joked “it is about the COMPLETE package… next year a more complete package!!!”
Photo: Courtesy of Lightning Motors
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