Guy Martin breaks Triumph land speed record by going 274.2 mph in Rocket Streamliner

By Miles Branman August 10, 2016

Triumph Land Speed Record 8 — Triumph Rocket Streamliner Image used with permission by copyright holder

Guy Martin, best known for his skill on two-wheels, has helped Triumph achieve a new land speed record in its Infor Rocket Streamliner. The Streamliner hit a speed of 274.2 mph on the famous Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah earlier this week, besting the brand’s previous records of 264 mph (unofficial record) and 245.67 mph (official record).

Triumph says the conditions on August 8 were near perfect when Martin and the Triumph team hit the record at 8:30 a.m.. The record had been in place for 46 years, making the news of the new mark that much more significant. The previous record had been set by Bob Leppan in the Gyronaut X-1.

Martin says he wishes to top the world’s two-wheeled land speed record outright, and his performance on the Salt Flats has given him confidence that this feat is within reach. Each time Martin has sat in the Streamliner on the salt flats, he has been able to achieve the goals set by Matt Markstaller, crew chief and the Triumph Infor Rocket Streamliner designer, and his team with the required level of control.

“It’s good and we are moving in the right direction, but it is just one step on the way to what me and team are here to do,” said Martin.

The Triumph Infor Rocket features a carbon Kevlar monocoque construction with two turbocharged Triumph Rocket III engines producing a combined 1,000hp at 9,000 rpm. The motorcycle is 25.5 feet long, 2 feet wide, and 3 feet tall. Powered by methanol fuel, the bike is competing in the Division C (streamlined motorcycle) category.

Triumph held the title of “World’s Fastest Motorcycle” between 1955 and 1970 with models that include the Devil’s Arrow, Texas Cee-gar, Dudek Streamliner, and Gyronaut X-1. Rocky Robinson holds the current two-wheeled land speed record after he hit 376.36 mph in the Top Oil-Ack Attack Streamliner in 2010.

That means there’s a gap of over 100 mph between Martin’s Rocket and Robinson’s Attack Streamliners, but both Triumph and Martin are confident that a new record is coming.

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