58 amcn.com.au
AustralianDLRArecordsonthefive-mileTrack1
during Speed Week.
Target550’s345mphwithLesDavenportdriving
isthefastestcareveronLakeGairdnerandonly
thesecondtoexceed300mph.
ValerieThompsonruns328mphontheTeam7
streamliner to become the first motorcyclist to
doso.Translated,we’retalking555km/hforthe
carand528km/hforthebike,whichisreally
somethingtobeholdastheythunderpastthepits.
Equally attractive to spectators is that the pits
are open, so long as you don’t get in anyone’s
way.TheAmericansarerightlyproudoftheir
streamliners and are generally happy to share the
love, which is reciprocated when the teams return
to the pits after their record runs, hootin’ and
hollerin’ and blastin’ their horns. Party time!
Whileneithersecuredworldrecords–thecar
breaks down and the bike crashes, thankfully
without injury – the opportunity to get so close and
personal with such extraordinary machines is for
many punters worth the price of entry alone.
Of the other bikes, Richard Assen is the fastest at
227mph on his non-streamlined Assentec Special
powered by a turbocharged Hayabusa engine,
followed by Ken Robinson from Black Ice Racing
on 222mph and Paul Powditch at 218mph, both on
partially streamlined turbocharged ’Busas. Andy
FreemanisthebestoftheH2sat212mph.Mike
Adi,ridingaSuzukiGSX-R1000preparedbythe
vast Schlein/Powditch team, is the first in Australia
to go 200mph on a normally aspirated 1000cc
production-class bike, following in the footsteps
offamilypatriarchGrantSchlein,whoin2010
wasthefirsttodothesameinthe1350classon
a Hayabusa. Not to be outdone, third-generation
racer Lachlan Tucker Powditch runs 169mph to add
a 650cc-class record to those already held in the
100ccand125ccclasses.
By comparison, the cars are generally quite a
bit faster. Lionel West runs 270mph in the Bronze
Aussie VR Commodore (before spectacularly
flipping it onto its roof on his next pass), ahead of
256mphforShaineBensoninaBellytank,Kiwi
MarkLove249mphinaFirebirdandKurtDunn
243mphinaLakester.
Four other drivers comfortably exceed Assen’s
best to gently remind us bike folk that whatever the
carguyslackinnumbers,theymakeupforwith
qualityandareverymuchapartofthespectacle.
They also do most of the organising.
Speed Week is conducted by Dry Lakes Racers
SPEED WEEKThe Americans
are rightly proud of
their streamliners
and are generally
happy to share
the love, which is
reciprocated
Being there
Lake Gairdner is roughly equidistant
between Sydney and Perth, and
230km north-west of Port Augusta
in South Australia. The last 160km is
dirt and the final section is heavily
corrugated.
Facilities at the popular lakeside
Salt Bush Camp are quite primitive,
with just two showers and not a lot
of toilets. If travelling by car, bring
your own. Those arriving by bike will
appreciate additional toilets on the
Lake, and also the canteen serving
hot meals and cold beer all week. Cost is $7 per night. There are more comfortable
options at the Mt Ive homestead 25km away, and the DLRA Camp situated in between.
Access to the Lake is $30 for the week, and you can drive or ride onto it and park in
dedicated spectator areas near the start line and in the pits.
The necessity to blow off the dust in one direction and brush off the salt in the other
can sometimes lead to delays. You’ll also need a tarp to park your vehicle on every
time you stop. Other requisites are sunscreen, shade, powerful insect repellant, and as
much water as you can pack.
If you only want to come for a few days, aim for the earlier part of the week because
the attrition rate can quickly thin the ranks. That said, the faster guys often save their
best for last.Above. Katherine Goulter
takes off under the
watchful eye of her father
Below. Rebecca Robinson
of Black Ice Racing and her
turbocharged V-Max