Australian Motorcycle News - June 21, 2018

S

taring down the vast

expanse that is Lake

Gairdner for the first

time is as alien an

experience as you’ll get.

And that’s if you’re a spectator. For

the more than 60 rookies making

their debuts this year – most of

them on motorcycles – fronting

the start line is like jumping off a

cliff into a bottomless pool, except

this one is endless, white as snow

and rock hard.

Corinna Steeb focuses on

her breathing as she waits

for the starter to signify the

three-mile Track 2 is clear.

She is about to have her first

run on the Salt Monkeys Royal

Enfield Continental GT on

which Frank Samson set a class

record of 103.341mph last year.

The bike has been lowered to

suit her stature, which should

theoretically assist in her quest

to beat Frank’s record. She’s as

nervous as a cat at a dogfight but

does everything by the book to go

103.950mph on her first pass.

Tony Lam is another rookie on

a mission, in his case to become

the ‘World’s Fastest Chinese’ (his

words, not ours) on what is rapidly

becoming the salt racing weapon

of choice, Kawasaki’s H2. He’s

cocky as he breezes through his

125 and 150mph licensing passes,

more serious at 175mph, then it

starts getting real as he chases the

mythical 200mph.

Tony is elated when he passes

that barrier with his eighth pass

of the week on late Wednesday

afternoon, battling traction and

variable w ind conditions and,

by his own admission, scaring

himself half to death.

Then there’s Peter Mounsey,

one week short of his 90th

birthday and having his first

crack at salt racing on a 1948

350cc MAC Velo. Peter is

competing at the urging of his

neighbour, Stuart Hooper, who

ran 193mph here on the ‘World’s

Fastest Velocette’ two years ago.

A longtime offshore yacht racer,

Peter figures he may not have

the opportunity for too

many more adventures

in his life and is aiming

to run somewhere

between 85mph and

90mph. His best is 84.786mph.

Land speed racing has become

the new bucket-list item for

Australian motorcyclists of all

ages, some of whom are happy

to tick it off as a once-in-a-

lifetime experience and live off

the memories. Others become

addicted, like Martin Powditch

Two weeks

ayear,inan

otherwise

forbidden

National Park

half-way

between

Sydney and

Perth,this

happens

WORDS

GEOFF SEDDON

PHOTOGRAPHY

SIMON DAVIDSON

SPEED WEEK

WORLD’S

(^052) FA S T E S T