Posted on April 4, 2020 June 30, 2021

LSR1 MKII Race Bike Development

Elliott Motorcycles LSR1 MKII race bike on the dyno

LSR1 MKII Race Bike Development

While racing at Lake Gairdner in 2018 it became clear that there was opportunity to develop our land speed motorcycle further.

I was happy with the upgrades we had made for my Australian land speed record in 2018. The engine performance, tuning and custom-made controls were all working perfectly. But I could tell there was so much more opportunity in this bike. Particularly as I reached 5th gear for the first time on the track. So, I stripped the bike and started working on a redesign. The Elliott Motorcycles LSR1 MKII race bike development began within 6 months of returning home.

Dry Lakes Racers Australia (DLRA) soon announced that they were changing their rule book from 2019 onward. They also requested expressions of interest from racers for a World Speed Trials. The trials would be held at Lake Gairdner over a weekend in 2020. Of course we were interested!

There was so much more development I had wanted to put into the bike before heading to the salt in 2018. Now it was time to put it all into action and chase my dream of setting a world land speed record. As well as smashing my own Australian record in the process. But ambitious plans such as these don’t come easy. We had a lot of work to do and time was flying by with so many adjustments to consider and implement.

I wanted to develop an aero package that would match the power of the LSR1 MKII race bike.

Firstly, with more downforce we planned to eliminate the wheel spin I had experienced at top speed. Secondly, with more streamlining we planned to leave a smaller wake and reduce drag.

We decided to design our fairings from the ground up rather than going with an off-the-shelf fairing solution. Our plan was to develop the aero package and return to Lake Gairdner for Speed Week 2019. That way we could test the changes. We would also have a whole year to fine tune and make adjustments ahead of the World Speed Trials. It was always going to be an ambitious approach. But we decided to tackle it head on. This gave us a huge opportunity to develop our capability and have the biggest possible impact to our top speed.

Aeroynamic Engineering

Sammy Diasinos (aerodynamicist and founder of Dynamic Aero Solutions) was introduced through friends involved in World Time Attack Challenge. Sammy was well known for his success at WTAC. We knew Sammy was up for the task even though he had never worked on a motorcycle. Sammy previously worked in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for Williams, Toyota and Caterham Formula 1 teams. He had also previously contributed to Sunswift eVe. Sunswift eVe set an FIA land speed record (the fastest electric vehicle to complete a distance of 500km).

We enlisted Sammy’s help and had the motorcycle 3D scanned and digitally modelled. I sat on the bike in racing position for the scans. This meant Sammy could simulate the conditions upon which we had set our Australian land speed record.

First, we had to make sure that the model and environmental parameters matched our record run. Then we checked the regulations for allowed fairing and fender extents before exploring a range of design options. Extensive simulations proved our expectations correct. With several aerodynamic adjustments we could eliminate the wheel spin experienced on the track, reduce drag, increase downforce and dramatically increase our projected top speed.

Carbon Fibre Fairing & Fender Fabrication

Drag racer Terry Jackson from IM Composite Technologies helped us assess and fine-tune the options. We had foam plugs made (CNC cut from the 3D design files). Terry would use the plugs to form the moulds and then create the final carbon fibre components. This would ensure the fabricated fairings and fender would match the 3D model precisely.

Unfortunately, Speed Week 2019 was looming by the time the foam plugs were ready. There wasn’t enough time to make the carbon fibre components. We also had to complete a range of the other adjustments to complement the new aero package. James and I were gutted to abort our plans to test on the salt in 2019. But we remained excited by the progress we had made towards our world land speed record attempt in 2020.

Performance Adjustments

As the year progressed several other adjustments were made to complement the new aero package. We opted for a higher, flatter riding position with a custom tank which allows a lower helmet position. Handlebars and foot pegs have been brought inward to reduce frontal area. We changed to a pneumatic gear shifter to support the new riding position and built a new solid rear swingarm.

In 2018 I had used an aftermarket 2-into-2 exhaust due to limited time. To complete the engine upgrade I wanted to design and fabricate a 2-into-1 performance exhaust system. I calculated the optimum diameter and length of the exhaust for the engine configuration at our projected top speed. Then I set about designing the system. The headers were measured to precision, providing equal pipe lengths to the collector. The collector was then designed to manage air flow and pressure returning through the system.

Finally, we installed an Emtron engine management system compete with MIL spec wiring and a range of sensors to enable data collection. I wanted data on how the engine and aero package performs and how the motorcycle handles under race conditions.

Our LSR1 MKII race bike was strapped onto the dyno at Emtron Australia on 14 March 2020. After a long day we had successfully tuned the first Harley-Davidson in the world with an Emtron engine management system.

Having spent over a year redesigning and rebuilding our LSR1 MKII race bike, our team will test the bike at Sydney Dragway. Then off to Lake Gairdner for the World Speed Trials with a targeted top speed of 200 mph (321 km/h).

Sponsors who helped us with this build:

Posted on January 28, 2020 June 29, 2021

Santo’s Summer Thunder 2020

Corey Buttigieg with his Top Fuel Motorcycle

Santo's Summer Thunder 2020

Corey Buttigieg and his Fastamoto team arrived at Sydney Dragway on Thursday night having driven 8 ½ hours from Melbourne, and they were ready for a huge weekend.

12 months earlier Corey’s new top fuel motorcycle had arrived, after inspecting and updating a few things on the bike Corey was getting ready to begin the licencing process with IHRA Australia ahead of the 2020/21 400 Thunder Australian Professional Drag Racing Series. So I was eager to help him as much as I could at the Santo’s Summer Thunder 2020.

While all of us had drag racing experience, none of us had worked on a top fuel motorcycle. These nitro fuelled machines are capable of 5 second passes, exploding to life with over 1,000 horsepower. Corey’s fastest ever pass on his Pro Stock motorcycle is 7.088 seconds. It was going to be a big step up and all new territory for me, and this weekend proved it was going to be a great challenge.

Friday Testing

Corey and the Fastamoto team spent Friday getting setup in the pits and getting the bike ready to race. I arrived at the track at about 6pm, just after the first time slot that evening during which Corey could test on the track amongst the other 400 Thunder Australian Professional Drag Racing Series brackets. However, when I arrived the rear cylinder head, cylinder and piston had been removed. So it was clear there wouldn’t be any track time that night.

The engine was blowing oil out of the exhaust. After we had the engine striped down, we found that there were a few clearances that were out of spec. So the cylinders needed to be re-bored and honed and the piston ring lands had to be machined to give the rings the correct clearance. There’s no room for error with these machines. Everything has to be perfect or the consequences of an engine failure could be catastrophic. Corey managed to get the engine rebuilt by 2am with the help of his team, other drag racing mates and competitors who wanted to see Corey succeed.

Saturday Race Day

There was still plenty to do on Saturday morning to get the bike ready. So I threw myself headfirst into helping Corey. We worked for hours reassembling, adjusting, testing and problem solving. By about 5pm the bike was ready and there were two time slots left in the day to start the licencing process with IHRA Australia. First step in the process is to execute a successful burnout. Then a successful launch, demonstrating Corey can handle the bike. Then he can complete a pass.

After 12 months of preparation and 2 solid days of work in the pits Corey and the team started the bike and rolled it forward to the burnout pad. The Sydney Dragway crowd had been waiting in anticipation to see Corey on a top fuel bike for the first time. He twisted the throttle and smoke erupted from the rear wheel.

Unfortunately, following that first test the team discovered a safety issue which needed repair. So Corey didn’t get back to the starting line for the final session.

Well, that's racing.

Corey plans to be back at Sydney Dragway for the Gulf Western Oil Nitro Thunder in May. You can be sure I’ll be there to help out once again. If you haven’t experienced Top Fuel racing yet then Corey’s progression to the Top Bike bracket of the 400 Thunder Australian Professional Drag Racing Series is just another reason why you should.

Corey Buttigieg and his Fastamoto team is proudly supported by Covertite, Royal Ink, Geelong Harley-Davidson, IM Composite Technologies and Elliott Motorcycles.

Posted on June 17, 2019 August 14, 2021

Dust Hustle 8

I’ve been wanting to get to a Dust Hustle for a while now.

When everyone you talk to about Dust Hustle says it’s an awesome event, you know it’ll be well worth the drive to get there. There are multiple dirt tracks to ride and lots of cool bikes. You’ve got multiple classes for motocross, road and old school bikes. Riders wear all sorts of interesting costumes. There’s great food stalls and plenty of Young Henrys. So when you’ve finished throwing dirt its time to throw down a beer!

There was a long day of driving ahead of us. So we got up at the crack of dawn, packed everything into a van and hit the road. 12 hours later we arrived at Queensland Moto Park and set up camp. It seemed like half of the other riders and their crews had already arrived. So there was plenty of activity around. The camp always has a great vibe just before a day riding, wherever you are.

It may seem crazy considering this was my first Dust Hustle but a month or so earlier I had invited Jacinta Siracusa (AKA Moto Doll) to ride our bike. I love to ride, but I also like to support other riders. Especially when you know they’ll have a lot of fun on our bike. I had a good feeling that Jacinta would be well suited to our Hooligan Racer (a custom H-D Street 750). The only thing was I built this bike for flat track racing, not for comfort. It has a hard racing seat, a high slung exhaust and no front brake. A full day of riding on this brut was sure to take its toll on the body. Jacinta took it in her stride though.

The big Day

The next morning, with the rider briefing and bike scrutineering complete, Jacinta geared up and made her way to the start line for the flat track. She wasted no time taking off with the other riders. Everyone looked like they were having a grand old time out there. It was great to see all the riders sliding around the track and it made me wish I was riding. Despite the mayhem, we only saw a few people lay their bikes down. On the second run on the flat track Jacinta came off a couple of times. Nothing too serious. Massive thanks to Luke Afiasco from Karupt Customz for laying his bike down to help Jacinta pick up hers. Legend.

After a short break, Jacinta then set out to conquer the enduro track. It was a longer, narrow dirt track with tight corners. Also a few jumps and a few trees to steer clear of. It was awesome to watch riders kicking up dust and sending their road bikes over the jumps. Despite being relatively unfamiliar with our bike Jacinta road hard all day.

Would we do it all again?

For sure! Big thanks to Shinko for our rubber, Young Henrys for the tinnies, LDV Australia for supporting us on our journey and the guys at Ellaspede for organising a great event.

Head to our Videos page to see a sweet clip by Bondi Films.

Photographs by Patrick Gatling.

Posted on May 6, 2019 June 29, 2021

Nitro Thunder 2019

Nothing can hold back the adrenaline when you’re waiting on the starting line at Sydney Dragway.

Especially when you’re sitting on a motorcycle capable of reaching the quarter mile in less than 10 seconds.

Everyone wants the hole shot, straight down the track without a hitch. I had drifted sideways on several test runs over the past week and qualifying the day before was impacted by rain so I had one run to test the setup and qualify. My reaction time wasn’t great, I felt the bike pulling to the right and my clutch was slipping. But this time, after several checks and adjustments, I feel the bike is ready to help me win and it’s now down to me. I have reached the first round of the Gulf Western Oil Nitro Thunder (part of the 400 Thunder Australian Professional Drag Racing Series).

My first knockout race is against a modified Suzuki Hayabusa. I know its going to be tough to beat but my bike is up to the task and so am I, I think.

The week before I had set a new personal best time of 8.53 seconds during testing. All I have to do is repeat that and match my opponent for reaction time.

My line up is good and my staging lights are on. The naturally aspirated 180hp Harley-Davidson V-Rod engine rumbling beneath me drowning out the commentary booming from the grandstand loudspeakers. At this moment the suspense is killing you. All you want is for the amber lights to countdown the inevitable. As I see them, I open the throttle wide open, anticipating the green light. Reaction time is critical.

Boom! When I release the clutch the bike tears away from the starting line at blistering pace. The sudden burst of speed makes my eyes water. The bike is so powerful that every gear change seems to hit me in the chest. But staying alert is critical. Every gear change needs to be executed at the right moment and it is essential I keep it straight. The smallest mistake could send me to the wall.

By the time I reach the quarter mile I know my run has been enough to win. That is, until I realise I had jumped the start by a tenth of a second. The red light means I’m out despite my 8.55 second pass at 152 MPH. I can’t believe it.

This was my first time in the Competition Bike category and it had been over a year since the last time I had drag raced. This was also the first time I would have the opportunity to go the distance in under 9 seconds.

When motorcycle owner Paul Harrison asked me to race his bike at Nitro Thunder I couldn’t pass it up. Drag racing is exhilarating and you don’t get these kinds of opportunities every day! Thanks Harry.

This week wouldn’t have been possible without a massive amount of help from Dan Lesnock at Harley-Davidson Australia, Mick Withers from the IHRA, new rubber from Shinko Tyres and ETS race fuel from racefuel.com.au. Big thanks also to my sponsor LDV Australia for helping me go the distance this year.

I can’t wait to be trackside supporting Corey Buttigieg at the Winternationals next month.

Posted on February 16, 2019 June 29, 2021

Meet the Team: Dirt Track Racer Simon Gill

Meet the Team

Dirt Track Racer Simon Gill

Elliott Motorcycles is excited to have up-and-coming Aussie dirt track racer Simon Gill join our team.

Aus Hooligan X 2018 was a great opportunity to see Simon cut his teeth in the flat track format. He looked pretty comfortable out there alongside his competitors, holding pace with the leading riders throughout the day and advancing through the heats into the MX Class final. While Simon didn’t take home the silverware in 2018, it’s only a matter of time before he is seen winning flat track races.

Practice and preparation is currently underway for upcoming dirt track races in mid to late 2019. We’ll keep you posted as the racing unfolds. In the meanwhile, we caught up with Simon to get his thoughts on his flat track racing debut.

Q&A With Simon

How did you hear about Aus Hooligan X and what made you decide to race in this event? I first saw the event being advertised through Dean Ross’s Instagram page (the organiser of AUS Hooligan X).

What did you think when Elliott approached you to be part of his team? At first I was a little shocked but also very excited about the offer and to see where the opportunity could take me.

What did you think of this racing format? It was set out a bit different from what I was used to but it worked very well and we got through all the races with only a few stoppages.

What is your strategy? Get out front from the beginning and hold on, or tuck in second behind the leader, or just see what happens? With the track being short and only a small amount of laps the only strategy you can have is try get the hole shot and hold your position.

What did you think of the track? The track was short and very tight into the corners so picking the right line was key to ensure you were able to get around the track smooth and fast, making sure to avoid the slick patches and rough spots that formed as the day went on.

Q&A Continued

What category did you race in? I rode in the modern MX class.

What motorcycle did you race on? I rode a 2014 Suzuki RMZ 450.

What do you like about the bike you raced on? I’ve always liked the feel of the RMZ with its power delivery and the way it handles smoothly through a corner.

How did you feel during the practice session? I actually felt pretty nervous but also in saying that I felt calm and settled into it while riding.

How did you feel you went in the heat? Anything you’d do differently next time? I felt I needed to be a bit faster with my starts, but overall it all felt pretty good.

Q&A Continued

How did you go in the final? Again didn’t get the start I wanted and by this time the track was rough and chewed up making it hard to get a smooth line.

Who of your competitors impressed you the most? They all stood out really and it was good fun to watch the boys on the small pit bikes and 65cc flying around the track.

Keen to race again? Definitely! Always keen to get back out on the track and improve from the last meet.

Click here to see our tailcam video of Simon Gill racing in Aus Hooligan X 2018.

Posted on December 9, 2018 August 14, 2021

Aus Hooligan X 2018

Aus Hooligan X 2018

When Australian stunt legend Dean Ross announced Aus Hooligan X 2018 at Bairnsdale Moto Plex on 4 November I got excited and signed up straight away.

There was no way I was going to miss it!

I hadn’t driven the road from Sydney to Bairnsdale through the Snowy Mountains before. Bike finished and having only had four hours of sleep, our crew formed a convoy in the early hours of Saturday morning and hit the road.

Eight hours of solid driving later we pulled up at the Bairnsdale pub around 2:30pm. The man behind the bar greeted us with “You’re city boys aren’t ya. Let me tell you a thing about Bairnsdale and the country in general. We serve lunch between 12 and 2, and dinner between 6 and 8. So you’ll be waiting a while.” We’ll at least we now know when to stop for some food next time…

Anyway, the beers were on ice and we had plenty of time to get setup at the track, have a chat with some of the other crews and sort out dinner in camp before nightfall.

The next day we got up early and I took a look at the track. It looked really sandy and had a few holes in it. So, during practice, my first time on the track and first time on the bike, I took it a bit slow to get the hang of it.

After practice there were four heats. I was in heat number four and by the time my turn came around a few people had already crashed. Just before my heat there was a race called the “run-what-you-brung” class. One bloke went flying over the handlebars on the straight and had to be karted of to hospital.

The Heat

I felt pretty relaxed before my heat to be honest. But the pressure built as I got closer to the start line. The other riders in my heat were up for it. So, I thought I’d let them get ahead and hang back a bit to wait for an opening. We took off. Then all of a sudden into the first corner one of the boys behind me tried to take me on the inside but managed to hit my foot with his heels. I didn’t know what was going on, so I just carried on.

By the time I got back around to that part of the track there were two bikes down. There was the one who hit me and another one on the third corner. I moved up into second place and held it there with another rider hot on my heels for the remaining laps, right up until the last turn. He got me coming out of the last corner which meant I finished in third place.

LCQ

Only the first two riders from each heat made it straight through to the final, but I didn’t mind too much. There was still one more LCQ (last chance qualifying) race giving me a chance to get into the final.

I was looking forward to the LCQ race. It was another chance to get out there and no real pressure. Having practice and a heat behind me I kind of knew what to expect. We lined up, the flag dropped, and I gave the throttle a bit more this time, doing what I needed to get into the final.

The Final

The final was bad for dust because there were so many bikes on the track you couldn’t see anything. There were five bikes in each heat whereas the final had 12 bikes in it. For the first few laps the dust would clear enough for you to see the turn but as the race went on the field spread out causing the dust to rise and just hang there.

It got harder and harder to see the corners and knowing the chequered flag was coming the sense of urgency to pass grew. Before I knew it, I was late into a corner and boom, I was on the deck and that was the end of the race for me. But at the front of the pack the battle continued. The fight for a place was strong.

Unfortunately, Gav from Mildura H-D came away with a broken leg after a close battle with Josh from HD Hooligans. The win went to Bryan Farrow from Farrow Customs and in close 2nd was James Gamble.

We had a great time down in Bairnsdale riding with and being around so many legends. We can’t wait till next time! Special thanks to Dean Ross and his crew for putting Aus Hooligan X 2018 together.

Head to our Videos page to see some short clips by Bondi Films.

Photographs by Marcelo Depolli.

Posted on December 8, 2018 June 30, 2021

Hooligan Race Bike Build

Hooligan Race Bike Build

When Australian stunt legend Dean Ross announced Aus Hooligan X at Bairnsdale Moto Plex on 4 November I got excited and signed up straight away. There was no way I was going to miss it. All I needed next was a bike, but not just any bike. It had to look the part and invoke the same feelings I get when I look at the Flat Trackers racing in the US. So our 2018 hooligan race bike build quickly became all I could think about for a while.

I selected the Harley-Davidson Street Rod 750 as the starting point. It has plenty of power and doesn’t weigh a lot in comparison to other bikes. We picked the bike up a month before the race, which meant I had a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it in.

I’ve always wanted to have a go at flat track racing and with it being big in the States at the moment it’s never been more front of mind.

First up, I started stripping the bike of all its standard parts. Then I measured up and fitted the 19” spoked wheels. I had to make up wheel spacers and have the sprocket spacer CNC machined. Once I had the wheels in the bike, I fitted the Shinko Flat Track tyres to the rims.

Then I started on the aluminium tail section and seat pan. I hand made the tail section, so I could achieve the look and fitment I wanted. Once that was finished all the tins were sent off to Marc at Sydney Custom Spraypainting.

Next, I moved onto the exhaust system. I wanted to build something that sat high up to get that flat track style and had performance benefits from tuned header lengths. To achieve the correct length and shape of the exhaust headers I used the pie cutting technique. So I spent a lot of time on the exhaust. But it was well worth it as the system looks great. Meanwhile, we machined the end cap for the muffler out of billet aluminium.

I removed the front brake because the rules state you have to, and you wouldn’t want to be grabbing a hand full of front brake while racing. I also fitted up some MX handlebars, made a number board and mounting bracket and fabricated some fork guards.

Our hooligan race bike build took shape after three weeks of midnight finishes

Last thing to do was fit the paintwork and add my race numbers. James was stunned when I came back to the shop with a roll of vinyl instead of pre-cut numbers. So, at 2am the morning before we hit the road James and I sat there in the workshop bleary eyed and hand cut the race numbers out.

Our 2018 hooligan race bike build was complete. Now to put it to the ultimate test on the track.

Sponsors who helped us during this build:

Posted on July 27, 2018 June 29, 2021

Winternationals 2018

Corey Buttigieg Racing at the 2018 Winternationals

Winternationals 2018

The pressure was on,

Corey left Bacchus Marsh with his race bike and all his gear loaded in the trailer with one vital thing missing, the 160CI S&S pro stock engine. The plan was to pick the engine up on the way to Willowbank Raceway. It would only be ready at the last minute for Winternationals 2018.

On 7-10 June 2018 Corey Buttigieg and his Fasta Moto racing team, proudly supported by Elliott Motorcycles, travelled to Queensland for the Winternationals. The Winternationals are the final championship round of the 400 Thunder Australian Professional Drag Racing Series held at Willowbank Raceway.

Corey was leading the championship coming into the Winternationals by 47 points. At Sydney Dragway, the meet before he had recorded an impressive 7.084 second pass.

The bike is a Pro Stock Buell with purpose-built race engine and chassis. So it’s a seriously powerful and finely tuned machine. It needs continual work to make sure it is running at peak performance. Adding to the workload, Corey decided to embark on several changes to the bike for the final round. The intention was to make it even faster.

Sitting in close second on the ladder was Maurice Allen. Maurice is a third-generation racer and multiple Pro Bike championship winner in his own right. Not only that, Maurice is the son of Peter Allen; one of the greatest drag racers Australia has ever seen. So his team were onto it and had given themselves every chance to snatch the win.

Thursday / Friday Testing

The Fasta Moto team arrived at Willowbank a day before qualifying (Thursday). We setup in the pits and started preparing the bike. The bike had to be fault free. Unfortunately, it wasn’t ready. So Corey missed the first run of the weekend (Friday). While preparing the team found an electrical fault caused by cabling touching a carbon fibre panel. The damage it had caused meant the whole wiring loom had to be changed over. This took a bit of time. Fortunately, everything was fixed and ready in time for the second run of the weekend, which was on the Saturday morning.

Saturday Qualifying

Saturday offered two qualifying runs. After the first run Corey said the bike felt slow. It was compared to Sydney. We kept an eye on the competition to see what times they were bringing in. Between each run the team check over the bike, adjust the tune and fix problems. Corey qualified but wasn’t the fastest. So that night the bike was prepped and everything that could be done was done to be ready for the first race.

Sunday Race Day

The Sunday race day at the Winternationals is epic. There is always a huge crowd, heaps of action and a roaring atmosphere. Racing consists of elimination rounds. So, if you don’t win the round, you’re out.

Corey was in the zone and the team was calm knowing everything that could be done had been done. If Corey made it through the first round he would retain his lead and win the championship.

Unfortunately, a reaction time of 0.215sec, ultimately knocked Corey out. Now it was down to Maurice, he had to win the meeting to secure the championship, which he did. Maurice raced well all weekend. Coming second is a tough pill to swallow for Corey and his team, after a year of hard work. Corey didn’t say much but “That’s Racing”.

Elliott Motorcycles founder Elliott Andrews joined Corey and the Fasta Moto team at Sydney Dragway in May and at Willowbank Raceway for the finals providing parts and technical assistance trackside. We’re proud to be a part of the Fasta Moto team and look forward to the 2019 season.

Fasta Moto is supported by Dan Lesnock from Harley-Davidson Australia, Zane Stevens from Royal Ink Tattooing in Melton and is also sponsored by Geelong Harley-Davidson, Covertite, IM Composite Technologies and racefuel.com.au.

Click here to watch the full MotorsportsTV coverage of the 2018 Pro Stock Motorcycle and Top Fuel Motorcycle Finals on YouTube.

Posted on May 16, 2018 June 30, 2021

Land Speed Racing in Australia – Salt Life

Land Speed Racing in Australia

Wondering what it's like to go land speed racing
and chase down a record?

The 2000km drive from Sydney to Lake Gairdner was anything but long and boring with good mates along for the ride, interesting towns to stop at, windmill spotting and wildlife to avoid. After more than 2 days driving across endless plains we reached the former mining town called Iron Knob. Our convoy turned off the bitumen and started kicking up dust. Almost two hours later we were almost cleaned up by a passing kangaroo.

The first glimpse of the lake is magic. Rolling red hills give way to an enormous plane of white which opens up in front of you.

Salt Life at Lake Gairdner

The crew and I arrived at Lake Gairdner in high spirits, setup in the pits on the salt and then returned to camp to pitch our tents and sink a few tinnies.

I had raced at Speed Week twice before which proved a huge advantage for our racing team. We breezed through scrutineering and were able to get everything set for an early start the following day. Everyone starts the day early at the salt. There is no racing schedule for land speed racing in Australia. You just line up and wait.

While my first ride would be on the salt I was comfortable knowing that the bike had achieved 151hp and 133flt-lb on the dyno. My modified 120ci 2000cc Milwaukee 8 engine sounded great. My custom designed rearsets with bespoke shifter was also working fine. So next on my mind was how the track would feel. The salt looks flatter than it really is.

Day 1

Our objective on Day 1 of racing was to get a few good shake down runs in. It gave me a good feel for the track and a sense of how to counteract the slight crosswind. My first run felt really good. I eased off the throttle at 140mph and could tell the bike had plenty more in her. My second run later that afternoon wasn’t exactly what we had hoped for. I was hit by a strong crosswind before the 2 ¼ mile marker which threw me from one side of the track to the other. At the speed I was going you don’t want to take unnecessary risks. So, I backed off the throttle and headed for the pits. Better to reset for a clean run than to try and recover half way down the race track.

We saw a few epic crashes during the week including Bronze Aussie (the world’s fastest Commodore) which got airborne and flipped at over 260mph. From the pit lane it looked to take off 2 metres into the air!

Day 2

Day 2 was the busiest day. We hit the salt at sunrise, ate breakfast while doing final checks and then made for the start line. We got to the prestart line midmorning and settled in behind a long queue. By the time we made it to the front of the start line it had almost reached 3pm. Before we got to the salt I mentioned to James that I would be going for the record on the second day. He was the only person I told that to and on the start line, while I was waiting for the green light, it seemed like James was more nervous than me.

My heart was beating hard and I wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone. I just closed my visor, blocked everything and everyone out and focused on holding the bike pinned and giving it everything. I warmed the bike up and got ready to take off, the starter gave me the thumps up and flashed the green light and I was off.

This was it!

I stretched each gear change out and started to build up speed quickly. As I went past the 1st mile marker the bike was feeling strong and running straight. I approached the 2nd mile marker, clicked into 5th gear and held the throttle on the stop. The bike started to wander on the salt and was bumping around quite a lot. I went flying passed the 2nd mile marker and knew that the timed mile had begun. I held the thing wide open for the whole mile even though it was bouncing all over the place. After screaming past the 3rd mile marker I then started to slow down to turn off the track and head back to the team in the pits.

There is no feeling like holding a bike flat out down the salt and I knew it was a good run, but I didn’t know how good. As I pulled into the pits I was greeted with cheers.

The long wait and James’s anxiety level was worth it.
I set a new Australian land speed record of 161.031mph in the MPS-PF 2000 classification.

Day 3 & 4

As the week went on conditions got progressively better. The sun stayed out, the breeze died down and the peak daytime temperature was easing. It had reached 40°C on Day 1.

On Day 3 we were again on the salt for sunrise but this time I didn’t waste any time getting to the prestart line. Having reached a nearly identical speed to my previous run I realised I would need to change things up a bit. Meanwhile, a friend of mine was having some running issues with his bike. So, I got my hands dirty and helped out.

Helping him gave me time to think about what I could change. It’s one of the great things about land speed racing in Australia. You see people helping each other out.

I spent the last few daylight hours working on my bike in preparation for Day 4. Once again, we were up before dawn and once again I recorded a nearly identical time. I realised that I had reached terminal velocity and would need better streamlining and more horsepower to achieve a higher speed.

We know we can go faster. Good thing we plan to keep coming back to the salt.

Head to our Videos page to see The Ultimate Ride; a short documentary made by Bondi Films about Australian land speed racing and our 2018 journey to set the Australian MPS-PF 2000 class land speed record.

Posted on May 15, 2018 June 30, 2021

Our 2018 Land Speed Motorcycle

Creating our 2018 land speed Motorcycle

I started work on our first race bike three months before DLRA Speed Week 2018. It’s an event that land speed racers spend all year preparing for. I knew we were going to be up against it from day one, but we decided we were going to be there.

There was everything to be done;

We had to build our 2018 land speed motorcycle, form a racing team, confirm sponsors and arrange everything we would need for the 4000km journey into the remote outback.

Building a race bike with our own product, and with limited time, proved a great challenge. Ideas and planning only get you so far when you’re in unchartered territory. We started with one of the first 2018 Fat Bob’s to land in Australia. Within a few months it was in pieces. Parts were placed on shelves and in boxes throughout the workshop.

So how far could we push the new Milwaukee 8 engine? I had some level of expectation, but we were going to be one of the first to take it to the limit. There was a lot of work ahead.

Designing & Prototyping

I started designing and prototyping the parts we would need to turn it into a race bike. Pistons were custom made, balance shafts were modified, a new camshaft ordered, and cylinder heads sent off to be worked by RAMS Head Service.

Sometimes I’d spend hours just staring at the half-completed bike. Looking at it night after night made the task seem impossible. Speed Week at Lake Gairdner is determined by weather and only occurs once each year. There was no way we were going to miss it. We were going to get there no matter what.

Experimenting

Over the next month I looked at several different wheel configurations. The wheels had to fit the Shinko tyres that I wanted to run. In the end I selected Buell wheels.

Fitting the front wheel was fairly straightforward. But the rear wheel took some brain power. It didn’t fit in the swingarm. I kept telling myself that there must be another way. In the end, I did some extra machining and made up some new wheel spacers. Meanwhile, I decided to remove the front brake and use the front brake lever to control the rear brake. There was no need for a front brake on the salt.

Manufacturing & Reassembly

We had a lot of big ideas and not a lot of time to act on them. The rearsets and shifter with mid-mount primary conversion had to be designed and manufactured. The handmade rear fender and seat also took time to fabricate. Once the tank, fenders, seat pan and front fairing went off to Marc at Sydney Custom Paint it was time to reassemble the engine with our new components.

Three months after commencing tear down our race bike was finally back together, filled with ETS race fuel and ready for dyno tuning. There was no time for a test ride though, the first time I would ride the bike would be on the salt.

I worked 19 hours straight some days and loved every minute. By the time we left for the salt I was exhausted. But our 2018 land speed motorcycle was ready, and the journey ahead was well worth it.

Sponsors who helped us with this build:

Supplied by racefuel.com.au

LSR1 MKII Race Bike Development

While racing at Lake Gairdner in 2018 it became clear that there was opportunity to develop our land speed motorcycle further.

I wanted to develop an aero package that would match the power of the LSR1 MKII race bike.

Aeroynamic Engineering

Carbon Fibre Fairing & Fender Fabrication

Performance Adjustments

Santo's Summer Thunder 2020

Corey Buttigieg and his Fastamoto team arrived at Sydney Dragway on Thursday night having driven 8 ½ hours from Melbourne, and they were ready for a huge weekend.

Friday Testing

Saturday Race Day

Well, that's racing.

Dust Hustle 8

I’ve been wanting to get to a Dust Hustle for a while now.

The big Day

Nitro Thunder 2019

Nothing can hold back the adrenaline when you’re waiting on the starting line at Sydney Dragway.

Meet the Team

Dirt Track Racer Simon Gill

Elliott Motorcycles is excited to have up-and-coming Aussie dirt track racer Simon Gill join our team.

Q&A With Simon

Q&A Continued

Q&A Continued

Aus Hooligan X 2018

There was no way I was going to miss it!

The Heat

LCQ

The Final

Hooligan Race Bike Build

I’ve always wanted to have a go at flat track racing and with it being big in the States at the moment it’s never been more front of mind.

Our hooligan race bike build took shape after three weeks of midnight finishes

Winternationals 2018

The pressure was on,

Thursday / Friday Testing

Saturday Qualifying

Sunday Race Day

Land Speed Racing in Australia

Wondering what it's like to go land speed racingand chase down a record?

Salt Life at Lake Gairdner

Day 1

Day 2

This was it!

Day 3 & 4

Creating our 2018 land speed Motorcycle

I started work on our first race bike three months before DLRA Speed Week 2018. It’s an event that land speed racers spend all year preparing for. I knew we were going to be up against it from day one, but we decided we were going to be there.

There was everything to be done;

Designing & Prototyping

Experimenting

Manufacturing & Reassembly

Wondering what it's like to go land speed racing
and chase down a record?