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Fellowship smash their record
RECORD BREAKERS: Lonan Gentlemans Fellowship celebrate topping 200mph Bonneville, Utah, with (from left): Suzy Starlite, Stuart Harvey, Steve Young, Mike Alexander, Paul Hodgson, Bob Watson, Ephrem Uwalaka, Richard Barks, John Boyd
JUST days after breaking the world land speed record a jubilant Manx team of motorcycle enthusiasts are celebrating again after breaking another record, in the APS - BG 500cc motorcycle class.
The Lonan Gentleman’s Fellowship were already set to bring home a 500cc land speed record after clocking up an average of 188.730mph on the salt flats at Bonneville, Utah – smashing the record for their class which had stood for more than 30 years.
Then on Friday, they broke their second world land speed record, recording an incredible time over two runs of 203.990mph.
At the controls of the specially designed Manx 500 was once again Richard Barks, dad of Les Miserables star Sam. Friday’s achievement saw him formally welcomed into the exclusive 200mph club, for which he was presented with the elite red cap, as well as become the first non-streamliner production based 500cc motorcycle to ever break the 200mph barrier in the world.
Val Cochrane, partner of Fellowship member Peter Moran of Awkward & Eccentric Engineering in Lonan - who did not travel out to the States himself for the record attempt, spoke to the team shortly after their victory at Bonneville Speed Week.
‘They are elated!,’ she said.
A message on the Fellowship’s Facebook page said: ‘Words cannot express what this means to us! It has been an incredible once in a lifetime experience which has challenged us in ways you could never imagine and one that will stay with us all for the rest of our lives!’
The team at Bonneville included Richard, engine builder Paul Hodgson of Small cc Racing in Lonan, electrical engineer Bob Watson, transport chief Stu Harvey and project manager Suzy Starlite.
They had endured unbearable heat on the salt flats to smash the record for the 500cc record for APS-BF (Special Construction Partial Streamlined – Blown Fuel), which had stood at 176mph and was set in 1979 by Steve Alexander.
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Weather for Isle of Man
Saturday 18 May 2013
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