Schweizer brings high-speed motorcycle racing to Europe

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You are a crazy person. In the World Speed ​​Trials, the pilots who broke the high speed records are chasing speed records in different categories with two-wheeled vehicles speeding over 400 km/h. Eight-time world record holder Ruedi Steck of Zurich Unterland is probably a little crazier than anyone else. At 61, he is still actively racing for motorcycle speed records. Now he wants to introduce this sport, which is especially popular in the USA, to us in Europe.

Since 1912, the two-wheeler speed scene has been bustling in the dry salt lakes of Bonneville, Utah, about 190 kilometers west of Salt Lake City on the Nevada border. On nearly 20 kilometers of flat surface at 1,250 meters above sea level, fearless motorcycle pilots found the ideal terrain for breathtaking speed-record runs over a measured mile (1.61 km). But climate change doesn’t leave Bonneville untouched either. Decades of salt mining and recent El Niño weather events are rapidly destroying the deposit.

Kilometers of acceleration

But alternative venues are rare. That’s because land speed races over a mile need space – especially a 20km long, perfectly flat, level track. “You just have to imagine that the acceleration phase lasts five to eight kilometers, so it’s driving across the entire Hallwilersee,” explains expert Steck. Only then is the average speed measured at a measuring distance of one mile (about 1.61 km). And then you need a sufficiently long braking and swaying zone.

Five years ago, Steck successfully hosted a land speed racing event sanctioned by the FIM, the highest motorcycle authority in Australia. Rapid events also took place in Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia’s largest salt lake. “But Australia is logistically complex and very expensive for participants. And in Bolivia, the lower oxygen content at 3,600 meters above sea level is inconvenient for race cars with internal combustion engines without turbo or compressor charging and nitrous oxide injection,” says Steck.

Asphalt instead of salt base

And so Zurich’s do-it-yourselfer continued to work on his dream of moving the stage to Europe. After extensive research, he found the ideal motorsport facility in eastern Germany with the Lausitz-Ring in Brandenburg, about 115 kilometers southeast of Berlin. «The asphalt road, which was laid over an old lignite mine site that was filled 23 years ago, is ideal for our needs. It allows us to hold a sprint World Records race on the maximum two-mile route prescribed by the motorsport authority FIM, i.e. 3219 metres, with a quick start of over a quarter mile. »

Last week, Steck, with his 180 hp KTM Super Duke 1290 Evo, completed the first tests on the track at the Lausitz Ring in a fully equipped, tuned Suzuki GSXR 1000 with German high-speed pilot Nina Prinz (40). And they were both satisfied. “Instead of a dry salt lake slope, asphalt not only provides more grip, it is also softer on the material. Also, the slope is only 120 meters above sea level, slightly sunken and protected by trees. So it is better than open spaces in Bonneville, Bolivia or Australia. it is significantly less wind prone. The logistical costs associated with moving material onto rails are much cheaper for us Europeans,” said Steck, while promoting his event in Europe.

400 km/h mark should drop

Of course, ideal conditions breed expectations. “Of course I want to hit the 300 km/h limit in Lusatia in September,” Steck says, grinning. It was unsuccessful in Australia five years ago due to a speed of 293 km/h and technical problems. Steck hopes that if the weather conditions are ideal, participants with fully equipped bikes or drag bikes will even be able to beat the 400 km/h limit. What are the requirements for a World Speed ​​Trials pilot? “Physical fitness is absolutely essential for speed records. But mental strength is almost more important,” replies the wiry Steck humbly. And adds with a smile: “The motorcycle rocking at 300 km/h goes like an eggshell only because of the speed difference between the front wheel and the spinning rear wheel, but above all strong nerves. needed.”

regulatory dream

The so-called rigs, the first class of the World Speed ​​Trials in Bonneville, which sometimes reach speeds of around 600 km/h on the 20-kilometer-mile track, should not be present at the Lausitz event. “Our track is too short for that.” But when it comes to streamlining, Steck starts daydreaming. “My rides with the KTM Super Duke are basically just to show what the engine is capable of.” But he plans to streamline it with a tuned Super Duke engine. He proudly shows us the first model of his idea. It remains to be seen if Ruedi Steck will actually use this Streamliner, which he developed with a partner. “I’m not the youngest anymore,” the 61-year-old says with a wink. But his youngest son, Robin (20), seems to have inherited the genes for fascination and high speed and may one day want to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Source: Blick