As is always the case, many of the teams pulled out their best on the last day of the 2023 Bolivia Speed Trials. The fourth and final day of the meet saw the most traffic on the 15-mile track on the Salar de Uyuni, and at long last, some new FIM World Records. Jamie Williams and Mike Garcia came away from Bolivia with two world records each: Mile speed and kilometer speed in their respective classes.
ALL THE PICTURES FROM THE EVENT
The first record of the meet went to Jamie Williams—by no means a beginner in land speed racing, but a first-time competitor at the Bolivia event. Williams rode his 420-horsepower turbine-powered MTT superbike against an open record, meaning any speed would do the trick. Williams captured a pair of FIM World Records with a combined average of 134 mph (216 km/h) and 127 mph (204 km/h) on the kilometer, although it came in an unconventional manner.
“In both those runs, the motor would shut off,” Williams explained. “It had an override on the rpms. So that’s why I coasted through both (timed mile) exits on my runs. I guess the numbers are the numbers, right? It’s a start.”
Knowing the MTT has more to give, they team made some modifications to the motorcycle and headed out for a last-minute (literally) run just before sundown. Williams fared better, this time reaching a speed of 180 mph on the MTT, but without any daylight remaining in the final day of the event, he was simply out of time to complete a return run to boost his own record. “It’s a little bit of going through the motions, learning what it’s about,” said Williams. “I’ve never had a turbine bike before. It’s pretty cool. I love it.”
Mike Garcia’s record was an emotional one for the whole paddock, as the record he was running against belonged to Richard Assen, the rider who had been injured earlier in the week and was currently recovering in the hospital. Luck was already stretched thin for the Garcia/Sims racing team when support vehicle issues left them without a way to get the motorcycle out onto the course. It was none other than Assen’s team that stepped up to help Garcia.
“I can’t even put it into words. I am so thankful for all the help we had here,” said an emotional Garcia. “His crew became my crew today. They towed our vehicle down, couldn’t have done it without them. I was running on Richard’s record and before I left, Richard told those guys to tell me to go for it and good luck. I just can’t thank him enough and I wish he was here. I’m glad he’s okay. I can’t even put it into words.”
Jamie Williams enters the timed mile aboard his MTT turbine-powered superbike. Williams also earned an FIM World Record on the final day of the event © Jean Turner
Garcia set an average of 265 mph (427 km/h) on the kilometer and 265 mph (426 km/h) on the mile aboard his partially streamlined 1350cc turbo-charged Hayabusa motorcycle to claim the record that had belonged to Assen for nearly 12 years. Garcia added that he has been trying to get over 250 mph for over 10 years. He was overwhelmed by the accomplishment, and by the sportsmanship demonstrated by the Assen team.
“It’s wonderful. I never thought I would go these speeds! I have to thank everyone here,” Garcia said. “And Richard, come get it back. That’s all I can say.”
All eyes were on the Ack Attack team on the final day. After being stymied at the start line the day before, the team was eager to make a run first thing in the morning on the turbo-charged twin-Hayabusa-powered streamliner. Trouble with the landing gear meant that rider Rocky Robinson had the challenge of being push started on two wheels, a prospect that proved to be challenging.
“We didn’t have the support gears that go up and down. We had a failure with those so we had to start with them up, so I was attached to the vehicle,” said Rocky Robinson. “The start’s really difficult because the bike would want to lean and just turn. And my first start, I tried countering that and I went right off the track, turned left, and we only made it about 50 yards.”
The second run proved to be more successful, as Robinson got off the line, only to come to a stop at the 1 mile when one of the engines slipped out of gear. The third attempt later that afternoon sent Robinson on a wild ride, veering off the course completely and nearly aborting the run, but the former flat tracker was able to gather up the 21.5-foot (6.5m) 2,000-pound (907 kg) streamliner and get it back on course.
Al Lamb receives a push start aboard “Big Red.” © Jean Turner
“Even though I was off course, I was able to maneuver and turn the bike right, jump over the berm that separates the course from the raw salt,” Robinson described with a laugh. “It actually ran really good and I made a 302-mph (486 km/h) pass. It was really fun, the course was great and the bike handled great, it just wasn’t making the power it normally does.”
Unfortunately for the Ack Attack team, the 302-mph pass was their only successful run of the event. “It’s been five years since I drove a streamliner and five years since I’ve gone over 300 miles an hour so that was the real kick for me. I really enjoyed the run,” said Robinson. “If nothing else, we got to make a pretty strong run and have some fun and everybody got to see it go. It was the afternoon on the last day before we made a pass down the salt. It was good just to get that in.”
Al Lamb also made several more attempts aboard his 1000cc partially streamlined Honda CBR in his continued quest for 300 mph. Following a week of frustrating technical issues, the team was able to work through chassis setup issues to come up with a comfortable ride for Lamb, although “Big Red” wasn’t producing its characteristic power. Despite days of troubleshooting, the Dallas Honda team was another that simply ran out of time.
At the close of the 2023 Bolivia Speed Trials, the question on everyone’s mind is, will the South American event continue? Even the teams leaving the Salar de Uyuni disappointed still have the hunger in their eyes. Despite the nearly overwhelming logistical challenges that come with competing on the Salar de Uyuni, the prospect of a perfect 15-mile track still beckons to those yearning to make history. There is already talk of a 2024 event, and the draw only seems to be growing among the land speed community.
“It is an adventure. That’s the thing about it,” said Lamb.
Text & photos © Jean Turner