BIKES: Landspeed Racers Set Guinness Book
Record
Written by: MotorcycleUSA.com Staff
Motorcycle-USA.com
http://www.motorcycle-usa.com Date: 04/11/2012 - 03:31 PM
Location: Charlotte, NC
Longtime Landspeed racers Andy Sills and Erin Hunter recently received the Guinness Book
of World Records record for fastest motorcycle ridden with a rider and a pillion at an
average two-way speed of 181.426 MPH across the Bonneville Salt Flats. Their qualification
pass on the timed mile with Andy as pilot of the 2011 BMW S1000 RR and Erin in tow was
182.358mph. They then switched configurations for their return pass – Erin as pilot and
Andy on pillion – which timed across the mile at 180.503.
The attempt was an expeditionary effort with an eye towards developing rules or standards
for two-up Landspeed racing which could potentially become a subset of the sport. Many
were also eager to
see if two people racing in active partnership could produce a leverage and weight
combination that would
generate higher speeds than a solo rider.
While most modern bikes include a passenger seat, the pillion position is often perceived as
just “along for the ride.” That is precisely why Erin and Andy contested the precepts of ‘twoup’ riding by racing together across The Salt during Mike Cook’s 2011 Top Speed Shootout,
an international event officiated by the AMA and FIM. Their point was to help riders rethink
the promise of “two-up” - goodbye passenger, hello active second-seat rider. So-long Lone
Ranger, howdy Partner.
The two were committed to not utilizing any extraneous aids or devices to hold them to the
motorcycle – no handles affixed to the tank, for example. They choose a BMW S1000 RR
(from BMW San Diego) for its undeniable horsepower – but certainly not for its second-seat
aerodynamics. The pillion is high and decidedly in the airstream. They were secured to the
bike only by each other, the bars, the foot pegs, the race position and their grasp.
Experienced racers who’ve each independently been over 200mph on solo motorcycles at
Bonneville, Erin and Andy worked up to our maximum speed incrementally, respecting the
envelope but pushing to find its limits. They also shared equally the responsibilities of both
positions on the motorcycle. Girls don’t just ride in the back, of course!
Both concurred that the second-seat is exponentially more difficult than pilot’s seat. “We’re
both strong athletes, but riding the pillion at extreme-hurricane-force 181mph is the most
physically challenging thing either of us has ever done. It’s not for the weak or faint of
heart,” said Andy.
The Cook Top Speed Shootout is a unique invitational meet with a limited number of
entrants, many of which go over 400mph. Conditions for the 2011 event were suboptimal
due to heavy rains the week
before that left the course unusually hard and bumpy. Unpredictable cross- and head-winds
added to the challenges.
Read details about the adventure here:
Monday morning, September 19th, The first day of the meet. Temperatures are in the 80’s,
and the wind is calm. The Cook organizers had been working for days and nights to drag a
suitable racecourse across the salt, but they can only do so much due to recent rains. Much
of the course surface is extremely hard and uneven, the usual state of the natural salt
ground. Other large sections of the course remain soft and mushy from rain. The soft will
slow you down, the hard will rocket you forward, and the bumps will project you up into the
raging torrent of a 180+ mph jet stream and upset your tenuous hold on things. Multiply by
two, crank it up to gale force air speeds, and this is no joy ride. It’s land-speed racing at
Bonneville, where the edge can become a cliff in a cosmic instant. We accept the offer for
the very first run on the course, which plays to our strategy: run early, run often.
Our first pass is a sighting pass to gather data on the salt, our position, our gear, our ideas
… a shakedown run as it were. We will keep the speed down and build from there. Andy is
pilot and Erin is active second seat. The course is ours. Less than two minutes later we have
traveled 5 miles and tucked 172 mph into our holster. We will take the return run employing
the same riding configuration because it’s always different in the opposite direction. 176 is
the next number called out over the loudspeaker. It’s Erin’s turn as pilot, and her controlled
pass will shake down her two-up piloting skills and afford Andy his first chance in the
boson’s seat at speed. We run 156 mph, and Andy’s appreciation for the challenges of the
second seat is burned into his consciousness, just as it was in Erin’s minutes earlier. The
second seat is incredibly difficult. You have to maintain your tight tuck, hold on to the pilot
and stay relaxed in the eye of the hurricane. It’s hairy, gnarly, exhilarating and heart
pounding all at the same time. It is becoming clear to both of us that at speeds over 170,
every additional mile per hour brings exponentially more difficult forces to bear. By the end
of the first day we have made more passes than any of our fellow racers. The last two
passes net identical speeds of 178 mph. Beat, exhausted, and humbled, we call it quits for
the day after nearly 12 straight hours on the salt.
At 5 a.m. on day two, we awake with every part of our bodies aching. The sunrise over
‘Floating Mountain’ is a miraculous experience. It is nearly surreal to witness the golden
crush of light pushing up from a fence line of mountain peaks a dozen miles east of the pits
where the dead flat of the salt meets the horizon. Soon, everyone is moving with purpose.
The place is raging with serious intent. Racing starts at 7 a.m. None of us will be denied. We
decide to begin with a solo pass to determine the limits of this bike as currently geared. This
will be a reference speed by which we gauge our performance twoup. Again, while this is in
fact the same bike that attained 196 mph solo last year, the gearing has been returned to
stock, and the salt (and resulting coefficient of friction) are less favorable this year. Erin
spins up the machine for a solo run. She hammers it, full throated, wide open and hooked
up. Her average through the traps is 185 mph. It appears that a two-way pass in the 190’s
is not in the cards this year, as we had hoped. But it’s perhaps just as well, as it’s become
clear to both of us that anything approaching 185 mph two-up will be at the physical limits
of our ability to keep it together on the bike. Let us explain. For an experienced racer, a
top-speed run from the pilot’s seat of the production BMW S1000RR is relatively easy,
regardless of how fast the bike goes. But it’s a whole different story for the second-seat
rider as the speeds climb. Elbows are tight to the body, toes are pointed, knees are
slammed to the horizontal axis, and even the minor folds in the second-seat rider’s leathers
pull like a freight train opposite the direction of travel. For the second-seat rider, it becomes
an epic battle to remain tucked and motionless, relaxed yet vigilant. At 180 mph, one wrong
move by the second-seat rider can become a back flip off the tail into the jaws of a firebreathing dragon. If the second-seat rider moves their helmet ever so slightly, the pilot’s
helmet responds like an uncontrolled bobble head. If the second-seat rider opens a knee
while adjusting position, that appendage will not go back to center unless we scrub speed
and slow it back down again. And then there is the connection, the relationship between the
pilot trying to push forward while being circumscribed by the strength and the grasp of the
second-seat rider, whose margin of safety is a function of their glove-covered hands staying
locked across the pilot’s abdomen. Our next two-up run takes 150 seconds – the last mile
going by in only 20. But when two-up at these speeds, twenty seconds seems an
unrelenting, existential eternity. And then it is over. Roll off ever so gently, breathe again,
and revel in the moment. We have made the first leg of our predesignated record pass with
Andy at the handlebars and Erin doing the heavy lifting back on the tail. We ripped the
measured mile at a nod under 184 mph.
For Andy the pilot, it was very smooth and steady. The S1000RR was dug in and locked on
to a trajectory like a wire-guided missile. Andy’s attention was so focused, and Erin’s body
position so ballet dancer perfect, that he did not know she was there until he finally got off
the throttle as he pulled off the course. For Erin, it was as physically and mentally
demanding as anything she has ever done, but the reward of our speed, only 2 mph off a
solo best, was truly remarkable. Now it would be Andy’s turn on the back as we switch
positions and make our return run. Erin has gone as fast as 200 mph on her own at
Bonneville, but never over 172 with Andy’s head buried in her back. Likewise, Andy was
about to be tested as never before. When people ask us, “Who went faster?” we can say
with conviction that it is not about the pilot but rather all about the rider on the pillion. One,
eight, one… we did it! Not quite as pretty a picture with Andy on the back, but it was as
precise and accurate a trajectory as our first pass. Only 2 mph difference between the two
passes. Our two-way average speed would be 181 mph. We had traveled at the limits of our
abilities and achieved 98% of the best solo speed. Our two-up campaign at the Cook Top
Speed Shootout seemed to confirm our initial hypothesis. We’re sure that with more passes
and time to make adjustments, two active riders could achieve a speed equal to or greater
than that attained by one solo rider.
Among the major governing bodies in Landspeed racing – AMA, FIM and SCTA - there is no
official Landspeed record for two people on a standard motorcycle. Based on what these two
learned in their pioneering attempt - It is unlikely that a class will be added to the sport. It’s
just too unforgiving and dangerous – far more so than either of us imagined. Perhaps what
we have done and how we have done it will resonate with some but leave many scratching
their heads. However, we will tell anyone who wants to listen that it has been a supreme
honor to have achieved this together, and given the chance to do it again, we wouldn’t
hesitate.
“To Pioneer” – Verb – Develop or be the first to use or apply a new method, area of
knowledge or activity.
“Partner” – Noun – A person who takes part in an undertaking with another involving shared
risks and rewards.
Bios:
Erin Hunter and Andy Sills are avid high-speed riders with a combined 15 years of
Landspeed Racing (“LSR”) competition. Together, Erin and Andy have achieved 15 world
and national landspeed records with streamliner motorcycles as well as “traditional” race
bikes. They also hold two Guinness World Records and have each reached the 200mph
milestone as landspeed racers. This Fall, they became the only pair ever to race “two-up” at
a sanctioned landspeed racing event, serving as pioneers for this new style of high-speed
racing. They raced a production BMW S1000 RR to a two-way average of 183 mph which
was within two miles-per-hour of the bike’s top speed solo as geared (185 mph.) An
important part of the attempt was the switching of “pilot” and “second-seat-rider” (a.k.a
passenger) for the two required record attempts on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
Early Racing
In 2003, Andy and Erin began working with Jack Costella to develop “Nebulous Theorem IV”
which was purpose built around Andy to produce a radically- designed vehicle where the
rider races prone, their nose ½ inch off the ground. With Erin as Crew Chief, Andy took the
streamliner to a top speed of 141mph, breaking a 25-year-old record. With Andy’s help, Erin
broke Andy’s record two years later, setting the new mark at 143mph with only an 80cc
motor. This earned Erin an FIM World and AMA National record in the 100cc class and a spot
in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the fastest woman with a World Record on
a streamlined motorcycle.
Andy Sills
o 50cc streamlined gas SCTA record: 47 mph (Nebulous Theorem IV)
o 50cc FIM world and AMA national record: 77 mph (Aprilla 50)
o 100cc streamlined fuel SCTA record: 141 mph (Nebulous Theorem IV)
o 1350cc 2-cylinder World FIM and AMA national records: 159 mph (BMW HP2 Sport)
o 1350cc FIM world and AMA national records: 173 mph (BMW K1200 S)
o 1000cc MPS-P AMA national record: 184 mph (Suzuki GSX-R 1000)
o 1000cc Production SCTA record: 196 mph (BMW S1000 RR)
o Top speed to-date: 201 mph
o Guinness Book of World Records fastest speed on a motorcycle ridden by two people
simultaneously
Erin Hunter
o 100cc streamlined gas SCTA record: 143.124 (Nebulous Theorem IV)
o 1350cc Production Pushrod AMA: 146.351 mph (Buell Thunderbolt)
o 1350cc Production Pushrod AMA: 150.951 mph (Buell Thunderbolt)
o 750cc 2-cylinder FIM world record: 151.351 (Ducati 749)
o 1000cc MPS-AF AMA national record: 184.426 mph (Suzuki GSX-R 1000)
o 2009 AMA Female Racer of the Year nominee
o Guinness Book of World Records fastest female with a World Record in a streamliner
motorcycle
o Guinness Book of World Records fastest speed on a motorcycle ridden by two people
simultaneously
o Founder: sheEmoto Award for Female Landspeed Racers
o Top speed to-date: 200 mph
Erin & Andy
o 181 mph “two-up” (BMW S1000 RR)
o Guinness Book of World Records Fastest Two People on a Motorcycle
When not riding in triple-digits across the open roads of Nevada, Utah and California, Erin
and Andy reside in San Francisco where Erin is Executive Vice President of comScore, Inc.
(NASDAQ: SCOR.)