Triumph Takes Aim at Land Speed Record + Video

Dennis Chung
by Dennis Chung

Triumph has a long history with the land speed record books. The British brand held the outright record for the world’s fastest motorcycle from 1955 to 1970 and one of its most iconic models is named for the famed Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, where multiple land speed records are set.

After two years of development, Triumph is ready to attempt a new world land speed record, entering Mike Cook’s Bonneville Shootout, Sept. 12-16, with the Castrol Rocket streamliner, facing stiff competition including the Ack Attack streamliner and rider Rocky Robinson who holds the current record with 373.363 mph, set in 2010.

AMA Pro racer Jason DiSalvo will once again climb into the Castrol Rocket developed by Matt Markstaller of Hot Rod Conspiracy and Bob Carpenter of Carpenter Racing. Powered by a pair of turbocharged Rocket III engines, the Triumph Castrol Rocket boasts a combined displacement of 2970cc while claiming more than 1000 hp and 500 ft-lb. of torque.

The Castrol Rocket made its debut at Bonneville last August, tasting the salt for the first time. They experienced first-hand the challenges the Salt Flats present; a stiff crosswind can cause a lot of problems when you’re traveling faster than 300 mph with a pair of contact patches several yards apart. Once they knew what kind of challenges they were dealing with, the crew spent the last year developing the Rocket to get ready for a serious stab at the record.

“There are teams that have been out here attempting to break records for years. It’s very hard because there are so many variables to contend against, but we have an amazing team,” says Markstaller. “We have confidence in the progress we’ve made in this project’s development since we were on the Salt a year ago.”

Triumph Castrol Rocket Specifications

Chassis:Carbon Kevlar monocoque
Dimensions:25’ x 2’ x 3’
Engines:Two Triumph Rocket III engines with two liquid-cooled turbochargers
Horsepower:1,000-plus horsepower at 9,000 rpm
Torque:500-plus lbs. combined
Suspension:Alloy aluminum swingarms custom made
Shocks:Ohlins TTX36 adjustable
Fuel:Methanol
Tires:Goodyear Land Speed Special
Engine Lubricant:Castrol Power RS™ 4T 10W-40 full synthetic oil

Triumph Castrol Rocket Unleashed: Rocket III Powered

Triumph Castrol Rocket Unleashed: Wind Tunnel Tests

Triumph Castrol Rocket Unleashed: Setbacks

Dennis Chung
Dennis Chung

Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.

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