Indian Motorcycles and Lee Munro, the great nephew of the legendary Burt Munro return to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah this August in an attempt to break the 200 mph (321.86 km/h) barrier.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the iconic Bonneville Speed Week and just over half a century since Burt Munro’s famed 1967 run. Lee will travel to the Salt Flats accompanied by a team of Indian engineers and the modified Scout named “Spirit of Munro” that will compete in the MPS-G (Modified Partial Streamliner) 1,350cc class.
Lee’s previous attempts at El Mirage saw him reaching 186.681 mph (300.43 km/h), while his personal best was established at Bonneville, an astonishing run at 191.286 mph (307.84 km/h). Whether the new, modified Scout can surpass the 1920 one used by Burt, we’ll learn in the coming week.
Back in 1967, Burt Munro was 68 and used a 1920 Scout bored to 950cc that he rode at 183.59 mph (295.45 km/h), and that record still stands in his class. Then, he qualified with a 190.07 mph (305.88 km/h) run, the fastest official speed on an Indian. Still, Burt’s top speed was higher, at 205.67 mph (331 km/h). It was officially timed for a flying mile but it just wasn’t an official run, so it was not counted in the final results.
Burt Munro’s legacy was also celebrated with “The World’s Fastest Indian,” a 2017 film starring Sir Anthony Hopkins as the legendary rider and depicting the modifications Munro himself made to the 1920 Indian Scout in his own workshop. As a fun trivia fact, it appears that, from the four bikes the film shows, two are “Munro Special” Indian Scout replicas, while the others are said to be Ducati.
The 2018 Speed Week will be held August 11-17 in Bonneville, Utah, and brings riders and teams from all over the world in search of a record and a unique experience in one of the most legendary places for speed runs.
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