Kiwi Rider August 2022 Vol.1 | Page 36

FASTER ... FASTEST !

WORDS : Kevin Kinghan PHOTOS : Mike Wilkins , Kawasaki

To pilot a motorcycle down a narrow , straight ( although hardly racetrack smooth ) rural road at 364.5km / h takes more than just the obvious attributes . It is an in-depth study of details , tuning , visualising . None of which will help without a dedicated team , focus and a shared dream . This is the story of what culminated in the Landspeed record runs by Scott Wilkins . Oh , not just the fastest ever run by a motorcycle in NZ , this is the new mark for wheel-driven vehicles here in New Zealand , period . And that is very important , for obvious reasons .

WHAT IT TAKES Firstly , you really have to take a long look at what it takes to set a new record here in New Zealand . You can ’ t compare our roads with the pool table smooth surfaces some other nations have the luxury of using for speed attempts . I mean , you ’ ve seen and felt the