FEATURE
P100
W
hat does it take to
break land-speed
records? Most
would answer big horse-
power and lots of throttle.
But those who have actu-
ally done it can tell you all
about the myriad complexi-
ties that go along with set-
ting world-record speeds
on the salt. The first and
most obvious requirement:
you need salt. Lots of it.
Currently that is the limiting
factor standing in the way
of motorcycle land speed
racers Mike Akatiff and
his Ack Attack team. They
have the machine, they've
done the calculations,
driver Rocky Robinson is
ready to set a new world
record at 400 mph. The
only thing missing is a
place to do it.
Season after season
recently, the salt flats at
Bonneville are just not
cooperating. Thinning
salt, a rising water table,
wind and the overall size
limitations have prevented
the two-wheel streamliners
from making a solid run at
the western Utah locale,
which has served as an
international hub of land-
speed racing for over 100
years. After getting stiffed
three years in a row at the
late-summer motorcycle
speed week, Akatiff and
his crew have decided to
search for another place
to make their world-record
attempt.
But locating a suitable
land-speed course—one
that will accommodate a
400-mph run—is no simple
task. Land-speed racing
requires an expansive sur-
face that only salt flats can
provide. The perfectly flat,
TOP OF THE WORLD LAND SPEED TRIAL
Salt Mining
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY JEAN TURNER
MIKE AKATIFF AND THE ACK ATTACK TEAM SCOURED THE GLOBE FOR THE PERFECT SPOT TO
ATTEMPT A WORLD-RECORD LAND-SPEED RUN, AND NOW THEY'RE HEADING TO BOLIVIA
