A team of motorcycle racing enthusiasts from Summerland and Penticton achieved a speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah during Speed Week.
The Black AJS Racing Team took two motorcycles to the competition: a 1933 AJS 350 single and a 1973 Honda CB500 with sidecar.
A goal of at least 90 miles per hour or 145 kilometres an hour was needed to set a new speed record for the AJS motorcycle.
However, it had fuel problems from the start.
After several tests by rider Jack Barkwill, the team discovered the ignition system was at fault.
On the final day of racing, the engine performed well, but the transmission failed.
“Well, that is what racing is like,” said owner John Gregg. “The AJS ran well when tested in Summerland, but we were plagued with mechanical issues this year. We have to bear in mind that the bike is 84 years old, which is older than all of us. We all get to try again in the future.”
The Honda was in the 500cc with sidecar category, a category which did not have an existing record.
The motorcycle had been rebuilt over the winter by Barkwill and Hans Idzes.
To qualify, the average speed of the bike was timed over two separate runs, over a one-mile or 1.61-kilometre section of track.
The top speed was 89 miles per hour or 142 kilometres an hour.
“Everything performed as if the machine just came out of the showroom,” said rider John Dorn. “With the record in hand, it will be retired and become a daily rider in Summerland next year.”