Wellington, New Zealand - New Zealander Glenn Hayward, driving a Suzuki-powered 1000cc machine dubbed the Flying Kiwi, has shattered the 19-year-old world speed record for a motorcycle and sidecar.
Riding on a straight stretch of highway on New Zealand's South Island on Tuesday with 60kg of ballast in the sidecar to represent a passenger, Hayward recorded a two-run average of 272km/h, eclipsing the previous record of 222km/h.
The identity of the previous record-holder was not available.
Phil Garrett of Christchurch, who led the three and a half year campaign, also did a speed run and was clocked at 264km/h.
Garrett said he got his inspiration for the challenge from Bob Burns and Russell Wright, who set a sidecar speed record of 261km/h at the same place 50 years before.
That record expired in 1964 when the regulations were changed.
Garrett eventually had to raise NZ$212 000 (about R960 000) for a project that he initially estimated would cost NZ$25 000 (R113 000).
According to Garret's calculations the fully enclosed and streamlined Flying Kiwi was capable of 320km/h over the measured kilometre; the biggest difficulty was keeping the 360kg machine within 500mm of the centre line of the six-metre wide closed public road near Ashburton on New Zealand's South Island.
The bike was ridden from a crouched position with the rider's head close to the road and a highly tuned 135kW Suzuki GSX-R1000 engine propelling him from behind.
It looked like a wingless jet fighter and the "fuselage" was the end result of hundreds of hours of wind-tunnel time, during which 28 prototypes were tested.
The regulations permit that metal ballast be substituted in place of the sidecar rider and the Flying Kiwi team chose that option although Garrett said he wasn't short of willing passengers.
Garrett and Hayward set a target of 320km/h (200mph) before the runs but decided conditions wouldn't allow that.
Garrett said: "We went as fast as we could on that road.
"Both of us are convinced we've probably got another 100km/h in the machine if we can find the right place to do it."