Honda CBR 600RR and Suzuki GSXR 1300s Set New Records at Bonneville World Finals

“The magic number used to be 200 mph in Land Speed Racing, now we’re headed for 300 mph on our motorcycles,” said Paul Livingston of Falkner Livingston Racing. “We go to the Salts, look at each other and say we can do it.”

Spider Grips equipped FL Racing Suzuki GSXR 1300s with K&N air and oil filters were pushed to top speeds of 206 and 203 mph at the Bonneville World Finals
Spider Grips equipped FL Racing Suzuki GSXR 1300s with K&N air and oil filters were pushed to top speeds of 206 and 203 mph at the Bonneville World Finals
Falkner Livingston Racing hit Bonneville’s World Finals event with 5 race ready motorcycles. Bonneville’s salt flats are about 90 miles west of Salt Lake City, Utah. Enthusiasts go there to break speed records. There are three annual events were people congregate to break those records, Speed Week, the World of Speed and the World Finals.

Paul Thede and Crew Chief Shaun Higinbottom at the Salts. Thede rode his Race Tech FL Honda CBR 600RR with K&N air and oil filters to a new record in the 650cc MPS/F class of 195.604 mph on a normally aspirated motor.
Paul Thede and Crew Chief Shaun Higinbottom at the Salts. Thede rode his Race Tech FL Honda CBR 600RR with K&N air and oil filters to a new record in the 650cc MPS/F class of 195.604 mph on a normally aspirated motor.
Rider Paul Thede ran a Spider Grips equipped Race Tech-FL Honda CBR 600 RR in the 650 cc class at the Salts. Thede took back a record that was lost at the end of Speed Week. His new record of 195.604 mph is a huge jump on the record which was set at 178.294 in August. “It is a remarkable speed for a normally aspirated 600 cc motor,” said Livingston. “Overall, we had a fantastic 2009 season.”

FL riders Paul Livingston and Lukas Lundin ran two Spider Grips equipped FL Racing Suzuki GSXR 1300s to top speeds of 206.958 mph and 203.251 mph respectively. Both have qualified for their Class-A competition licenses, which allows these riders to run at speeds from 200 mph to 250 mph on their race motorcycles.

“Going more than 200 mph on a motorcycle is surreal,” said Livingston. “The sensation of speed does not change but the sound changes. There are also no real reference points and everything is pure white at the Salts.”

Other riders on the FL team qualified for new levels on their competition licenses. Charlie Van Valkenburg rode a Pit Bull Skeleton ZX-12 to a top personal speed of 180.574 mph. “FL rider Greg Tracy had a heartbreaker,” said Livingston. “While riding to qualify for his Class-A competition license, he reached a top speed of 199.768 mph in the timed mile before he had to leave the Salts to catch a flight.”

FL will resume racing at the Salts in 2010. Right now they are preparing for the Baja 1000. “K&N filters play an important part in making our motorcycles run well,” said Livingston. “In order to break records we have to get as much air as possible into our engines, and at the same time, keep the debris out of our engines. That is why we rely on K&N air and oil filters at the Salts and in the Baja 1000.”

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