Corey Bertelsen with the 250cc Honda GP he is taking to Utah. Photo / Paul Estcourt
Corey Bertelsen with the 250cc Honda GP he is taking to Utah. Photo / Paul Estcourt
KEY POINTS:
A month ago, Corey Bertelsen picked himself up off the road after crashing his motorcycle, his helmet shattered and his collarbone broken in four places but "not even a headache."
Yesterday, he was back on a different machine - one which he hopes to ride to a newworld speed record at Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.
The 35-year-old Muriwai man has raced in both motocross and road events for more than a decade.
He said his record bid was inspired by the film The World's Fastest Indian, about New Zealander Burt Munro, who set numerous records at Bonneville on his 40-year-old motorcycle.
Bertelsen and mechanic Lincoln Shaw have developed a 250cc Honda machine from its normal 54.4kW to produce 74.5kW and have tested it at 320km/h [200mph].
The class record which has stood since 1991 is 252km/h.
"The challenge is not just to ride down the Salt ... it's to build a bike that can beat the record," said Bertelsen.
"We've been working on the bike at nights for 18 months. It's not like you can buy the bits for it to make it go fast. Lincoln has had to make them."
As well as the $100,000 machine, Bertelsen has been preparing himself, riding off-road and on-road bikes so he can be fit for the Bonneville Speed Week Festival, held from August 18 to 24.
"I don't know who else is trying for the same record but we're pretty confident."
