Uphill All The Way

Well we've been down here for three days now and it seems that as soon as something works, we run into another issue. These are the kind of things that happen when you drive 1500 km to an international event when you have only 90 % of a bike. Not that the team or those involved have been slacking but when you take on a project of this scope with so little time, you need to work hard to overcome all challenges that come your way.

 Derek pulls away from the support truck at  104.63MPH

Today we showed up at the boat-launch early to get in to a line up to get on the track and couldn't even get out to the pits as we were told that operations were postponed for the day. No racing. Just a massive lake with only a few inches of water would kill a day on the salt. After a few minutes of discussion we decided we had too much to do and just drove out to the pit area. Once out there we just got to work, the place was a ghost town but there was too much to do.

Derek taking a break between test rides while Chris Hart checks values on the program map.

By 5 pm we had fixed a torn clutch cable, managed a bad shifting issue, and tried to work through a partially tuned program map. And still after 5 runs down the back line we managed to hit 104.63 MPH so all the hard work and problem solving have been paying off. We are tired, burnt and happy that we are doing the impossible.

The crew at the start line for a tour with Betty

More pictures and updates will be coming in the next few days but for now it's all about capturing what we came for. Not only a bit of adventure but a chance to finish what we all agreed to be a part of; benchmarking a record in an open class with a bike that defies traditional standards.

Derek relaxing on Salt now flooded by an afternoon thunder shower.