Post-work-up, Phil was straight out early on the course, with the air much cooler, and the start area quieter. He nailed his first run, gaining a 100.52, 3.5mph over the record time, and ensuring a ‘return run.’ With no delay he was up to the other end of course and straight into that return run. And with a return run of 95.77, he nailed the record by over 2 mph.
Following the AMA requirements, he went straight to ‘impound’
to have the timings verified and then undergo the process of stripping the top
end of the bike for measuring. And somewhere
in between was a little Betty special celebration dance.
Meanwhile, Miki completed the 650 rebuilt in the paddock and
headed out for his first run of the day.
Again, utilising the cooler air, and with a key determination he nailed
the first run at 103.17, beating the record of 101.55 and gaining his first
return run. On the return run, he scored
101.72 going straight to impound to join his team mate in stripping and
verifying the engines with Head Scrutineer Drew.
Across the pits, almost everyone seems to know when a record
has been gained, as Bonneville has an excellent radio system that broadcasts
almost everyone’s results, and it was lovely to see so many people calling past
the paddock to congratulate the guys after their major hard work in getting to
this point of being record holders.
A couple of main jet changes and new plugs saw the end of a
very happy day three of racing on the salt.
