BONNEVILLE 2009
Black Thunder will be back at Speedweek 2009, Aug 8-14th
Radio Sport interview, 16/8/09 (wma)
DAILY DIARY - Click for pages from Black Thunder's Daily Diary from Bonneville 2009
(due to email problems at Wendover, the diary from Aug 8-Aug 11 has been
created from notes taken from phone calls)
Summary 3rd - 14th August
11th August
10th August
9th August
8th August
5th August
4th August
3rd August
Press Release 29 Aug 09
Black Thunder still chasing elusive Land Speed Record.
Hamilton's Alan Thoresen who will be returning to NZ on Sunday after a challenging attempt on his Kawasaki ZX-14 Black Thunder for and Speed Class Record of 214mph at Bonneville Speed week 2009 is already considering his options for a return to again challenge this Land Speed Record.
This year at Speed Week 2009 Alan Thoresen hit a personal best speed of 198.702mph on the Salt Flats at Bonneville. As Thoresen was doing this run on his Kawasaki ZX-14 observers could still hear his motorcycle wheel spinning beyond the two mile marker at these high speeds.
A recall on his calibrated electronic speedometer after the run confirmed the Big Kawasaki was indeed wheel spinning with the rear wheel rotation being beyond 220mph.
Gearing issues, traction issues, and unexpected electronic problems added to the frustration as Thoresen's Kawasaki was "knocking on the door"of the magic 200mph mark. Thoresen's speed of just below 200mph was all that he was to see on this record challenge at Speedweek 2009.
We also lost two early morning opportunities where the air was more dense and the opportunity to run faster with lower temperatures and lower density altitudes, which allow the engine to produce more power, due to unforseen delays, and these erroded the opportunities significantly compared to what our normal schedule would be at Bonneville. We have to take what we have gained this year at Bonneville, a personal best of 198.702mph, and increase of speed by almost 17mph over last year, and additional seat time and experience we have all gained. Bonneville Speed Week 2010 will be held in August and Thoresen and his team are already contemplating this challenge on the Salt Flats and the Land Speed Record.
31 Jul 09
Well time has really flown and we can not really believe a full year has past since Bonneville Speed week 2008.
Here we are all packed and waiting for our lift to Auckland (thanks to Lisa Tomlinson) and then we fly out tonight on NZ2 at 9.30pm to Los Angeles.
Team Member Andy Goodridge went ahead a day early so he will meet with us at LAX when we arrive.
Thank you to all of you have supported us and for the Text messages of support. - These are really appreciated and mean a lot to us.
I finished up at work (Serada Ltd) yesterday for our trip, and was ambushed by all the staff who presented me with a fantastic card wishing me Good Luck for the trip to Bonneville and for our record attempts on the salt. It was really great and I really appreciate having the team at Serada behind me. Thank you all!!
We have had word that the bikes and trailer are in Los Angeles so as we arrive on the Friday at about 2.30pm and Dean will not arrive till Saturday, we have arranged to be at the freight company as arranged by Go Logistics at 9.00am on the Monday.
The plan is to have the trailer picked up and we will hopefully be on our way by late morning to Las Vegas where we will meet up with Violet's family and arrange with her brother Chuck to connect up the motorhome.
We must thank Grant Brady of Kea who arranged for his brother Pete in Los Angeles to help us out big time with the relocation of the trailer from Los Angeles to Las Vegas and back.
We are hoping Pete will join us at Bonneville for a few days as it sounds like he also has the "petrol head addiction" many of us suffer.
Keep an eye on the web site for more updates.
Press Release 5 Jul 09
Bonneville Speed Week 2009 attracts 514 Pre–Entries including three from New Zealand(from the BNI-SCTA web site).
The posted Pre-Entries for Bonneville Speed Week 2009 cover a field of International entries from the Canada (19), France (3), Germany (1), Singapore (1), UK (3), Sweden (1), Australia (3) and New Zealand (3),with the balance of entries being from through out the USA.
There are 371 cars and 143 motorcycles entered of which three of the bike entries are from NZ, being Alan Thoresen from Hamilton on his Kawasaki ZX-14 Black Thunder who will be running in the 1650cc Modified Partial Streamline class, Dean Veale from Kaukapakapa on a Modified Suzuki Hayabusa who is running in a 1350cc Altered Gas Class, and Corey Bertelsen from Auckland who is running a Modified Honda 250cc.
A fourth entry, although registered as an Australian Pre-Entry is the Award Racing Turbo Charged Suzuki Hayabusa, which has NZ connections, with an expat kiwi Richard Assen riding the bike and a kiwi mechanic, Jason Swan.
Bonneville Speed Week Runs from August the 8th to the 14th, and the Kiwis will be proudly flying the flag, on the salt flats.
Preparation for Bonneville - Speed Testing at Hamilton Airport 30 Jun 09
Well the gods were certainly with us today (Sunday) as we had scheduled testing of the Kawasaki ZX-14 Black Thunder and Dean Veales Hayabusa Special in preparation for Bonneville 2009.
Despite a very wet few days, the day in Hamilton turned out to be almost perfect to allow us a few runs on the Hamilton Airport, to check handling of both bikes, and to see how the engines would perform in their new configurations.
There was still water on the runway when Alan took Black Thunder through its first series of runs, as a rooster tail of water was evident on some areas of the runway, and there was noticible wheel spin.
All fears of performance issues faded away as the crisp. sharp and somewhat loud exhaust note of the Kawasaki ZX-14 roared down the runway, with no indication of any engine missing or over rich/over lean fuel air mixtures.
Dean on his Hayabusa special had a couple of electrical gremlins to start with which delayed his runs, and as time ticked by the time left in our allocated envelop dimished. After a fuse was borrowed from his van, the Busa Special burst in to life and Dean was away.
Alan had an issue with a finned panel separating on the bike due to a threaded grommet failure, but a quick removal and the application of some high speed tape by Crew Cheif Andy Goodridge, had us running again in no time.
Both bikes worked there way up in speed to check handling and performance, and both Alan and Dean were very happy with the results from the testing.
The Air Traffic at Hamilton was reasonably busy as most pilots were probably trying to catch up on the training missed out on over the last week of wet days, and to further complicate the testing, the parallel Grass Runway 18 /36 was closed due to extensive work being carried out, so the only active runway was the one we were trying to test one Seal runway 18/36.
Our special thanks to Hamilton International Airport for their support and assistance, to Rescue Fire at Hamilton Airport, To Hamilton tower, and to St Johns Ambulance for their valued assistance and support during our testing exercise on the airport.
Thank you also to the the friends and helpers who came out to the airport and assisted as breaking markers for the bikes, and for helping out as required.
Due to the high volume of air traffic the time between the runs was was longer than originally expected, but did allow us to do some fine tunning/adjustments on the bikes.
News Release 12 Jun 09
Hamilton's Alan Thoresen and his Kawasaki ZX-14 "Black Thunder" are getting closer to his third attempt on the Bonneville Salt Flats at Speed Week 2009. The event begins in August and runs from the 8-14th August.
The event attracts Land Speed Racers from around the world who do their upmost to attain speeds in their cars and Motorcycles well in excess of what a normal motorist might envisage. The target for Alan Thoresen this year is 214mph (or 344kph) when he runs in a Modified Partial Streamline Fuel Class. Accompanying Alan and Black Thunder will be Auckland Racer Dean Veale who will be running a Suzuki Hayabusa in a modified class for his first attempt at Bonneville.
This year the Black Thunder Team will consist of Alan Thoresen, Team Owner and Rider, his Wife Violet who is Team PR and Recovery Vehicle Driver, and Andy Goodridge from Te Awamutu, who will be wearing the hat of Crew Chief, as Neil Powell (Crew Chief and Mechanic for Bonneville 2007/2008) has had to return to the UK for family commitments this year. Both Alan and Andy will carry out all mechanical work needed on the Salt Flats as required on Black Thunder. The conditions normally require a strip down of the bike and a wash to remove salt at the end of each days racing, other wise the corrosive effect of the salt will take over and cause any number of gremlins with the motorcycle electronics.
With most of the preparation work done on "Black Thunder", a final test run of the bike is planned before it is packed up for shipment to Bonneville at the end of the month.
Thoresen states that the final preparation for the runs is completed at Bonneville as the conditions on the Salt Flats can vary from a soft moist surface to a dry hard surface and it is not until you arrive that you can prepare for the actual conditions. This may mean anything from the addition or lemoval of lead weight on the bike to tyre changes and experimenting with pressures to acheive the best traction. "It is not unusual to be at high speeds, 180mph for example and have the rear wheel spinning at speeds over 210mph, so it gives you some indication of the challenges faced with traction on the salt surface".
Thoresen has run the same Kawasaki ZX-14 in different configurations at the last two speed week events on the Bonneville Salt flats in 2007 and in 2008. He comments that racing on the Salt, although it has an element of danger, becomes very addictive, and you just want to go faster. He says that it brings a meaning of reality to the Term "I Feel the Need for Speed".
Alan Thoresen will be 54 years old at Speedweek 2009, and would be one of the older group of motorcyclists racing at Bonneville. Age is no deterant he says, and has proven that he can still give what it takes by winning the NZDRA Points series for 2009 for Modified Bike, and holding the No 2 Postion for 2007 and 2008, and in addition has held and still currently holds NZ National Records for Drag Racing on his Kawasaki ZX-14 Motorcycle.
Thoresen maintains that the flow of adrenalin while racing keeps the mind sharp and the body youthful!! He comments that the great thing about drag racing is that it gives everybody the opportunity to have a go on their bike or in their car, under safe, controlled conditions, at selected events such as the Night Drags at Meremere, so it gives the younger racers a chance to go fast with out breaking the law and endangering themselves and others on the road. Keep a watch out for more news on Alan Thoresen and his Kawasaki ZX-14 Black Thunder.
News Release 29 Apr 09
Alan Thoresen and his Kawasaki ZX-14 Black Thunder - Stepping up the Pace - Bonneville Speed week 2009
Hamilton's Alan Thoresen of Black Thunder Racing NZ has confirmed he will be returning to Bonneville Speedweek 2009 with his Kawasaki ZX-14 Black Thunder for his third attempt at a Land speed Record on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
Alan has been running his Kawasaki ZX-14 Black Thunder in the NZDRA National Points series in the Modified Bike Class, gaining a First in the Southern Nationals at Christchurch and a Second at the Northern Nationals at Fram Autolite Dragway at Meremere, and with a National Records records broken at both Meremere and Masterton Motorplex Central Nationals, he has placed well the series. With the Final of the NZDRA series held at Meremere on the 28th of February for Qualifying and the 1st of March for the Eliminations, it has confirmed Alan Thoresen has taken out the No 1 Champion Title for Modified Bike in the NZDRA series for 2009. - The NZDRA Awards night will take place on May 9th 2009 in Auckland.
Black Thunder was also on display recently at the Gisborne "Vintage Voyage" Show, where Alan was given the opportunity to carry out a number of display runs during the day, and running the bike up to a modest 190mph on the relatively short Gisborne Runway. - The show promoted Aircraft, Motorcycles and Cars along with Trains, ( Gisborne must be one of the few Airports in the Worlds which has a Railway Track running accross the runway about a third of the way down the strip.)
The Show also featured a number of Tiger Moths which were part of the National Tiger Moth Rally.
With planning underway for Bonneville, fellow Drag Racer Dean Veale from Auckland who is well known with his Suzuki Hayabusa running in the NZDRA Competition Bike Category, and who also an NZDRA Champion, taking the No 1 Title in Competition Bike in the NZDRA Points series, will be joining Alan and the Kawasaki ZX-14 on the Salt Flats this year, with both the ZX-14 and the Suzuki Hayabusa being shipped to USA in their own trailer.
The latest modification has been a stretch of around 8 inches to the swing arm of Black Thunder, and the swing arm being sealed and used as the air reservoir for the air shifter, and the NOS Bottle being mounted on the swing arm making the Kawasaki ZX-14 more streamlined for Bonneville 2009.
Initial testing at Taupo International Dragway and at Fram Autolite Drag way has seen Alan run some more record breaking times and speeds with a 1/4 mile best speed of around 148mph and an ET of 9.6 seconds without the NOS flowing properly, so the team is looking forward to some more record breaking runs when the new NZDRA Drag Racing season starts.
More development and testing will take place with "Black Thunder" up to the end of June when the bike will be packed for shipping to Bonneville in the USA.
News Release 14 Feb 09
Hamilton's Alan Thoresen of Black Thunder Racing NZ has confirmed he will be returning to Bonneville Speedweek 2009 with his Kawasaki ZX-14 Black Thunder for his third attempt at a Land speed Record on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
Alan has been running his Kawasaki ZX-14 Black Thunder in the NZDRA National Points series in the Modified Bike Class, gaining a First in the Southern Nationals at Christchurch and a Second at the Northern Nationals at Fram Autolite Dragway at Meremere, and with a National Records records broken at both Meremere and Masterton Motorplex Central Nationals, he well placed in the series, with the Final coming up at Meremere on the 28th of February for Qualifying and the 1st of March for the Eliminations.
Black Thunder was also on display recently at the Gisborne "Vintage Voyage" Show, where Alan was given the opportunity to carry out a number of display runs during the day, and running the bike up to a modest 190mph on the relatively short Gisborne Runway. The show promoted Aircraft, Motorcycles and Cars along with Trains, (Gisborne must be one of the few Airports in the World which has a Railway Track running accross the runway about a third of the way down the strip.) The Show also featured a number of Tiger Moths which were part of the National Tiger Moth Rally.
Special Thanks to Kelly Thompson for the invitation and the PR work and Thanks also to Glenn Thompson - Thompson Aero Enginneering, for offering the Hangar for storage of "Black Thunder". Thanks also to Andrew and the Team in Gisborne Tower, for their assistance with the Airport Runs.
As a Special Note... at the Conclusion of the event at Gisborne Airport, Alan was presented with a "Lemon Tree". Definitely a good omen for Bonneville 2009... following in the shadow of the Legendary... Bert Munro!!!!
If you can't follow this... see the Worlds Fastest Indian Video!!!!
With planning underway for Bonneville, fellow Drag Racer Dean Veale from Auckland who is well known with his Suzuki Hayabusa running in the NZDRA Competition Bike Category, and who also is well placed in the NZDRA Points series will be joining Alan and the Kawasaki ZX-14 on the Salt Flats this year, with both the ZX-14 and the Suzuki Hayabusa being shipped to USA in their own trailer.
More news and information on the preparation of the Kawasaki ZX-14 and the Suzuki Hayabusa and the team for Bonneville Speed Week 2009 in due course.
