World's fastest motorcycle to attempt land speed record in August

What does it take to be the world's fastest motorcycle? Two Suzuki Hyabusa engines and a massive turbocharger. That's what powers Ack Attack, the current land speed world record holder for the fastest motorcycle. With 900 horsepower at its disposal, it previously accomplished a top speed of 376.363 mph.

Now the team wants to beat that speed with another world record attempt. RideApart reports that Ack Attack will attempt to surpass its old record in Bolivia, at the Salar de Uyuni salt flats located in the Andes Mountains.

“Bolivia has been selected because it has a much longer run up and down of 16 miles versus about seven miles at Bonneville,” said Ack Attack pilot and three-time world land speed record holder Rocky Robinson. “This makes it safer, too. Wheel spin on driven—not thrust/jet—streamliners is a danger, so the acceleration has to be very gradual to avoid awkward handling. Distance is your friend!”

The Salar de Uyuni salt flats are the world's largest, measuring in at 4,086 square miles, with an elevation of 11,995 feet. The previous record was accomplished at Bonneville, but as mentioned, Bolivia's salt flats are safer for the high speeds. Not to mention, Bonneville has seen poor conditions the past few years that aren't exactly conducive to world record runs.

Ack Attack isn't the only vehicle looking for a record, though. The team behind the Bloodhound SSC will also seek a new world record sometime in 2018. The Bloodhound SSC was originally slated for a run this year, but sponsorship issues have caused delays. The team hopes for a 1,000 mph run. Ambitious, but when there's a jet engine, hybrid rocket system, and a Jaguar-sourced V-8 powering a vehicle, a lot is possible.

As for Ack Attack, the team is hoping to be the first motorcycle to go faster than 400 mph.

“When we started to build the TOP 1 Ack Attack in 2003, our goal was to exceed the record of 322 mph that had stood for 16 years,” said builder Mike Akatiff. "But in the back of my head was the thought that we could build a bike to actually go 400 mph."