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TLN Motorsports Ends The 2014 Ohio Mile Season In Record Scorching Style – Another Successful Land Speed Campaign As One Bike Is Retired And Another Comes Online

Greg Neal and TLN Motorsports returned to Wilmington, OH on September 27-28th for the last round of the ECTA Land Speed Racing season featuring the Street Bike Shootout with high expectations knowing it would be the last event for the teams 2006 Kawasaki ZX-6rr. The goal was 6 new Land Speed Racing records and to win the N/A 650cc Street Bike Shootout class.

 

Conditions in Ohio were surprisingly good. A light tailwind of 3-5 mph and really good air were in place for Saturday morning. We were third down the race course and posted a speed of 183.5237 mph setting record number one of the weekend.. It was the fastest run that bike had ever made at Ohio though the run was not clean at all. I hit the rev limiter in 2nd and 3rd gear. While we were happy with the speed, we knew we had let a great run get away from us. All we could do was get back into line with the ZX-6rr and o get on the EX-250R for that bikes first run.

Conditions remained good for us when we got the 250 to the starting line. The pass down the standing mile on that bike was clean and the little bike went through the traps with a speed of 108.9588 mph for record number two of the weekend. That was the 2nd fastest speed that bike had ever run in Ohio. We were well prepared and on our game. What a difference not having to fight a big cross wind was making. We put the 250 back in line with no changes to it looking to get back down the track as quickly as possible.

We made the second run on the ZX-6rr and it was clean. The bike was pulling very hard on the big end, but we ran out of gear and hit the limiter just before the traps. The speed of the run was 183.5985 mph, just faster than our first run and record number three. We put the bike back in line and made a quick gear change. The 250 was ahead in the line and we hurried up to that bike for our second run on it. We made what I felt was our best pass of the year on that bike and went through the traps with a speed to prove it at 112.5844 mph for record number four. That is the third fastest stock body N/A Ninja 250 pass in the World and the fastest the EX-250R has ever run. We were very excited about the success we were having and went back into the staging lines with no changes to the bike.

While conditions were still good we were starting to lose the best air of the day. We were back at the starting line with the ZX-6rr and a chance to go 3 records on 3 passes. The pass was clean and straight, and the bike was pulling hard on the taller gear. The speed through the traps was an astonishing 186.7220 mph for record number four of the day and bumping our N/A 650cc Standing Mile World Record Speed which stood at 184.161 mph. That speed had been set in October of 2009 at Maxton, NC and we had chased it ever since. The last event for the ZX-6rr was making history again. We made one more run on the EX-250R before the day ended and the speed through the traps was 108.9061 mph, record number six of the weekend. Saturday came to an end and we had the 6 new records and a massive lead in the N/A 650cc class of the Street Bike Shootout, not to mention a new World record speed. What a day it had been.

Sunday conditions were not quite as good. While the air was good, the light cross wind was back. The first pass was on the ZX-6rr and the bike loaded up on the launch. It was near the 1/8th that the bike cleaned up and we pushed it hard to record number seven at a speed of 180.0000 mph. The 250 was next and the little cross wind mover the bike around on the big end was we trapped with a speed of 105.5595 mph for record number eight of the weekend. We decided to make one last run on the ZX-6rr. The last run before she would be officially retired. The bike was on a strong run until we broke the chain in the traps and slowed to 179.0688 mph and just barely record number nine of the weekend. One last pass on the 250 took us to record number 10 of the weekend with a speed of 106.7362 mph. We took both bikes to the trailer. We had by far exceeded our goals coming into the event.

The 10 new National Land Speed Racing records bring our total set to 166. We defended our N/A 650cc Street Bike Shootout class championship and it was the ZX-6rr’s 5th time winning its class. The World Record Speed of 186.7220 mph brought the total to 5 World Record Speeds for that bike. She retired in style being the first N/A 650cc Standing Start Land Speed Motorcycle over 180 and 190 mph. The EX-250R finished the season as strongly as she started it. Record after record has fallen to that bike this season. We are so proud of our efforts and how the bikes have performed throughout the 2014 racing season.

2014 has been a season of huge success for us at TLN Motorsports. 35 new National Land Speed racing records were set in this season even without having our ZX-10R available to race. We have so many people to thank for the support. First and foremost there is Brock’s performance. From exhaust systems, BST wheels to Alisyn lubricants Brock’s has been a major supporter of our efforts. KWS Motorsports, Ballistic Performance, Delaware Chassisworks, A All Animal Control, Worldwide Bearings and ceramic wheel and transmission bearings, Vortex racing, Web Camshafts, VP Racing Fuels, Tiger Racing Products, Brewer Cycles, Millennium Technologies, DW Photos, Magic Bullet and Dragbike.com have all made our success possible. We continue to make LSR history because of each of you and your support.

We at TLN Motorsports look forward to the challenges of 2015, our first season without the ZX-6rr. We are currently building a new Kawasaki ZX-6R to replace that bike. The bar is set high, but we believe we will still clear it. While there is a mountain of off season work to get done, we will be ready for the 2015 opener in Ohio. We hope to see you there.

We at TLN Motorsports believe in giving back and are proud supporters of Wounded Warrior Project. We also support the Austin Hatcher Project to end Pediatric Cancer.

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