Hamilton man's "need for Speed" as the countdown for Bonneville has started.
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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 Cheif, as Neil Powell (
Crew Cheif 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 opoortunity 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.
Please feel free to use all or any part of this release along with any pictures attched or from our web site www.blackthunder.co.nz
Violet Thoresen
Black Thunder Racing NZ
ENDS