Copyright 2002, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

By David Swarts

Bob Moreland and Glenn Castro of Oceanside, California used a modified Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa to set six Southern California Timing Association/Bonneville National, Inc. (SCTA/BNI) Land Speed Records during the 54th Annual Bonneville Speed Week, held August 10-16 on the Bonneville Salt Flats, ocated approximately 90 miles West of Salt Lake City.

A rookie in land speed record competition, Moreland, owner of Moreland Choppers and Smather & Moreland (S&M) Racing, decided that he wanted to join SCTA/BNI’s 200 mph Club. To that end, Moreland approached North Country Hyper Sports owner Glenn Castro, based on Castro’s road racing results with the Willow Springs Motorcycle Club, to build a bike capable of going 200 mph.

Calling the engine he built “nothing special,” Castro used 3mm-oversize Wiseco pistons, a lightened APE crankshaft, Web camshafts timed to his own numbers, APE titanium valve retainers, APE valve springs, an HMF exhaust system, NGK iridium spark plugs, an ECM from a 1999 Hayabusa (which, according to Castro doesn’t have a top speed limiter), a ported and polished cylinder head, stock valves and connecting rods and a modified clutch and airbox.

The normally-aspirated, 1397cc Hayabusa made over 200 horsepower on Nutec Special 4 race fuel and, with stock bodywork, produced a best run of 211.323 mph en route to setting six new SCTA/BNI World Land Speed Records. In fact, the Hayabusa ran 197.146 without the fairing for one of the records.

“It was incredible!” said Castro. “I’ve been going to the racetrack for 30 years, and I’ve never experienced anything like it. I mean, everything just worked.”

Castro explained that he only did two dyno runs on the Hayabusa at his shop before loading it in the trailer and making his first trip to Bonneville. Castro finished tuning the engine, via its Dynojet Power Commander, on site but felt that chassis tuning made the difference.

“Most guys strap the front end down, like they do in drag racing,” said Castro. “I did it the road racing way and pulled the forks up in the triple clamps. Then I set up these Vortex clip-ons above the top triple clamp, which put Bob’s hands right at 10.5-inches apart (the minimum by rule) so they were out of the wind.”

Castro said he also fabricated new shock linkages, set the OEM Bridgestone street tires at 58 psi front and rear and used some special “weighting of the chassis” advice from Don Vesco.

To point out how well things were going for their team, Castro pointed to when the Hyper Sports/S&M Racing Hayabusa was protested on Saturday, the first day of the week, for the bike’s tail section being too long by a fraction of an inch. Castro said he cut a half-inch off the tail section and the bike went five mph faster. By the end of the week, according to Castro, every other Hayabusa at Bonneville had its tail section cut like his.

The highlight of the week for Castro, however, came when the team set its sixth record in MPS-G (modified frame, partial streamlining, modified engine, gas). With the 30 other Hayabusa teams that sought the MPS-G record packing up to go home unsuccessful at the end of the final day, Moreland made two last runs resulting in a new record of 208.770 mph, with a best one-way pass of 211.323 mph, on the organization’s spec-gasoline in the heat of the afternoon. Castro said the next-fastest entry did 204 mph. Overall, Castro said there were only three motorcycles faster than his at Bonneville; two were turbo-charged and one Hayabusa had a 2000cc engine.

Moreland rode the Hyper Sports/S&M Racing Suzuki to new marks in the “1650cc and below” division in the following categories:

A-F (special construction frame, unfaired, modified engine, fuel)
old record – 136.013 mph
new record – 196.515 mph

M-F (modified frame, unfaired, modified engine, fuel)
old record – no previous record
new record – 197.146 mph

APS-F (special construction frame, partial streamlining, modified engine, fuel)
old record – 136.563 mph
new record – 206.904 mph

MPS-F (modified frame, partial streamlining, modified engine, fuel)
old record – 205.195 mph
new record – 210.080 mph

APS-G (special construction frame, partial streamlining, modified engine, gas)
old record – 203.351 mph
new record – 206.915 mph

MPS-G (modified frame, partial streamlining, modified engine, gas)
old record – 202.883 mph
new record – 208.770 mph

Note: To set a record run during Bonneville Speed Week, the vehicle must make two passes with the average speed of the two passes better than the old record.