In terms of gender equality, the highly-specialized FIM Land Speed World Records discipline presents competitors with a truly level playing field or, to use a more appropriate metaphor, a level salt flat.
It has not always been this way, but times have changed and thanks to the passion, talent and not inconsiderable success of a small band of female pioneers the sight of a woman streaking along the measured mile on Utah’s world-famous Bonneville Salt Flats is no longer out of the ordinary.
At the forefront of the initial wave of ground-breaking speed queens, Belen Wagner got her first taste of the Bonneville Salt Flats as a record-breaking sixteen-year-old and even now, at the age of fifty-four, she is delighted to still be flying the flag for diversity.
“My dad always wanted to go to Bonneville and I wanted to do whatever he was doing,” she said. “I was totally scared, but once I put my leathers on it felt kind of normal. Because I was a girl people were interested and impressed and it was the first time that being a girl was in a way an advantage so I didn’t have to hide it. I really liked being around those racers and it felt really natural to me.
“There’s been this sort of explosion of very good female competitors and it’s the most amazing thing. There are now lots of women who have gone much faster than me and it’s the best feeling because not only do they understand me as a racer, they understand me as a female racer. I could not be prouder of these women. It’s so cool.”
Wagner, who will be making her annual pilgrimage to Utah for the Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials that this year are scheduled for 23-28 August, boasts a personal best of two-hundred-and-nineteen miles per hour on a Suzuki Hayabusa, although the majority of her thirty-plus FIM World Records and fifteen-plus American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) Records have been achieved in the 125cc and 175cc categories – not that she takes much notice of her achievements.
“We never really keep track [of records], the goal is always just to go faster. There’s no one record that really stands out, but what I do think is really cool is I’ve had six blown pistons [at speed] and not crashed!”
The daughter of AMA Hall of Fame member Wiltz Wagner, a driving force behind the sport of Trial in America since the early 1970s, after getting her first bike at the age of ten she has not looked back. Just like many riders who started out in Trial before going on to dominate in other disciplines, she attributes much of her success to lessons learned in those formative years.
“I think that everything comes from Trial. Every skill you need. Trial riders can go to any other sport. It’s the cradle of knowledge for what we do – balance, throttle control, clutch, brakes. It doesn’t matter if you’re going five miles per hour or two-hundred miles per hour.”
A former FIM Environmental Steward for Trial, Wagner is still heavily involved in sustainability and even makes a living from designing female fashion clothing and workwear from recycled materials – “don’t tell anyone,” she laughs, “but my sewing machine has nitro!” – and it is clearly a cause she is passionate about.
“So much clothing gets worn a few times and is then thrown away. Sustainability is the key to the future. For twenty-five years it was pounded into my head that as motorcyclists we don’t want to be part of the problem, we want to be part of the solution.”
With sustainability still in mind this summer, when Wagner rolls out onto the shimmering Bonneville Salt Flats, her simple aim will be to go as fast as she possibly can.
“Bonneville is an amazing place. There’s no point in me trying to describe it because you have to be there to see it and then you’ll wonder if you’re on another planet. Nothing can prepare you for it, but it’s stunning every time – it never loses that blow-you-away beauty.
“It’s just you and your machine. There’s no noise in your head, you’re just totally focussed on doing your job. You’re concentrating on the flags, you’re concentrating on the RPMs – there’s a lot to pay attention to – and when you’re going two-hundred miles per hour on a motorcycle everything can change very, very quickly.”
The Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials are scheduled to take place this year between 23-28 August.
