Whats the top speed?

[BigSteve]

  What is the top speed that anybody has reached on the way two or back from LM - lets all be honest here, indicated speed - no bull. Cars and bikes.

I'll start the ball rolling at 175mph, for 15 miles back to Cearn - ZZR1100 (should do 185 but i'm bit of a bloater!)

[smokie]

Probably not many to match that. The Omega reached 135 comfortably for a short distance on the way back from pre-qualifying. I reached 130 in it, 4 up, last year on the approach to Mulsanne corner in daylight. And at the dead of night on the Thursday this year at pre-qual I reached 120 at the same spot before my bottle went. (That's with a rolling start from the last roundabout down to the corner)

it does go quicker (had it to 145) but the mpg becomes gpm!

[Matt Harper]

This one could be a little contentious, given all our concerns about increased plod activity to stamp-out this outrageous and irresponsible behaviour.
That said, I achieved 160mph and ran at this speed for about 5 minutes heading south from Le Mans towards Angers in the rain, on the Sat night of the 2001 race.
I also got into a bit of a dice with an Aston Martin Vanquish on the drive back to the Tunnel on the Monday after the same race (the police are pretty much all radar'd-out by Monday). It was on the diversion (dual carriageway) stretch north of Beaumont-sur-Sarthe.
He had me beat, but we ran door handle  to door handle at around 160-165mph for a while - and I had the roof down.
It's neither big nor clever, but much safer when the bulk of the race traffic has subsided. My car has a head-up display, which projects the important numbers onto the windscreen, other wise I wouldn't have been able to determine the speed. I kind of get tunnel vision when I'm really stomping on it - not good, but a fact, nonetheless.

[Dave H]

Oh dear - this is always a bit of a dodgy topic.

I seem to remember a bit of silly behavior in a T5 some years back heading south on the same peage Matt was referring to at the end of a race.  Although 140mph isn't that crazy insane, it's for how long we sustained said velocity that I'm not too proud of.

Having said that, Matt and I did hit hyperspace in my TT heading from Indy to Mid Ohio for the CART race - definitely would still be in jail if we'd been nicked there - my only glance at the speedo had us knocking around 170mph!  Doh!

[BigH]

my only glance at the speedo had us knocking around 170mph!

MaryHolyMotherOfJesus!!

Top call Dave, and as for BigSteve and 175, I can only doff my cap and offer you some chrome polish for your bollocks in admiration.

The fastest I can get the old girl up to is 130 and a bit, and have sustained this for some lengthy distances on the way to LM. Mpg is seriously compromised at this speed though, and I'm well into single figures. I got 6mpg on a tankful one year...
Mind you, things are quite interesting in there at 130. I can believe the critics of Stevensons rocket who predicted that people wouldn't be able to breathe at speeds over 30mph. It's hard work seeing straight, and a vice like grip has to be maintained on the wheel at all times.
This year it's nothing above 70, honest!
H

[Matt Harper]

Jeeezus Dave - I'd forgotten about the death-ride in the T5 - it was insane crazy - and crazy insane. He drove for at least half an hour with the needle hovering over 140. Fax's girlfriend was in the back crying. What was really funny was that we passed a police car parked on the shoulder, on the peage and Dave didn't even lift. I pissed myself - though Dave didn't - when he saw the video. I filmed it for about 10 mins - it's a hoot.
The 170mph + on Interstate 70 in Dave's Porker was quite refined by comparison. The car is just glued at that kind of speed and the noise is fantastic (though not as good as a 5.7 litre LS1 at 6000rpm, ha ha ha, you little f**k*r!)

H- 130 out of the Jag is impressive enough for me. Sweaty string-backs would be the result, I'd imagine. I once had an old Mk X Jag that you didn't so much steer, as prevent from running off the road.

[Fax]

Ah yes,
The 140 MPH ride back to Jumelles in the Swedish turbo tank.  That '97 LM trip was pretty much the beginning of the end of that relationship.  Just as well though, if I'd married her I would be in jail and she would be buried in the garden by now.
John

[Mr. Rick]

Clocked 39.4 MPH on the push bike the other night - does that count?

[president]

ah well this one is a good topic...

this year at PQ we managed 161 in an Audi A8 and 176 in a Porsche 996

we have also had 178 out of a M3 convertible and 190 from a Nissan 300ZX

our resident Gay-lardo driver as bottled out this year as we were going for the big 200...maybe next year


what about also, the longest burnout in length and duration?

over 100 metres in length, and over 1 minutes in duration with video evidence...soon to be published on our web site!!!

[skorpio]

   does 85 in an aircooled VW camper count      

[Rhino]

Clocked 39.4 MPH on the push bike the other night - does that count?

Which cliff did you fall off?

[Mr. Rick]

Clocked 39.4 MPH on the push bike the other night - does that count?

Which cliff did you fall off?

  OK so I was gravity assisted, but as you can see from my avitar pic, I have serious weight behind me to help when the gradient is negative! But I wager a certain Mr. R Cutler is faster downhill than even me on a two-wheeled leg-powered type machine and he doesn't need bodily mass to assist, eh Rick?  

[Stu]

Mine last year was to hit 75 in a 405 estate, only to be constantly reminded by the owner that it eats the fuel over 70 and there's always police around the bend ahead. Head was severely done in by the time i got home. Kept waking up with the sound of 'speed camera, speed camera', ringing in my head.

[Robbo SPS]

I had 152mph two up on a ZZR600 on the Mulsanne in 2002 on Sunday night, racing a silver TVR.

The TVR's been at 175mph racing ohters on the N138 in 1999, but i wasnt in the car. Martin was driving, and LOST to other cars!

[starbar]

I had about 90 out of my old rover with a caravan on the back down the mulsanne pre chicanes - bottled out at the mulsanne kink - and at that speed it was more or less GPM rather than mpg - i dont think a knackered exhaust helped.