Indian Motorcycle hit the salt at the 69th annual Bonneville Speed “ by paying tribute to its iconic heritage and the 50th anniversary of Burt Munro ’ s historic land speed record in grand fashion .” The tribute was highlighted by commemorative land speed runs by Munro ’ s great nephew Lee Munro on a modified 2017 Indian Scout - appropriately named “ Spirit of Munro ” – finishing off the weekend with a moonlit screening of “ The World ’ s Fastest Indian ” under the desert sky for Speed Week campers . Indian Motorcycle teamed up with Kiwi road racer Lee Munro , Burt Munro ’ s great nephew , to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Munro ’ s famous exploits and record setting runs , and to recreate the historic run during the 69th annual Speed Week with Lee ’ s “ Spirit of Munro ”, a modified and partially streamlined 2017 Scout . The team ’ s goal was to match Burt ’ s land speed record of 184 mph . To qualify for Bonneville , Lee achieved his speed licenses through runs at El Mirage Dry Lakebed in California , while even securing a land speed record of 186.681 mph in the MPS-G ( Modified Partial Streamliner ) 1350cc class during his rookie run and surpassing the team ’ s original goal . Entering Bonneville , the team ’ s new |
goal was to eclipse the 200 mph mark . However , Lee ’ s runs proved to be a battle against the elements . Lee attempted his first two runs on the five-mile short course , resulting in his top performance of the weekend at 191.28 mph and an unofficial run due to timer technical error . |
The following day , Lee and team made gearing changes and took the modified 2017 Indian Scout out on Bonneville ’ s nine-mile long course . |
Unfortunately , high winds and rough overall conditions hindered the motorcycle , resulting in 186.415 mph in his lone run of the day . On Monday , the team took another attempt on a newly routed long course , yet rough surface conditions forced Munro to exit his run before completing the timed section . “ It was my greatest honor to represent Indian Motorcycle in such an incredible tribute to my great uncle on this historic 50th anniversary ,” said Lee Munro . “ We may not have had the results we were after , but piloting a modified Indian Scout on the same salt as my Great Uncle Burt will forever be one of my most cherished experiences . I ’ m looking forward to future runs and more success with my teammates and friends at Indian Motorcycle .” |