Florida’s pilot, Chris RivasHe has an obsession that does not let him sleep. What leads a person to want to move almost 178 meters per second on the natural surface of Bonnevillewithout asphalt and no margin of error?
There are those who call this madness, but others see it as the last corner of the most extreme mechanical exploration. It is not just about speed, but to break personal and technological barriers. For Chris Rivas, this is not just one more race. It is, without a doubt, “an impossible mission.” One that could change the history of speed on two wheels forever.
And he won’t do it alone. His partner in this epic in Bonneville is Denis Manninga living legend of the design of “Streamliners”, Extreme fairing motorcycles designed only for one thing: go straight and very, very fast. Together they will form the duo that will try to write a new chapter in the history of the epic competition of Bonneville.
The Missile on Wheels of Chris Rivas: Bub Seven Streamliner with turbocharged V4 motor
The machine in charge of taking Rivas At this speed it is the epic Bub Seven Streamlinercompletely redesigned and improved for this occasion. Under its sharp and aerodynamic fairing, a brutal V4 motor of 2,997 CC with supercharging, designed to generate a huge power and maintain stability even when the world becomes a blurred line.
This motorcycle is no stranger to records: already in 2006 and 2009 it was the fastest in the world, reaching 600.7 km/h. But, now, the goal is more ambitious. Breaking the barrier of 400 miles per hour, something that nobody has ever achieved with a motorcycle. I’m afraid of thinking about it.
Since 2010, the FIM World Speed record on two wheels holds it Rocky Robinson that aboard a Suzuki Hayabusa Modified reached 376,156 mph. That is, 605.7 km/h. And, for more than a decade, that record has been untouchable. Until now. Or well, that expects our intrepid American protagonist.
Thus, with more power, better aerodynamics, and a technical team with decades of experience, Rivas believes that the time has come to tear down that invisible wall. But, more than power, the battle is really against traction
As explained by his own Rivasit’s not just horses: “Anyone can try to reach 640 km/h. But that is where the real challenge enters: how to apply that power without losing traction, how to maintain control when everything wants to get you out of the way. It is not stepping on the gas and now. It is a millimeter and mortal dance with Bonneville’s salt”
And is that the salinas of Bonneville They are not a laboratory environment. They are alive, they change with the weather, with moisture, with the density of salt. In fact, the motorcycle must be an extension of the pilot, and the pilot must read the land as an open book. Every detail counts. A skid at 600 km/h cannot be corrected. There is no margin of error.
The Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials 2025which will be held from August 23 to 28 (within a month), could go down in history as the scenario of one of the greatest deeds of modern motorcycling. The countdown has begun. And if Rivas He succeeds, the entire world will remember the name of that man who, for a brief moment, flew over the salt to more than 640 km/h.
But what is the Bub Seven Streamliner? The Bub It is a type of “streamliner”, which, as we discussed before, is a completely fairing motorcycle that minimizes wind resistance.
Its design reminds more of a missile than a conventional motorcycle. It was created by Denis Manningone of the extreme aerodynamic design gurus, and has been piloted by historical names of speed motorcycling. The new 2025 model has a monocoque chassis, suspensions adapted to saline surfaces, and electronic measurement systems and custom tensile control.
Will 2025 be the year in which the 400 mph barrier is broken? The answer is under the sky of Utah and on a thin white line that crosses nothing … and in the heart of a man willing to face death without blinking.
