Daredevil Valerie Thompson Survives 343 MPH Crash in World Record Attempt

The BUB Seven streamliner is in much worse shape than Valerie Thompson.

byEric Brandt|
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In an attempt to break the motorcycle land speed record of 376 mph, daredevil Valerie Thompson crashed a BUB Seven streamliner motorcycle while going 343 mph at the World Speed Trials on the Lake Gairdner salt flats in South Australia, Fox News reports. Miraculously, Thompson not only survived the crash but walked away with a few bumps and cuts. She said she’ll get checked for a concussion when she gets home (which is probably a good idea). "I told my husband, if I start getting strangely sweet on you, you'll know something's wrong!" Thompson told the news outlet.

Thompson is still trying to determine exactly what happened that caused the high-speed crash. According to a preliminary report from Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, the sanctioning body of the World Speed Trials, the back of the motorcycle got airborne before the parachutes in the bike were able to bring it to a stop which caused it to slide out of control.

This likely won’t be Thompson’s last attempt at a world speed record on two wheels. Days before the crash, she broke her personal record of 304 mph with a 328 mph run with the same bike.

The current land speed record for a motorcycle was set in 2010 by Rocky Robinson at the Bonneville Salt Flats in a Top Oil-Ack Attack streamliner. It’s powered by two turbocharged 1,299 cc Suzuki inline-four engines making over 1,000 horsepower.

The BUB Seven has held the motorcycle land speed record from 2006 to 2008 and again from 2009 to 2010. It’s powered by a turbocharged 2,997cc 16-valve V-4 engine that makes 500 horsepower and has a recorded top speed of 367 mph.

If Thompson had broken the motorcycle land speed record in her ill-fated attempt, it would have been the first time the record was held outside of Bonneville since 1955. We have a feeling Thompson will be back at it soon and has a pretty good shot at breaking the record she craves.

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