0:00:02 > 0:00:06This programme contains some strong language
0:00:06 > 0:00:09For one week in August a dried-up lake bed in Utah
0:00:09 > 0:00:11is transformed from a barren landscape
0:00:11 > 0:00:13into a place where dreams are made.
0:00:13 > 0:00:17Standing there on the salt for the first time takes your breath away.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19You just don't realise how big it is,
0:00:19 > 0:00:22how flat it is and how white it is.
0:00:22 > 0:00:24There's nothing out there, there's no insects,
0:00:24 > 0:00:26there's no plant life, there's nothing.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30It's dead, and it's silent, apart from, 500 cars,
0:00:30 > 0:00:32all trying to break records.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35These men have just one plan -
0:00:35 > 0:00:39to drive their bespoke vehicles as fast as they can
0:00:39 > 0:00:42and hopefully join an elite group -
0:00:42 > 0:00:44the fastest men on earth.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50This is where you come when you want to prove that you are the fastest.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53There ain't no other place that can say that!
0:00:53 > 0:00:56This unique setting has been pushing the boundaries of speed
0:00:56 > 0:00:59and engineering for over a century -
0:00:59 > 0:01:02the Salt Lakes of Bonneville.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08You live more in five minutes on a bike like this
0:01:08 > 0:01:10than most people do in a lifetime.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13It is like going into a different realm.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15You can't hear the engine, there's nothing in the way,
0:01:15 > 0:01:18no-one's going to pull out in front of ya. Just 'ave it.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00Strapped firmly into the car, hurtling along the salt,
0:02:00 > 0:02:03it's just man versus machine.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05Foot flat, revs go up,
0:02:05 > 0:02:06you drop the clutch, you feel the bike,
0:02:06 > 0:02:08straighten her up. Give it that.
0:02:08 > 0:02:10nd it snaps you back.
0:02:10 > 0:02:13Everything does a bit of the old Star Trek Enterprise warp.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16You just can't adapt to the way this thing accelerates.
0:02:16 > 0:02:18But each time you put the foot to the floor,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21you actually look up and you see these two orange banners, like this.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25And you think, "I am never going to get this effing through there."
0:02:25 > 0:02:27And they go past like that. They are 90 feet apart.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30You flinch as you go past. It feels really effing quick,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33I mean proper fast.
0:02:35 > 0:02:404,500 miles away, in the sheds, outhouses and back garages
0:02:40 > 0:02:45of Great Britain, the Bonneville dream is hatched.
0:02:45 > 0:02:49Two worlds linked by a shared passion.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52I can't actually wait to ride this.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54Driving to work sometimes
0:02:54 > 0:02:56I'm just thinking of what it's going to be like.
0:02:56 > 0:02:57Firing it up for the first time,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01the guy points to you and goes...
0:03:01 > 0:03:02and you bugger off down the salt.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05That's just going to be such a moment.
0:03:05 > 0:03:07"Head and shoulders lean forward.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10"Back and neck muscles tight, not relaxed."
0:03:10 > 0:03:13And then it says, "Sit tight and firmly in the saddle."
0:03:13 > 0:03:15That's pretty obvious, isn't it?!
0:03:15 > 0:03:17I'm going to be hanging on for dear life on mine.
0:03:17 > 0:03:18HE CHUCKLES
0:03:20 > 0:03:24These vehicles of great beauty have been filed, hammered,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28welded and machined from un-yielding pieces of bare metal.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30You could eat your dinner off that, that's lovely.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34This is the story of a group of men
0:03:34 > 0:03:36who are willing to risk life and limb
0:03:36 > 0:03:41on home-made machines in their quest to hold a Bonneville record.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43There's a lot of clever engineers coming.
0:03:43 > 0:03:45Six separate teams, compromising of various
0:03:45 > 0:03:48head-banging hot-rodders,
0:03:48 > 0:03:52custom bike builders, drag racers, road racers -
0:03:52 > 0:03:55all good, clean-living people.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58They have just four weeks to finish their hand-crafted creations
0:03:58 > 0:04:01and put them onto a ship container bound for the States.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07I'm Steve French, I'm a telecoms engineer,
0:04:07 > 0:04:10I've been doing telephone systems for 39 years now.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14Dave worked at British Telecom, I worked at British Telecom,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17my father was in British Telecom as well, but he was a plumber.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20The record we're hoping to break
0:04:20 > 0:04:23is the 750 Pushrod Supercharged Methanol class.
0:04:23 > 0:04:26We're confident that we have
0:04:26 > 0:04:27more than enough horsepower to do the job
0:04:27 > 0:04:29but, of course, we are novices.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33Dave's modesty belies the fact that this self-taught engineer
0:04:33 > 0:04:37has hand-crafted almost every component of the bike
0:04:37 > 0:04:39here in his garage.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41Ice water tank for the intercooler.
0:04:41 > 0:04:42Another tank.
0:04:42 > 0:04:45The billet crankshaft - one of two.
0:04:45 > 0:04:47The other one is still half attached to some machinery.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50These are beautiful pieces of engineering.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53I've put pictures of these up on Facebook pages
0:04:53 > 0:04:57and had comments from people saying, "Wow! Who made that?"
0:04:57 > 0:05:02So I said, "Dave did." "What did he make it on?"
0:05:02 > 0:05:05"Made it by hand, on the two machines here."
0:05:05 > 0:05:07And everything has been made by hand.
0:05:07 > 0:05:10I would say that racing is an obsession.
0:05:10 > 0:05:12Racing is an obsession. Of course it is.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Someone actually said that racing was worse than heroin
0:05:14 > 0:05:16because you can actually give up heroin.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20Last year they went to Bonneville as spectators
0:05:20 > 0:05:23and got their licences on a borrowed bike.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25The salt fever took hold,
0:05:25 > 0:05:28and they are now building their very own bike, from scratch.
0:05:28 > 0:05:30That's a cylinder head.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32That was all made from one lump of aluminium,
0:05:32 > 0:05:34which took hours and hours and hours and hours.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39It's easy enough to go and buy a bike and go out there and go fast.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42I mean, my road bike will do 180 miles an hour quite happily,
0:05:42 > 0:05:43but it's on the road.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45If I take it to a racetrack, it's nowhere.
0:05:45 > 0:05:47It's just another bike.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Accuracy is obviously important.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51We're talking about thousandths of an inch.
0:05:51 > 0:05:53In fact when I come to fit the bearings,
0:05:53 > 0:05:56we're talking tens of thousandths of an inch, of accuracy,
0:05:56 > 0:05:58otherwise they fall out.
0:05:59 > 0:06:00But I'm self-taught.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03There's a bit of help from a friend who's a really good engineer,
0:06:03 > 0:06:07but 99% I'm self-taught.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13In a cramped garage beside a motorway near Glasgow,
0:06:13 > 0:06:15salt fever has also taken a grip.
0:06:15 > 0:06:19This team are going for one of the fastest land-speed records.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22This little car is going to end up the fastest wheel-driven
0:06:22 > 0:06:251000cc car on the planet.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29And they're doing it with a twin-turbo motorcycle engine,
0:06:29 > 0:06:31sourced from eBay.
0:06:31 > 0:06:35With it, they hope to break into the Bonneville 300 MPH Club.
0:06:38 > 0:06:42Why do we go to all this effort to go a little bit faster?
0:06:44 > 0:06:45Because it's difficult.
0:06:46 > 0:06:49Because if it was dead easy it wouldn't be a challenge.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58The cost in time and money has been tremendous
0:06:58 > 0:07:01and has been funded by a Zurich-based hedge fund manager
0:07:01 > 0:07:05Rick Pearson, a retired professional driver.
0:07:05 > 0:07:07He agreed to fund the project
0:07:07 > 0:07:11in exchange for a place in the driving seat.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15I have a high-pressure job.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18I work pretty much every business day of the year,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21apart from the seven days I go to the salt.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25People are going to say, "Why are you putting yourself through this,
0:07:25 > 0:07:29"why are you trying to do 300-plus miles an hour down a salt flat?"
0:07:30 > 0:07:33Richard Noble would always say in these circumstances,
0:07:33 > 0:07:34"For Britain and the hell of it."
0:07:34 > 0:07:38Actually, for me, it all comes down to a blue baseball cap.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43And that blue baseball cap is the emblem of the Bonneville 300 MPH Club.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48'There were a lot of people on the Bonneville salt flats, Utah,
0:07:48 > 0:07:51'to watch John Cobb's attempt at cracking his own record...'
0:07:51 > 0:07:54The salt flats have been used for record-breaking attempts
0:07:54 > 0:07:56for over a century.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00The dried-up lake bed covers over 100 square miles
0:08:00 > 0:08:03of uninterrupted track space.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05A string of illustrious Brits have distinguished themselves
0:08:05 > 0:08:10down the years, John Cobb, Donald Campbell, Richard Noble
0:08:10 > 0:08:14and Andy Green have all pushed the boundaries of speed.
0:08:14 > 0:08:18'A magnificent performance and, better still, it was all British.'
0:08:19 > 0:08:24There are only six Brits in the 300 MPH Club.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28So I would be the seventh Brit, the third living Brit,
0:08:28 > 0:08:31to have the right to wear that hat.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35Rick and his team have just one month to get the Streamliner ready
0:08:35 > 0:08:38before packing their precious cargo off to the States,
0:08:38 > 0:08:42and their chance to join the exclusive 300 Club.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49People come to Bonneville because this is the place,
0:08:49 > 0:08:54unlike any other place on earth, this is where the tradition is.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56So land-speed racing started
0:08:56 > 0:08:58a little over 100 years ago over in France.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01It would have to be the French, right?
0:09:01 > 0:09:03Well, then the Belgians heard about it and, oh, my goodness!
0:09:03 > 0:09:05Eventually it went from one place to another
0:09:05 > 0:09:07and it ended up here in Bonneville.
0:09:07 > 0:09:111914 was the first organised race.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14We're almost 100 years of organised racing here.
0:09:14 > 0:09:17'Everything's OK and the man with the unique combination of courage,
0:09:17 > 0:09:19'patience and determination for the attempt
0:09:19 > 0:09:22'receives the mascot from his wife, Tonia.
0:09:22 > 0:09:25'It's a tense moment, but Donald Campbell has known many like it.
0:09:25 > 0:09:31'To the joy of everybody, a new record was set at 403.1 mph.'
0:09:34 > 0:09:38More speed records have been set here than any other place on earth.
0:09:38 > 0:09:40Land-speed racing started with the roadster,
0:09:40 > 0:09:45the ubiquitous roadster, and then because of the Second World War,
0:09:45 > 0:09:47there was a lot of extra parts,
0:09:47 > 0:09:49what they called drop tanks - fuel tanks
0:09:49 > 0:09:51and they were a really cool shape,
0:09:51 > 0:09:53a bullet-looking thing.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55Some of the racers looked at that and went, you know,
0:09:55 > 0:09:57"How about I just cut a hole in the top, put an engine
0:09:57 > 0:10:00"and a couple of axles and I can turn that thing into a race car?"
0:10:00 > 0:10:04Phoof! All of a sudden the Belly Tank Lakester was born,
0:10:04 > 0:10:07which is still being raced out here 60 years later.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09And once they had that Belly Tank Lakester, they thought,
0:10:09 > 0:10:13"What if we cover the engine? What if we cover the tyres?
0:10:13 > 0:10:17"And what if we enclose the driver so the air goes around?"
0:10:17 > 0:10:19And hence was born the Streamliner
0:10:19 > 0:10:22which are the fastest cars on earth.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Our third team are modifying a Suzuki
0:10:29 > 0:10:33to break a 200 mph record in the special construction fuel class.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36The bike spends its time between Dave's workshop in Dorset
0:10:36 > 0:10:38and PJ's shed in Hertfordshire.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41This week it's in the custody of PJ.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45I'm PJ. Welcome to Air Cooled Wonderland. Come in.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50This self-confessed metal head has devoted his life
0:10:50 > 0:10:52to all things mechanical.
0:10:52 > 0:10:54This is where I live, with my children,
0:10:54 > 0:10:57who are all rusty, metallic and wonderful.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01Crane. Love this crane, mate.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Two tonnes I've picked up with that, it's rated at one-and-a-quarter.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08That's my reeling machine. There's me 30 tonne press.
0:11:08 > 0:11:09You've got to see my lathe.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13The bike is the only way.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17If you ain't been on a bike, you ain't lived. Simple.
0:11:17 > 0:11:19When I'm sitting on my bike,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22this isn't some car, strapped in with some seatbelt.
0:11:22 > 0:11:23This is 300 horsepower,
0:11:23 > 0:11:27this is two wheels. It doesn't get any fucking realer, it doesn't.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31Sort of hypnotic, isn't it?
0:11:31 > 0:11:34There's something satisfying about doing something yourself,
0:11:34 > 0:11:38rather than getting your pants pulled off by some so-called professional,
0:11:38 > 0:11:40who comes round and you weigh him out a load of money
0:11:40 > 0:11:43and you look at what he's done and you go, "Leave it out,
0:11:43 > 0:11:45"I could do better than that!
0:11:45 > 0:11:47"Leave it out, I'm not paying you for that."
0:11:49 > 0:11:53Just up the road, another team are getting their vehicle ready
0:11:53 > 0:11:55for a 124 mph record
0:11:55 > 0:11:59with a bike that hasn't been ridden for 18 years.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02They've got their very own personal reasons
0:12:02 > 0:12:05for joining the contingent of bikers.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08The whole reason why we're going is because
0:12:08 > 0:12:11our friend Mike died a couple of years ago,
0:12:11 > 0:12:13from a heart attack, at a young age.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17He had this bike that he had been rebuilding for 20-plus years,
0:12:17 > 0:12:20and never finished it. It became a long-running joke, everyone would ask him
0:12:20 > 0:12:23"Have you finished the bike? Have you finished the bike?"
0:12:23 > 0:12:24And it never happened.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27So, a whole bunch of us decided at his funeral
0:12:27 > 0:12:28that we should finish the bike.
0:12:30 > 0:12:34This is the Team Page secret laboratory.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37The bike will be called The Mike Page Special,
0:12:37 > 0:12:40so Mike's name will be in the book. And that's all that any of us want.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Following Mike's funeral, a group of his friends decided
0:12:44 > 0:12:47to finish the bike on his behalf and take it to the Flats.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51The team have many skills between them,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54though sadly, none relate to bike-building.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57I'm an architectural technologist
0:12:57 > 0:12:58and building services engineer.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01- An IT manager. - I'm also an IT manager.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05- I'm the grinder!- Yeah.- If it needs grinding hard, I'll grind it.
0:13:10 > 0:13:15In the fading glory of seaside town Great Yarmouth,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18up on the Norfolk coast, lives another Bonneville hopeful.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23A talented bike-builder and engineer,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26a legend in bike-building circles.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29The record I'm going for stands at 125 mph.
0:13:29 > 0:13:34And he's going to do that, on this 70-year-old Indian Scout.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38This is an out-and-out race bike.
0:13:38 > 0:13:39It has been built to race.
0:13:39 > 0:13:44Everything is one-off on it. It's been built purely for Bonneville.
0:13:44 > 0:13:47Well, it's a full total engine rebuild for a start,
0:13:47 > 0:13:50but it's now got pistons out of a 1937 Royal Enfield,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53valves out of a Peugeot - car.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56It's got high compression heads, it's been gas-flowed,
0:13:56 > 0:14:00a replacement inlet manifold, Harley sportster carburettor...
0:14:00 > 0:14:04Getting the 70-year-old bike to practically double its horsepower
0:14:04 > 0:14:06has taken a year's work.
0:14:06 > 0:14:08Look at that! You could eat your dinner off that.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10That's lovely.
0:14:10 > 0:14:11Shame to put it on the bike.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17This has been two years of constant Bonneville,
0:14:17 > 0:14:22and to be honest I wish I had never heard the name.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Brum, brum, brum, brum.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26It is going to be an experience.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29I'm getting a really bad disease now,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31that people have probably told you about - Salt Fever.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34Have you heard that phrase?
0:14:34 > 0:14:36Salt Fever is what everybody's got.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42Some of these people have it really bad,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45and they've had it since 1949 when the very first hot rodders
0:14:45 > 0:14:48came out here and had their first Speed Week.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50Well, it's kind of hard to explain but
0:14:50 > 0:14:51it kind of gets in your blood and you say,
0:14:51 > 0:14:55"Jeez, I'd really like to give this a try."
0:14:56 > 0:15:01Salt fever is something you get about 20 minutes after you leave here.
0:15:01 > 0:15:06You come here for the first time to see the cars and witness the spectacle,
0:15:06 > 0:15:09and then you come back time and time again because of the people.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12I think I was 21 the first I came up here,
0:15:12 > 0:15:18so I'm 73 now so getting towards the autumn years of my racing career,
0:15:18 > 0:15:20but I'm still having a lot of fun!
0:15:20 > 0:15:22I've been wanting to do this for 30 years.
0:15:22 > 0:15:27I'll be 80 years old in two months and it's a blast!
0:15:36 > 0:15:38With this weapon here,
0:15:38 > 0:15:42we're hoping to break 196 mph on the 1000cc A-F record.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49This is where we build it.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51This is where it all happens, the magic happens.
0:15:51 > 0:15:56Geordie Oz has been building his bike for the past five years.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59This will be his second attempt at the chosen record.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01All handmade, by myself -
0:16:01 > 0:16:03the chassis, the bodywork,
0:16:03 > 0:16:06which some of it's on the floor over here,
0:16:06 > 0:16:10this has all been stretched, modified by myself,
0:16:10 > 0:16:13all the cockpit instruments.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17Basically everything you see here is handmade, barring the engine.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19He didn't want to put it in the shed to start with
0:16:19 > 0:16:22so it lived in the front room for over a year.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25It's where we set our Christmas tree up actually!
0:16:25 > 0:16:30So somewhere we've got a photo of the Christmas tree on top of the bike.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34I could collect stamps, but I don't want to collect stamps,
0:16:34 > 0:16:35I want to race in Bonneville.
0:16:35 > 0:16:38And once you've been, you'll understand why.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49Between them, the teams have spent thousands of man hours
0:16:49 > 0:16:51working on these machines.
0:16:52 > 0:16:53I suppose it is an obsession.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56If it was a hobby, you wouldn't do it.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58You know, it's different from your work.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01It's something you feel you need to do, but don't HAVE to do.
0:17:01 > 0:17:02You want to do it.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07He mainly talks about going to America, cars,
0:17:07 > 0:17:09lorries,
0:17:09 > 0:17:11That's usual dinner round the table for us.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13Every night I would say.
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Everyone likes speed, do they not?
0:17:16 > 0:17:18Er, no, no.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21Definitely not, no speed freak for me.
0:17:21 > 0:17:23No, the two of them are speed freaks, not for me.
0:17:23 > 0:17:27Definitely not for me, no. Definitely not, no.
0:17:29 > 0:17:34Back in Oxfordshire, Steve has joined Dave and his wife
0:17:34 > 0:17:37for another long weekend of bike-building.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42That's how the crankshaft started,
0:17:42 > 0:17:47it weighed 80lbs and it took two of us to lift it into the lathe.
0:17:47 > 0:17:51I do what I want to do and she works with her horses.
0:17:51 > 0:17:53We meet in the middle.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55He's very committed to what he's doing.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58But he's like the mad professor -
0:17:58 > 0:18:02he's got no other ideas anywhere.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04He's just focussed on what he's doing.
0:18:04 > 0:18:08The dogs can be walking all over him, all over the furniture,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11they could have chewed everything, he won't notice it.
0:18:11 > 0:18:14He'll get up and walk out into the garage.
0:18:14 > 0:18:16Hmm, I'm not sure that's entirely true,
0:18:16 > 0:18:18but I'm not going to argue, I won't argue.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23I think bike people are like that, aren't they?
0:18:23 > 0:18:24They're just focused on bikes
0:18:24 > 0:18:27and where they are going and what they are doing.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Don't forget to wipe your feet.
0:18:32 > 0:18:36- Do you think it's normal to have a motorbike in your living room?- No.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39And I tell you, when I catch up with the bastard who keeps dumping them
0:18:39 > 0:18:42all round here, I'm going to have a stiff word with him.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45It is a geezer hole. It's not very grown up.
0:18:45 > 0:18:48You couldn't entertain anybody here.
0:18:48 > 0:18:50But that's not what houses are for.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53Houses are for storing race parts for your bike.
0:18:53 > 0:18:56I mean, I've got a room up there full of race parts.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59I mean, it's just out of control.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01I'm a tidy, clean-living man.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03I come home and I find this,
0:19:03 > 0:19:05it's bordering on outrageous.
0:19:05 > 0:19:07I seem to get through some beds as well.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10That's got rifle damage that one.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13There's not going to be a like-minded woman
0:19:13 > 0:19:15and a pitter-patter of feet coming soon?
0:19:15 > 0:19:18I fucking hope not, unless she's good at welding.
0:19:21 > 0:19:22You've got to get on.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25It's a relationship that works extremely well.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28You don't get to know somebody really well
0:19:28 > 0:19:31until you get to work with them for, what, five or six months -
0:19:31 > 0:19:34it's weekends and nights, but that amount of time.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37And if you don't fall out in that space of time
0:19:37 > 0:19:39I think we've got a good footing.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Just something special about the relationship.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45I think that it's different from a friendship, this is a...
0:19:45 > 0:19:48don't say marriage, people, because it's not a marriage,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51- but it's... - No, it's definitely not a marriage.
0:19:51 > 0:19:53It is something special, to be quite honest,
0:19:53 > 0:19:55when you working like this.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59That, in the engine, will spin round and round at high speed,
0:19:59 > 0:20:02and these go up and down.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05So in the engine they'd be going up and down.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11Bang, bang, bang. Horsepower and more horsepower.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13It's a match made in heaven.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18Dave takes care of the engineering and Steve the techie details.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Once I'd done all this detail on the planning.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24I knew it was doable, logistically it was doable.
0:20:24 > 0:20:27Put the letters on each of the junctions of the pipe,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30E means you look for an E down here, you find an E,
0:20:30 > 0:20:3445 degrees swivel, -6. -6 is the size of the fitting I need.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38We've got As here, you look at A on the list,
0:20:38 > 0:20:40-8 to -6, that's a reducer,
0:20:40 > 0:20:42male to male...
0:20:46 > 0:20:50Bonneville's history is infused with almost mythological tales
0:20:50 > 0:20:52of how men have tamed their machines
0:20:52 > 0:20:55in the pursuit speed.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58Legends such as Rollie Free -
0:20:58 > 0:21:02concerned that his racing leathers may be causing drag,
0:21:02 > 0:21:06he decided to strip down to his swimming shorts for a final run.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11Lying flat, legs outstretched, he guided the bike
0:21:11 > 0:21:15by following a black stripe painted on the salt bed.
0:21:16 > 0:21:21It not only resulted in a 150 mph record on his British-made Vincent
0:21:21 > 0:21:25but became one of the most legendary images in motorcycling history.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31But perhaps the story that encapsulates the Bonneville spirit most
0:21:31 > 0:21:34is that of a kiwi bike-builder
0:21:34 > 0:21:38and his highly-modified Indian Scout motorcycle.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41There was a bloke from New Zealand called Burt Munro
0:21:41 > 0:21:43that came out here in 1967
0:21:43 > 0:21:45with an engine the size of a lawnmower
0:21:45 > 0:21:48and I'm talking to you today in 2012
0:21:48 > 0:21:51and nobody has broken that record yet!
0:21:57 > 0:21:59Know how fast you were going back there?
0:21:59 > 0:22:04Yeah, about 150, 160 miles an hour.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07Yeah, that sounds about right.
0:22:07 > 0:22:13Sir Anthony Hopkins' portrayal of the backyard eccentric genius
0:22:13 > 0:22:16in the feature film The World's Fastest Indian.
0:22:16 > 0:22:19It follows Munro's first land-speed record
0:22:19 > 0:22:21and it drew a whole new legion of fans to the Flats
0:22:21 > 0:22:24including Bonneville virgin Chris Ireland.
0:22:26 > 0:22:28Oz used to work for me.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31I phoned him up one day and told him to watch The World's Fastest Indian
0:22:31 > 0:22:34cos it was a brilliant film - me having an Indian, of course.
0:22:34 > 0:22:36After he'd seen it he said,
0:22:36 > 0:22:38"I piss in the garden, I've got chickens,"
0:22:38 > 0:22:41he said, "I've got an old shed, I've got an old bike,
0:22:41 > 0:22:43"I'm going to build one and go to Bonneville.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47I said, "You'll never do that so long as you've got a hole up your arse!"
0:22:47 > 0:22:51And two years later he sent me a photo of him at Bonneville.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56Just like Burt Munro,
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Chris will be taking a modified Indian Scout to the salt flats.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07# Get your motor running
0:23:07 > 0:23:09# Head out on the highway... #
0:23:09 > 0:23:13Chris Ireland used to run his own successful custom bike company
0:23:13 > 0:23:16with a staff of ten,
0:23:16 > 0:23:19but the stresses and strain of dealing with tax officials,
0:23:19 > 0:23:23demanding customers and day-to-day cash flow took their toll.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28I ran the business for 20 years almost to the day.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31And then I went in one day with a big lump in my throat,
0:23:31 > 0:23:35bought a bottle of whisky, went home, said to my wife,
0:23:35 > 0:23:36"I can't do it any more,"
0:23:36 > 0:23:39and shut the lot down and had a nervous breakdown,
0:23:39 > 0:23:41just from the stress of running the shop.
0:23:43 > 0:23:48When I came to get a job, I wanted something that was totally mindless,
0:23:48 > 0:23:51that I could go and do, not worry about it.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54So now, I'm the California beach cleaner.
0:23:55 > 0:24:00And it's brilliant, I love it, it's seasonal, three hours a day.
0:24:01 > 0:24:06I'm Lynn and I live with Chris and I have done for 29 years.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10Long years.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12He's very stressed.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Because the slightest little thing that goes wrong for Chris
0:24:15 > 0:24:19is just a major event. For us it will be just a "oh dear",
0:24:19 > 0:24:22but for Chris, no, he just gets so stressed.
0:24:22 > 0:24:24I get four or five of these a day.
0:24:25 > 0:24:26That's dog shit.
0:24:26 > 0:24:30This is the biggest thing he has done on his own, without me going
0:24:30 > 0:24:33and having to be behind him all the time.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36It knocked him back, his self-esteem, everything.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40It's one of those jobs where you can switch your brain off
0:24:40 > 0:24:43and walk about and think about other things
0:24:43 > 0:24:46like Bonneville and stuff like that.
0:24:46 > 0:24:50And when it comes to Bonneville, there's plenty to think about.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Riding flat out mile upon mile
0:24:52 > 0:24:55raises some interesting engineering challenges.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59It's interesting cos it's a 30-year-old bike.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02Everyone else is doing it on modern stuff with hybrid turbos.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05Fair play to them, that's the easy way, we like older stuff.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09You can't buy a bike like this so you have to go and make one.
0:25:09 > 0:25:11PJ is doing everything he can do to make the bike
0:25:11 > 0:25:16as strong as possible for his 200 mph record attempt.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19Right, today we're going to be melting metal.
0:25:19 > 0:25:21Where's the safest place to stand?
0:25:21 > 0:25:23Edinburgh!
0:25:29 > 0:25:31And we're alight!
0:25:33 > 0:25:36After meltdown, his bikes are reincarnated into new parts.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40When an Englishman is sitting in his garden,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43enjoying the rare bit of sunshine,
0:25:43 > 0:25:46it's going to be nice to hear a furnace going next door.
0:25:46 > 0:25:48It's relaxing.
0:25:48 > 0:25:51We're an industrialised nation, it's part of our heritage.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05I sort of buy motorbikes. Then I ride them.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08Then I scrape what's left of them up
0:26:08 > 0:26:11and melt them down, and make more parts for motorbikes.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14You can see it's quite liquid
0:26:14 > 0:26:16once you get rid of all the shite off the top.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26With the price of metal at an all-time high,
0:26:26 > 0:26:29PJ's stockpile is as good as money in the bank.
0:26:30 > 0:26:32There it is, instant ingots.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36Just down the road,
0:26:36 > 0:26:39Team Page are rebuilding a classic Triumph Bonneville
0:26:39 > 0:26:43in memory of a friend who died unexpectedly last year.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Of all the teams making the trip to the salt,
0:26:46 > 0:26:48they're the least experienced.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52It's not that we're not focused, but we're having fun doing it,
0:26:52 > 0:26:54cos we don't know what we're doing really.
0:26:54 > 0:26:57Their relaxed approach to engineering rigor
0:26:57 > 0:27:00is carrying on a tradition that Mike himself would have been proud of.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03Mike was kind of an eccentric character.
0:27:03 > 0:27:08He was always one for re-engineering things for himself,
0:27:08 > 0:27:09so the way this bike is being built
0:27:09 > 0:27:13is something he would wholeheartedly approve of if he were here.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20Wasn't Mike a kind of self-taught engineer?
0:27:20 > 0:27:22THEY LAUGH
0:27:22 > 0:27:24I think the word "engineer" is quite loose.
0:27:24 > 0:27:26- Self-taught is probably accurate. - Definitely self-taught!
0:27:26 > 0:27:31But Mike's still here in spirit and in body to some extent,
0:27:31 > 0:27:35as the team have thoughtfully kept his ashes in the workshop.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38Actually, if we had a bit of rain water we could probably mould him into something...
0:27:38 > 0:27:43Joking aside, if the team are to get anywhere near 124 mph in Utah,
0:27:43 > 0:27:46they'll need to nearly double the bike's horsepower.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51Only then will they be in with any chance of joining
0:27:51 > 0:27:53the hundreds of other Bonneville participants
0:27:53 > 0:27:55also gunning for a record.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59My name is Gene Gerber and I'm from Springfield, Illinois
0:27:59 > 0:28:03and we're going for a record of 229 mph.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06- My name is Devlin Duboss. - And my name is Vic Serana.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08We're from the state of Washington
0:28:08 > 0:28:11and we're chasing a 167-and-some-change record.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13My name is Larry and this is my wife Renee.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16We're from Southern California
0:28:16 > 0:28:19and we're trying for a record of 165.370.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23To break a record, you have to pass technical inspection.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26If the vehicle passes, it earns the right to go the starting line
0:28:26 > 0:28:31in its respective class, whatever that might be - Blown, Unblown,
0:28:31 > 0:28:35Fuel, Gas, Sports Car, Lakester, Streamliner, whatever.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38We're going after the Deblown Gas Ranger Modified Roadster record
0:28:38 > 0:28:41that is 155 and we're going to go faster.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43And my ultimate goal with my motorcycle
0:28:43 > 0:28:46is to go over 200 mph.
0:28:46 > 0:28:47And if the record is 200 mph
0:28:47 > 0:28:52and you run 210, you qualify. OK?
0:28:52 > 0:28:53And you go to impound.
0:28:53 > 0:28:56To set a record, it has to go two ways.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58Let's say the record is 200, you run 210,
0:28:58 > 0:29:01the second day you go out for your return run, or the record run as they call it,
0:29:01 > 0:29:04and you run 220. That's a total of 430.
0:29:04 > 0:29:07Slice it in half the new record is 215.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10You still have to go back to inspection or prove to the inspectors
0:29:10 > 0:29:13that you are running in all of the right rules for that particular class.
0:29:13 > 0:29:16Once they bless you and write in your log book you've done that,
0:29:16 > 0:29:18bingo, you got yourself a new record.
0:29:18 > 0:29:21My name's Mike, this is Howard, this is Chuck.
0:29:21 > 0:29:23We're from Fort Wayne, Indiana,
0:29:23 > 0:29:26going for the world's fastest 32 Ford Coupe, 214 mph.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33Back in Scotland, the team are preparing the car
0:29:33 > 0:29:36for its third visit to the Flats, having only just missed the record
0:29:36 > 0:29:40the last two times due to technical faults, and mechanical failure.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45People come and you either break a record or you break parts.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47There's only two outcomes.
0:29:47 > 0:29:50The engine has been retuned to the limit,
0:29:50 > 0:29:54from its original 175 horsepower,
0:29:54 > 0:29:56to a staggering 500.
0:29:57 > 0:29:59Last year that power was enough to twist the chassis
0:29:59 > 0:30:02and shred the gear box beyond repair.
0:30:02 > 0:30:06So the car has needed an extensive rebuild.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10Obviously, you don't go to the parts bin and pick up bits for them.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12But if we can't find it, we simply make it.
0:30:12 > 0:30:16The team have less than two weeks to get her ready for shipping.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21Back down south, Team Page are ready to start the engine.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24It's the end of a long, hard year rebuilding a bike
0:30:24 > 0:30:28that has been lying up in Mike's shed for 18 years.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30I'm ready to go.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33There's oil starting to get down into it.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37The oil goes in OK, but sadly seems to be coming out just as fast.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39Oh.
0:30:39 > 0:30:43Hello, we've got a leaky Triumph, it's just there on my side.
0:30:43 > 0:30:45Please don't say it's the engine casings.
0:30:46 > 0:30:48This really isn't good.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50There's some grinding marks on this side.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52Yeah, it's where we had to take out that under webbing
0:30:52 > 0:30:55- so the engine could move over. - We may have gone too far.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57They'd had to make a few modifications
0:30:57 > 0:30:59to the bottom of the engine to get it to fit in the frame
0:30:59 > 0:31:02and unfortunately it went through the wall of the crank case.
0:31:02 > 0:31:05Frog comes up with a cunning plan.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08Someone needs to fill that hole up. I want to get this started soon.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12Can I have a beer of disappointment, please?
0:31:13 > 0:31:14The beer of disappointment.
0:31:14 > 0:31:16Carlsberg don't do motorcycle disappointments
0:31:16 > 0:31:19but if they did, it would be like this.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22It's possible that the crank case can be welded
0:31:22 > 0:31:24but it means a complete strip-down overnight.
0:31:24 > 0:31:26Team Page just have one week to repair,
0:31:26 > 0:31:29finish and power test the old Triumph
0:31:29 > 0:31:31before shipping it to Bonneville.
0:31:33 > 0:31:36For Chris getting the 70-year-old bike ready for the salt
0:31:36 > 0:31:39has been a year's work.
0:31:39 > 0:31:40Come on, girls. Come on.
0:31:40 > 0:31:43In a world where many of the big players use the most
0:31:43 > 0:31:46sophisticated digital technology to build their vehicles,
0:31:46 > 0:31:50spending millions on R&D, Chris and his other projects
0:31:50 > 0:31:53are still very much a product of the analogue age.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59That's the speedo out of a Lancaster bomber.
0:31:59 > 0:32:01That's out of a Spitfire,
0:32:01 > 0:32:02the boost gauge.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06These two are out of a Barracuda dive bomber.
0:32:06 > 0:32:11It was a Citroen 2CV capable of doing about 60 mph.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13It's now been changed a little bit
0:32:13 > 0:32:15and should be good for at least 150.
0:32:19 > 0:32:21Are you more of a fan of older technology?
0:32:21 > 0:32:23I can't do it.
0:32:23 > 0:32:24I can't work the remote on the television,
0:32:24 > 0:32:27I can't work the remote on the satellite.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30Telephones, why can't they have a phone that's got "switch on",
0:32:30 > 0:32:33then you press the buttons and it rings,
0:32:33 > 0:32:35then you push another button to switch off?
0:32:35 > 0:32:36Why can't they have that?
0:32:38 > 0:32:41They think they have to have the internet on them
0:32:41 > 0:32:42and God-knows-what now.
0:32:42 > 0:32:45I wouldn't even know how to switch one on.
0:32:45 > 0:32:46PHONE RINGS
0:32:46 > 0:32:48Hello?
0:32:48 > 0:32:50Hello? Hello?
0:32:51 > 0:32:53Hello?
0:32:54 > 0:32:55Back in Leighton Buzzard,
0:32:55 > 0:32:58just days until the bikes need to be crated up,
0:32:58 > 0:33:02Oz's 196 mph missile is nearing completion.
0:33:03 > 0:33:08His friend Lee is helping with some finishing touches.
0:33:08 > 0:33:12I think it's really sad in the UK that manually skilled workers
0:33:12 > 0:33:16don't seem to be that valued. Everyone now values the IT skills
0:33:16 > 0:33:18and I think we're reaching a point where we're going to
0:33:18 > 0:33:21run out of people with manual skills and what he does,
0:33:21 > 0:33:25what he's capable of doing, is amazing.
0:33:25 > 0:33:27Fucking jammed up solid.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30When you've got someone who's doing something that they really want
0:33:30 > 0:33:32to do with something they really want to achieve,
0:33:32 > 0:33:34you've absolutely got to go with it.
0:33:35 > 0:33:36Oh, bloody hell!
0:33:36 > 0:33:40I mean, there are some people out there who have got loads of money
0:33:40 > 0:33:43and they have got the big rigs that are full of wheel-on tool boxes
0:33:43 > 0:33:46and stuff and we don't have any of that.
0:33:46 > 0:33:48It's done on a shoestring for us.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51Whatever the budget of those going to Bonneville,
0:33:51 > 0:33:55safety is one thing that can never be compromised.
0:33:56 > 0:33:59Having had his first taste of the salt three years ago,
0:33:59 > 0:34:02Oz is well aware of the danger.
0:34:04 > 0:34:06'Rider down. Rider down.'
0:34:14 > 0:34:18This is Oz attempting the record in 2009.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21He should be so proud of what he's done but I think,
0:34:21 > 0:34:23until he gets that record,
0:34:23 > 0:34:28it's still something that's a work in progress for him.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30Five years' work for five minutes of fun
0:34:30 > 0:34:33might seem a poor trade-off to some.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35The old adage of Burt Munroe,
0:34:35 > 0:34:39"You live more in five minutes on a bike like this
0:34:39 > 0:34:42"than most people do in a lifetime." And it's quite true.
0:34:43 > 0:34:48This is the closest most of us will come to travelling at over 150 mph.
0:34:48 > 0:34:53If the worst should happen, there is only a thin leather cowhide
0:34:53 > 0:34:55between the rider and the unforgiving,
0:34:55 > 0:34:57rough, granular surface.
0:34:57 > 0:34:59I try not to think about that
0:34:59 > 0:35:03because you don't want to think about what happens
0:35:03 > 0:35:05if you crash at high speed.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18I could never be without him.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21Doesn't matter how much it, you know...
0:35:21 > 0:35:23it would be devastating.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28I don't know the statistics, I don't want to know.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31And I'm going to play ostrich on that one.
0:35:31 > 0:35:35Head in the sand and, no, you know, ignore it.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39Ignore it she may, but the fact remains
0:35:39 > 0:35:41racing at Bonneville is dangerous.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44Throw in adverse track and weather conditions
0:35:44 > 0:35:47the risk factor increases dramatically.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53Since Speed Week began in 1948,
0:35:53 > 0:35:57nine people have died in the pursuit of this dream.
0:35:57 > 0:35:59'I couldn't hear it.'
0:36:01 > 0:36:05Fortunately the driver of this vehicle was one of the lucky ones.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12The hardest thing about a Streamliner
0:36:12 > 0:36:14is because they the slipperiest cars out there.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16They're the fastest cars, but they are the slipperiest.
0:36:16 > 0:36:19It is the forces that are unseen,
0:36:19 > 0:36:23the invisible air forces that can get you into serious trouble,
0:36:23 > 0:36:26and can cause a catastrophic accident.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42There is a...
0:36:42 > 0:36:47apprehension when you drive into Bonneville in the morning
0:36:47 > 0:36:50and you wonder if you are going to drive out in the evening...
0:36:51 > 0:36:54..which I think is normal, I think that's healthy.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57I think it's important to have that degree of adrenalin
0:36:57 > 0:37:00running when you're in the car, because it wakes you up,
0:37:00 > 0:37:01it keeps you very focused
0:37:01 > 0:37:04and I think it helps you with your reactions.
0:37:07 > 0:37:09Undoubtedly it is massively selfish.
0:37:09 > 0:37:15Yes. But it is something I need to do.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18And...
0:37:18 > 0:37:22I rather hope that the kids will one day understand that.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26The car is very long and very thin.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28The car can behave like a motorbike,
0:37:28 > 0:37:31so when you see the Grand Prix motorcyclists
0:37:31 > 0:37:33coming out of a corner and they slide the bike
0:37:33 > 0:37:35and then suddenly it snaps back on them,
0:37:35 > 0:37:38they get high-sided and they go over the handlebars.
0:37:38 > 0:37:39We can high-side the Flower.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43I once asked a very wise man who had driven these cars for a long while,
0:37:43 > 0:37:45what happens if we pencil roll?
0:37:45 > 0:37:50And his only response was, "It won't end well for you or the car."
0:37:50 > 0:37:52Oh!
0:37:57 > 0:38:00If there is an accident and he dies, well, he dies.
0:38:00 > 0:38:03I mean, it's destiny.
0:38:03 > 0:38:06It's destiny and you can't go against destiny.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13Back in Great Yarmouth, Chris Ireland's homespun bike
0:38:13 > 0:38:16is almost ready for a road test.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18But with limited funds, he's popped down
0:38:18 > 0:38:22to his local scrap yard for one last part.
0:38:22 > 0:38:25His mate Gary, who runs the breakers yard,
0:38:25 > 0:38:27allows him free rein in the spares bin
0:38:27 > 0:38:30in return for the occasional basket of eggs.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36Aladdin's cave.
0:38:42 > 0:38:45Happy as a pig in whatsit!
0:38:45 > 0:38:50This is a bike-breaker's paradise, old wheels, front ends,
0:38:50 > 0:38:52exhaust systems, handlebars,
0:38:52 > 0:38:55if it comes off a bike, it's in this shed.
0:38:55 > 0:38:58And I think they've got what I want, I'm after a wheel spindle
0:38:58 > 0:39:01and I know where they are, they're down there.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07Gotcha! That'll do it.
0:39:08 > 0:39:12With their bike now complete and just three days until shipping,
0:39:12 > 0:39:17Dave and Steve can finally step back to admire their handiwork.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21The supercharger here. It's the mouth of the supercharger.
0:39:21 > 0:39:23It provides all the air for the engine.
0:39:23 > 0:39:28It was all made here. Not the supercharger itself, but the air intake, yes,
0:39:28 > 0:39:32the meter and block above, all the fittings. All made here, yeah.
0:39:32 > 0:39:38On the front of the bike, we've got a water pump which will feed water at about 300 gallons per hour,
0:39:38 > 0:39:42into the intercooler - you can see the pipe going to the right feeds the water into the bottom.
0:39:42 > 0:39:47Pumps up to the top. Then the pipe coming down from the top is the ice water intake.
0:39:47 > 0:39:48That's the gearbox.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51The belt to the right, that has the supercharger drive.
0:39:51 > 0:39:56It should give us about 30lb of boost pressure in the engine.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59The barge aluminium nut sticking out, Dave made that.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03That comes through the side case, so we can start the engine.
0:40:03 > 0:40:09That's the clutch hat. That's bolted on to basically a bucketful of alternate steel and bronze plates.
0:40:09 > 0:40:12That entire thing was made by Dave.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16Currently, the bike is geared for about 158 mph.
0:40:16 > 0:40:20We have gearing which will be able to take it up to 195
0:40:20 > 0:40:23if there's enough power in the engine to do so.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25The grips on the handlebars are made here.
0:40:25 > 0:40:29It bites into your glove, and you can really hang on to your bike.
0:40:29 > 0:40:33The jumble of wires is the data logger.
0:40:33 > 0:40:38This will log front-wheel speed, rear-wheel speed, boost temperature,
0:40:38 > 0:40:42boost pressure, engine RPM, shoe size and inside leg measurement.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45That's the theory. We've yet to put it to the test.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48MUSIC: "Je T'Aime...Moi Non Plus" by Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin
0:40:48 > 0:40:53Visually the handmade bike exceeds all expectations, but Steve
0:40:53 > 0:40:57and Dave know all too well how the best laid plans
0:40:57 > 0:41:00can fall victim to the rugged salt.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04They'll be relying on a small group of event organisers
0:41:04 > 0:41:10and volunteers to make sure the vast salt flats are ready for racing.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13When a guy wants to turn off the course we try
0:41:13 > 0:41:14and provide a smoother place for him
0:41:14 > 0:41:17to turn off so he doesn't have to go out on this stuff,
0:41:17 > 0:41:21where the course beats him to death. So that's what Jim's doing. He's dragging turn outs.
0:41:21 > 0:41:25So far today we've got 58 miles, so the day is just getting started.
0:41:25 > 0:41:30Usually we're close to 100-150 miles. We're almost finished.
0:41:30 > 0:41:35Well, when you look out here at the salt, and you see all this stuff,
0:41:35 > 0:41:38and it's all under water during the winter time, and as it dries out
0:41:38 > 0:41:43it gets workable. And if you leave it too long, you can't do anything.
0:41:43 > 0:41:47And if you go down three or four inches, there's still water.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51Each course has strategically placed timing traps
0:41:51 > 0:41:53laid along its entire length.
0:41:53 > 0:41:56These are the individual wires that go out on to the course.
0:41:56 > 0:41:59They all connect to this trailer.
0:41:59 > 0:42:04There is 32 to 34 miles of cable just for these two courses.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07You can see it's pretty technical!
0:42:07 > 0:42:09Formula One doesn't have anything on us!
0:42:14 > 0:42:20Back in the UK, Team Page might have solved their grinding incident,
0:42:20 > 0:42:22with a hole in the crank case.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24Oz, who lives nearby,
0:42:24 > 0:42:28kindly takes time from his own build to sort them out.
0:42:28 > 0:42:29Excellent, we're fixed!
0:42:29 > 0:42:33I don't know much about holes, it didn't look like it was major,
0:42:33 > 0:42:36and I'm just glad we've found someone with the talent to actually sort it out.
0:42:36 > 0:42:37Just being able to take it out
0:42:37 > 0:42:41and getting it back and welded within about four hours is great!
0:42:44 > 0:42:46With the bike back in one piece,
0:42:46 > 0:42:49they're finally ready to start her up for the first time, and in
0:42:49 > 0:42:53a wave of optimism, they've invited Mike's mum and dad for the occasion.
0:43:18 > 0:43:21When we kick the bike over for the first time, it's going to be
0:43:21 > 0:43:24a very important occasion because, for one, the bike hasn't been
0:43:24 > 0:43:28started in so long and plus in the memory of Mike.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36A temporary fuel tank is put on...
0:43:38 > 0:43:40..as one of Mike's closest friends,
0:43:40 > 0:43:44Frog is given the honour of starting the bike.
0:43:46 > 0:43:47But no amount of kicking
0:43:47 > 0:43:51and prodding will wake the old triumph from its 18-year slumber.
0:43:53 > 0:43:57In a moment of inspiration, Frog comes up with an old "Bonneville"
0:43:57 > 0:44:01trick of the trade, using another bike to spin up the rear wheel.
0:44:02 > 0:44:04I can't wait for this.
0:44:18 > 0:44:20Mike would be over the moon with this, I think.
0:44:20 > 0:44:22Apart from the fact it was very noisy,
0:44:22 > 0:44:24which would have made him extremely happy.
0:44:28 > 0:44:30Back in Great Yarmouth,
0:44:30 > 0:44:34the peaceful Norfolk countryside is about to be shaken, as Chris
0:44:34 > 0:44:38takes to his favourite stretch of private road for a test ride.
0:44:54 > 0:44:56This is a first ride in two years - I won't lie
0:44:56 > 0:44:58and say I've not been worried about it.
0:45:07 > 0:45:09When I was halfway down the road and I opened up
0:45:09 > 0:45:11and it smoothed out and started pulling,
0:45:11 > 0:45:14I felt pretty good about what I'd done to the engine.
0:45:14 > 0:45:20Quietly Pleased. That was only in first gear.
0:45:21 > 0:45:23But I'm on Bonneville gearing at the moment
0:45:23 > 0:45:27so it's geared to do, like, 100 mph on tick over, but that was good.
0:45:33 > 0:45:37Chris is so far the only one of the six teams going to Bonneville
0:45:37 > 0:45:38to road test his vehicle.
0:45:41 > 0:45:44Up in Scotland, the team are finishing the rebuild
0:45:44 > 0:45:50of the car they hope will break the 313 mph record in the one litre class.
0:45:50 > 0:45:53After two failures at Bonneville, the pressure is on.
0:45:53 > 0:45:57They failed to do it the last time and he doesn't like to say they failed.
0:45:57 > 0:45:59No, they don't like to fail
0:45:59 > 0:46:01and that's probably why they're going again.
0:46:01 > 0:46:05The record stood for all this time because people reckon it's
0:46:05 > 0:46:08impossible to go any quicker, we need to prove them wrong.
0:46:08 > 0:46:12They really want to get the record.
0:46:12 > 0:46:15That's all they think about.
0:46:15 > 0:46:18The Flower is ready but is far too long
0:46:18 > 0:46:20and powerful for any testing in Britain.
0:46:20 > 0:46:24So they will have no way of knowing what she's capable of till it
0:46:24 > 0:46:25gets there.
0:46:26 > 0:46:30South of the border with just two days to go, Team Page
0:46:30 > 0:46:35are about to find out how much horsepower the 40-year machine has.
0:46:35 > 0:46:36What are we hoping for?
0:46:36 > 0:46:38I want 60.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40I'm going to be positive and say 66.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44- I'm going for 69 because it's a 69 Bonneville.- Fair enough.
0:46:50 > 0:46:53The bike gives out just 41 horsepower
0:46:53 > 0:46:58but picks up speed cleanly, accelerating to well over 120 mph
0:46:58 > 0:47:02but these are ideal conditions with no wind or salt under the wheels.
0:47:03 > 0:47:07The bike will need to deliver considerably more to tackle
0:47:07 > 0:47:09the current record of 124 mph.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16Well, it's a beautiful sound isn't it, the sound of an engine?
0:47:23 > 0:47:27Y'know, the whine in the background, you hear the cams going round,
0:47:27 > 0:47:33there's no tapping noises, she's nice on the rumble, crisp,
0:47:33 > 0:47:37responsive, I like the whirr in the background,
0:47:37 > 0:47:39means everything nice and tight.
0:47:43 > 0:47:44Smells like victory!
0:47:49 > 0:47:53You can't do that because it will go gadonk, gadonk..
0:47:53 > 0:47:54'Scuse the party hats.
0:47:57 > 0:48:01Back in Oxfordshire, Steve and Dave are about to start their land
0:48:01 > 0:48:03speed vehicle for the first time
0:48:03 > 0:48:08and in deference to the neighbours they're firing it up in the garage.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10The methanol fumes are toxic.
0:48:26 > 0:48:28They've taken this 45hp bike engine
0:48:28 > 0:48:32and transformed it into a 200hp monster.
0:48:32 > 0:48:36Keep the mask on until I get out here, shouldn't I?
0:48:36 > 0:48:38The bike still has not had a proper road test,
0:48:38 > 0:48:41but at least it's running, and with the container
0:48:41 > 0:48:44booked for the fast approaching weekend, any further
0:48:44 > 0:48:49adjustments will have to wait for their arrival at Bonneville.
0:48:49 > 0:48:51It's time. The container is waiting
0:48:51 > 0:48:54and the teams must part company with their precious creations
0:48:54 > 0:48:59for six weeks before being reunited at the Los Angeles shipping office.
0:49:02 > 0:49:05Meanwhile Team Page, who have lovingly
0:49:05 > 0:49:09restored their friend's bike have organised a send-off.
0:49:09 > 0:49:13Anyone and everyone who knew Mike has come along to pay their respects.
0:49:17 > 0:49:21Here we go. Three, two, one!
0:49:21 > 0:49:22CHEERING
0:49:27 > 0:49:29'It looked so wonderful.'
0:49:29 > 0:49:33And I just felt that all Mike's friends were here and, um...
0:49:33 > 0:49:34Oh, sorry.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37Erm, and it would have been lovely if Mike had been here too,
0:49:37 > 0:49:40but I'm sure he was here in spirit, bless him.
0:49:42 > 0:49:45As a touching tribute to their best friend, Team page have
0:49:45 > 0:49:49carefully put his ashes in a container under the petrol tank,
0:49:49 > 0:49:51which they plan to release onto the flats.
0:49:59 > 0:50:01The first part of the dream is over.
0:50:02 > 0:50:05The bikes, ready or not, are on their way.
0:50:05 > 0:50:08The countdown to Bonneville Speed Week has begun.
0:50:18 > 0:50:23Between them, years of hard work, thousands spent -
0:50:23 > 0:50:28and just a few minutes on the salt to prove it was all worth it.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36Five and half thousand miles away, the teams have assembled in LA.
0:50:39 > 0:50:43They all have one thing on their mind - has their precious cargo
0:50:43 > 0:50:46survived a six-week voyage across the Atlantic?
0:50:49 > 0:50:52For some, it's the first time to the States.
0:50:52 > 0:50:56They don't like you smoking in America, they don't like it all!
0:50:59 > 0:51:00Feel like a leper.
0:51:00 > 0:51:03But all are keen to hit the road.
0:51:03 > 0:51:06Fully-loaded, the teams can now make their way to
0:51:06 > 0:51:08the object of this obsession.
0:51:09 > 0:51:13Next stop - Vegas and then Bonneville.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40The dried-up lake of Bonneville, Utah.
0:51:40 > 0:51:43Since the beginning of the last century, thousands have
0:51:43 > 0:51:47descended upon the infamous salt flats.
0:51:47 > 0:51:53It will now play host to the 64th annual Speed Week. After
0:51:53 > 0:51:59a gruelling 850 mile trip, the first of the teams are starting to arrive.
0:52:01 > 0:52:03And for some it's great to be back!
0:52:03 > 0:52:05Good morning!
0:52:05 > 0:52:09For others, it's a lifelong ambition finally achieved.
0:52:09 > 0:52:14Good to be here. A lot of people dreamt about doing this
0:52:14 > 0:52:16and we've actually made it.
0:52:16 > 0:52:20Once we've got set up, we'll go and wander around and have a look
0:52:20 > 0:52:21and take it all in.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24Parked it right next to the toilets anyway!
0:52:24 > 0:52:29The chance to realise the dream that we thought about last year.
0:52:29 > 0:52:31Getting excited!
0:52:34 > 0:52:36Sometimes I stands and sometimes I stands and I thinks.
0:52:36 > 0:52:37It's big, innit?
0:52:51 > 0:52:54- We are here.- It's weird, innit?
0:52:54 > 0:52:59- It's harder than I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be more like gravel.- Yeah, I did.
0:52:59 > 0:53:02- It's all right, we can race on this. - Yeah, we can do this.
0:53:02 > 0:53:07Before any racing can begin, all vehicles have to go to tech inspection.
0:53:07 > 0:53:09Inspector's word is final.
0:53:10 > 0:53:15We point out the problems, and we put in the book they need to
0:53:15 > 0:53:20address this. Please, go fix it and bring it back. We'll re-inspect it
0:53:20 > 0:53:22and then you can race.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25If they don't want to do that, they can't race.
0:53:25 > 0:53:27Geordie Oz is first up.
0:53:27 > 0:53:32He's spent the last three years in his shed modifying the bike
0:53:32 > 0:53:33with this day in mind.
0:53:33 > 0:53:34ENGINE IGNITES AND REVS UP
0:53:39 > 0:53:42All right, man, you passed. It's all good.
0:53:42 > 0:53:46It's a beautiful machine. Can't wait to see it go.
0:53:47 > 0:53:49I only just got here!
0:53:51 > 0:53:53Chris is next up.
0:53:53 > 0:53:56I think this is a real good looking Indian. Long wheel base.
0:53:56 > 0:54:01- Looks like it belongs here.- Yeah. Looks like a Bonneville bike to me.
0:54:01 > 0:54:04It's not just the bike that gets a stringent check over.
0:54:04 > 0:54:08All clothing has to meet strict safety standards.
0:54:08 > 0:54:10Fix that and I'll sign you off.
0:54:16 > 0:54:20Delayed by a slight detour around the Panama Canal,
0:54:20 > 0:54:23the Flower of Scotland team arrives a day late.
0:54:32 > 0:54:36It's awe-inspiring. You'll have noticed it yourself when you arrive.
0:54:36 > 0:54:38Such a vast expanse,
0:54:38 > 0:54:44and then you have all these nutcases with weird cars.
0:54:45 > 0:54:50This is petrolhead heaven. There's no restrictions here.
0:54:50 > 0:54:51There's no silliness.
0:54:51 > 0:54:54It's carefully controlled, but it's sensible.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56CAR HORN HOOTS
0:54:56 > 0:54:59And they're all mad as hatters!
0:54:59 > 0:55:00HE SIGHS
0:55:02 > 0:55:05My leather's failed tech, because the zip is sewed to a piece of cloth.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07And it's got to be sewed to leather.
0:55:08 > 0:55:12They told me I could get by.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14I stitched it with lock wire.
0:55:14 > 0:55:19That little lot took me over half an hour to do.
0:55:19 > 0:55:21Regulations, simple as that.
0:55:21 > 0:55:23So it doesn't pull your trousers off.
0:55:23 > 0:55:26If something drastic had been wrong with the bike,
0:55:26 > 0:55:29and I couldn't fix it over here,
0:55:29 > 0:55:31I would have been in deep doo-doos.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34We've only got a certain amount of spares.
0:55:34 > 0:55:36And we have to build the bikes to what we think is standard,
0:55:36 > 0:55:41and their standards are sometimes a bit different to ours.
0:55:41 > 0:55:43But I'll carry on sewing regardless.
0:55:51 > 0:55:55Back in tech, even Team Page are ticking the right boxes.
0:55:55 > 0:55:57- You passed.- Thanks so much.
0:55:57 > 0:56:00Welcome, fellas. Thank you very much.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04ENGINE REVS UP
0:56:06 > 0:56:10And Steve and Dave are enjoying a shower of praise.
0:56:10 > 0:56:14- Damn, that sounds good, doesn't it? - It does. Smells good too.
0:56:14 > 0:56:16We're done. Your bike passed.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19Looking good. We like it. It's great!
0:56:19 > 0:56:22I wish they all looked this good.
0:56:22 > 0:56:27- OK, sir. Be safe. Go fast. - Thank you.- Sorted!
0:56:27 > 0:56:32PJ and Dave's modified 1983 Suzuki has also made the grade.
0:56:32 > 0:56:35We have official approval. We came here to get professionally slagged off.
0:56:35 > 0:56:40And we're through, so we're happy. Check it out!
0:56:40 > 0:56:42That's a big deal for us.
0:56:42 > 0:56:45This is what we wanted. Safety inspection signed off.
0:56:45 > 0:56:48You can see I signed it off there, but...
0:56:48 > 0:56:50That's because he didn't have his glasses on!
0:56:51 > 0:56:56It's a testament to British engineering that everyone has passed tech.
0:56:56 > 0:57:00But the bikes are not the only thing the Brits have brought with them.
0:57:02 > 0:57:07Unfortunately, we have Bonneville's tallest lightning conductor.
0:57:07 > 0:57:10Due to the conductive nature of salt, water and lightning,
0:57:10 > 0:57:13Bonneville participants are advised to make a swift exit.
0:57:21 > 0:57:22Tomorrow they'll find out
0:57:22 > 0:57:26if their vehicles have what it takes to ride the salt.
0:57:26 > 0:57:29MUSIC: Theme from "The Italian Job"
0:57:36 > 0:57:39Once the flats dry up, it will be time to race.
0:57:42 > 0:57:48In the next episode, the battle between man and machine begins.
0:57:49 > 0:57:53As they drive their home-made wonders as fast as they can...
0:57:53 > 0:57:57Gagging for it now. Heart is going like a stolen moped.
0:58:09 > 0:58:12..the realities of racing flat out soon set in...
0:58:12 > 0:58:13Completely fucked.
0:58:15 > 0:58:16I've found the hole.
0:58:16 > 0:58:19..but do any of them have what it takes to get a Bonneville record?
0:58:19 > 0:58:22Good enough to spank it up the salt at full tilt, aren't I?
0:58:24 > 0:58:25Out here things go wrong.
0:58:30 > 0:58:32I thought I mixed all the gears up but I hadn't.
0:58:32 > 0:58:34If we don't break the record this year, we will have failed.
0:58:34 > 0:58:36How hard can it possibly be?
0:58:38 > 0:58:41MUSIC: "Dream On" by Aerosmith
0:58:47 > 0:58:49Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd