0:00:02 > 0:00:05This programme contains strong language.
0:00:05 > 0:00:08In the last episode, a group of British amateur engineers
0:00:08 > 0:00:14finally arrived in Utah for Bonneville's 64th Annual Speed Week.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17Six teams, six very different machines.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20We came here with the express intention
0:00:20 > 0:00:24of racing this bike on the salt.
0:00:24 > 0:00:26There's nowhere else on Earth like it.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Guys from all walks of life...
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Guys in sheds, guys in garages, little tinkerers.
0:00:31 > 0:00:33We're all little tinkerers and little feckers
0:00:33 > 0:00:35and we like a trinket and a treasure.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40Yeah, mate! THEY LAUGH
0:00:40 > 0:00:42My ice cream dealer(!)
0:00:42 > 0:00:45..all with something to prove.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Big records. Running on a tough record,
0:00:48 > 0:00:50and we're a little team from a very, very long way away.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55I mean, how hard could it possibly be? THEY LAUGH
0:00:55 > 0:00:58There ain't no messing around here, you know what I mean?
0:00:58 > 0:00:59This is it. Time to go fast.
0:01:25 > 0:01:26Welcome to Bonneville, you guys.
0:01:26 > 0:01:29This is the fastest speedway in the world.
0:01:29 > 0:01:32Top speed here of 462 mph.
0:01:32 > 0:01:36You'll see every kind of car and motorcycle you could ever dream of.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39This is the place they're going to be and this is the fastest there is.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42Keep track of the streamline - the ones that go really fast -
0:01:42 > 0:01:44and then go down to the five-mile marker
0:01:44 > 0:01:47and you could hear the engine start, and you can hear them coming,
0:01:47 > 0:01:50but you can't see them yet till they come up over the edge of the earth.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53The cars will come up to you over the curvature of the earth.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55It's really a hoot to see that.
0:01:56 > 0:01:59The record that the Scottish streamliner team are trying to break
0:01:59 > 0:02:02has been held for over 10 years.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04It's a huge challenge.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08To bring a team of guys from a little garage outside Glasgow,
0:02:08 > 0:02:13with a 300-plus mph car to the Bonneville Salt Flats.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15To try and be one of only seven Brits
0:02:15 > 0:02:19to break a record here over 300 mph, you know.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Yeah, I'd be the third living Brit
0:02:22 > 0:02:25in the 300 chapter of the 200 mph club here.
0:02:25 > 0:02:29You know, the other six are all legends. I mean, look at the names -
0:02:29 > 0:02:31Sir Malcolm Campbell, Donald Campbell,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34Cobb, Eastern and then Noble and Green.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36I mean, these guys are heroes.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42This will be the team's third visit to the flats,
0:02:42 > 0:02:45having only just missed the record on previous occasions
0:02:45 > 0:02:48due to technical problems.
0:02:48 > 0:02:50The record's stood for all this time,
0:02:50 > 0:02:53because people reckon that it's impossible to go any quicker.
0:02:53 > 0:02:54We need to prove them wrong.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10If we don't break the record this year, or if we don't even break 300,
0:03:10 > 0:03:13we will have failed, and we will have failed miserably and, um,
0:03:13 > 0:03:16right now, failure is not something I want to contemplate.
0:03:16 > 0:03:20Most of the teams are prepping their vehicles for their first run.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25Put some more fuel in it, and we're ready to go.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27Hey, we're ready to go!
0:03:30 > 0:03:34Fresh in the knowledge they've passed the rigorous tech inspection,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37the teams begin the five-mile trip to the start line.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41But before they can even attempt a record,
0:03:41 > 0:03:43they'll first need to qualify for a licence
0:03:43 > 0:03:46by proving they can safely ride down the track
0:03:46 > 0:03:48within a set range of speeds.
0:03:51 > 0:03:55So Bonneville's pretty unique, huh? ENGINES REV
0:03:55 > 0:04:00Yesterday, raining buckets, two inches of water everywhere,
0:04:00 > 0:04:04loads of long faces, everybody getting drunk. Today, race face.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07PJ and his partner Dave
0:04:07 > 0:04:13- have gone back to basics with their retro Suzuki.- It's interesting,
0:04:13 > 0:04:14cos it's a 30-year-old bike.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17Everyone else is doing it on modern stuff, with hybrid turbos.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21Fair play to them, that's the easy way. We like older stuff.
0:04:21 > 0:04:25You can't buy a bike like this, so you have to go and make one.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28I've got butterflies. I'm nervous, I've got the whole gambit.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30It's all going on, you know.
0:04:30 > 0:04:33He's going to be the same. He'll be the same when I'm on it.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35You know, you're just nervous,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38cos you're sending someone off on something you built and you're like,
0:04:38 > 0:04:40things are going in your head, "Did I? Did I? Did I?
0:04:41 > 0:04:44PJ and Dave know they'll need a minor miracle
0:04:44 > 0:04:48to get near the 203 mph record,
0:04:48 > 0:04:51but they're at Bonneville for the long haul.
0:04:51 > 0:04:55Their target this year is to upgrade the 150 licence they already hold
0:04:55 > 0:05:01to a licence that entitles them to go over 175 mph.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05Can't wait. I'm really looking forward to it. But I know that when
0:05:05 > 0:05:08I get down the bottom, on the line, I'm going to be shaking like a leaf.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11But we'll see what the old girl will do.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15I've never done this before ever. I've gone fast and everything,
0:05:15 > 0:05:19but I've never raced against a clock or tried to set a speed.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23I've only gone fast, usually trying to get away from the police.
0:05:23 > 0:05:24HE LAUGHS
0:05:27 > 0:05:30- Our record is not phenomenally high.- No.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33If we get absolutely everything right and the wind behind us, and it's downhill,
0:05:33 > 0:05:37- we might get, I don't know, 180 if we're lucky.- Mmm.
0:05:37 > 0:05:41Last year, Steve and Dave went to Bonneville as spectators
0:05:41 > 0:05:44and got their licences on a borrowed bike.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46The salt fever took hold,
0:05:46 > 0:05:50and now, they've built their very own bike from scratch.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53I've put pictures of these up on Facebook pages
0:05:53 > 0:05:58and had comments of people saying, "Wow, who made that?"
0:05:58 > 0:06:01- So I said, "Dave did." Everything's made by hand.- Yeah.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05- ENGINE REVS THEN SPLUTTERS - There's a fault underneath.
0:06:06 > 0:06:10- Don't panic.- That was me, I'm not panicking. Sorry about that. OK.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13ENGINE REVS LOUDLY
0:06:13 > 0:06:15For Steve and Dave to get the record,
0:06:15 > 0:06:19they'll need to beat 88 mph in a 750 cc class.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26The fastest I've been on the roads is 160, and I was on a trike.
0:06:28 > 0:06:30And that didn't in fact seem particularly fast.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36And that was on the A14 at rush hour.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41As the more experienced rider,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44Steve gets the first chance to put the bike through its paces.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Geordie Oz was last here in 2009.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01Every day since has been dedicated to getting back to the salt.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Get in about five o'clock, work until about eight o'clock,
0:07:06 > 0:07:11have a bit of tea, watch an hour's telly and then go to bed.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13Then start again the next day.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Always the same. Every night.
0:07:19 > 0:07:25Unfortunately for Oz, his three-year quest to beat a 196 mph record
0:07:25 > 0:07:27might have to wait a little longer.
0:07:32 > 0:07:36Oz has taken a turn for the worse with a recurring chronic illness.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41Far too ill to ride, he's resting in a local camp site
0:07:41 > 0:07:44away from the chaos and heat of the flats.
0:07:55 > 0:07:58PJ's partner Dave is next up.
0:07:58 > 0:08:00Gagging for it now.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02Yeah, heart's going like a stolen moped.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07Yeah, I can't wait. I'm really buzzing.
0:08:07 > 0:08:11It's nice to get back on something and be able to race again, you know.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13- Are you nervous? - Yeah, course I'm nervous.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17If you're not nervous, then there's something wrong with you, I think, maybe.
0:08:17 > 0:08:19You know, it's there, a little bit of the jitters,
0:08:19 > 0:08:21but it's a respect thing, you know.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24If you don't respect it, it'll bite you, it'll kill you.
0:08:28 > 0:08:30To get their 175 licence,
0:08:30 > 0:08:36a run of between 150-175 mph is required on the 30-year-old bike.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51Steve and Dave's bespoke bike has already found its first gremlin.
0:08:51 > 0:08:54Slowing it down is an art.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56And then, eventually, it just went bump and down.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59- Can we get it moved? We've got to get it...- Yeah, OK.
0:09:04 > 0:09:10It's annoying in the way that the engine wouldn't take full throttle.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13And so I was feathering it along, and I thought,
0:09:13 > 0:09:16"Why can't I see my speedo?" I'd forgotten to switch it on.
0:09:16 > 0:09:20So then, I switched the speedo on and the vibration increased,
0:09:20 > 0:09:23and the power lead jumped out, so I've no idea how fast I was.
0:09:23 > 0:09:26How many things have fallen off? I don't know.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31But the engine stopped itself. We now need to find out why it stopped.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35At these high speeds, drivers and riders have mile upon mile of salt
0:09:35 > 0:09:37on which to stop their vehicles.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39But it doesn't always go to plan.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51'We have another spin!'
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Thankfully, there are no marks for content or style.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59It's only the top speed at the designated mile marker that counts.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05Dave and Steve should be confident they have a record-breaking time.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09The current record is set at a modest 88 mph.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12It appears we've something we can work with. That's what we want.
0:10:12 > 0:10:14All I'm going to say is...
0:10:14 > 0:10:20- Look at the speed in mile two, which is 129 mph.- Yeah.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23- Half throttle.- Half throttle, there you go, you see.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27- 129 mph on part throttle. - There you go.- My goodness.
0:10:27 > 0:10:29HE LAUGHS
0:10:29 > 0:10:32In theory, 129 mph is more than enough
0:10:32 > 0:10:34to qualify for a record attempt.
0:10:34 > 0:10:36- Come on, I'm getting hot in here. - Let's get back.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40But to make a second run, they'll first need to find out
0:10:40 > 0:10:42what caused the engine to fail.
0:10:42 > 0:10:43Hee-hee!
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Chris Ireland decided to make the trip to Bonneville after watching
0:10:48 > 0:10:52a film about legendary Kiwi bike builder Burt Monro.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56- Vroom-vroom!- It's his first visit to the salt flats.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00It is going to be an experience. I'm getting a really bad disease now
0:11:00 > 0:11:04that people have probably told you about - salt fever.
0:11:04 > 0:11:08Have you heard that phrase? Salt fever is what everybody's got.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14After two years of planning, Chris is about to find out
0:11:14 > 0:11:17if his 70-year-old 500 cc Indian
0:11:17 > 0:11:21will hold together whilst going for the 127 mph record.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38What goes through my mind is, um, praying that
0:11:38 > 0:11:40the clutch will work on it, for a start.
0:11:40 > 0:11:42And it worked perfect every time.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49And you hope that you've got your jetting right, and gearing right,
0:11:49 > 0:11:53and it's going to pull OK and they kick her over, shit your pants.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59I'm actually looking at the rev counter all the time,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02trying to keep my head down. And you just hope and pray
0:12:02 > 0:12:06your engine ain't going to blow up between your legs.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10I guess you could say your mind almost goes blank doing these runs.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13You don't know what you thought about or anything when you get to the end.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16There's a weird feeling when you've actually finished the run,
0:12:16 > 0:12:18you've got this feeling of solitude.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20In the middle of the desert, your bike's steaming away,
0:12:20 > 0:12:23and it's just been run flat out again.
0:12:23 > 0:12:25Something it was never ever designed for.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28You really can't describe it. It's like being on the moon.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34See, I'm knackered there, I'm out of breath.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37I had a full head of hair when I set off, it's blown it all off(!)
0:12:37 > 0:12:41How can you describe that? The only thing you can say to somebody is
0:12:41 > 0:12:44get out there, go and have a look.
0:12:44 > 0:12:47Chris' bike only reached 69 mph.
0:12:48 > 0:12:53The record is 127 mph, and I don't think we're going to get anywhere near it.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56But I haven't come here to break records, I've come here to have a good time.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58Just hope I don't break a record. I don't care.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Team Page from Hertfordshire have their own very personal reasons
0:13:05 > 0:13:08for joining the contingent of bikers.
0:13:08 > 0:13:10Our friend Mike died a couple of years ago
0:13:10 > 0:13:12from a heart attack at a young age.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15He had this bike that he'd been rebuilding for 20-plus years,
0:13:15 > 0:13:18and never finished it. It became a long-running joke.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22Everyone always used to ask if he'd finished and it never happened.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26Compared to the other teams, they're the least experienced.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30I'm an architectural technologist and building services engineer.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34- I'm an IT manager.- I'm the grinder. If it needs grinding, I'll grind it.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40I'm about to do my first run at Bonneville Salt Flats.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Alien is the first to ride the Mike Page Special,
0:13:45 > 0:13:49as they begin their pursuit of a 124 mph record.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56It's only 10am, but already,
0:13:56 > 0:13:58the sun's beating down well into the 40s.
0:13:58 > 0:14:01Probably got a gallon of sweat inside this suit with me right now,
0:14:01 > 0:14:05and the only way to get the heat out is threw my head with this fan.
0:14:05 > 0:14:07And I got a cold rag on top.
0:14:07 > 0:14:11The track's been open for a while now and already there's been...
0:14:11 > 0:14:13an incident.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15We had an accident on two,
0:14:15 > 0:14:19and so they take all the ambulances over there and shut everything down.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22So we can't run until the ambulances are back in place.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24If you look out there, you can see all the cars in the middle,
0:14:24 > 0:14:26that's where the accident is.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Once they clear that up, and they get back, then we'll be back to running.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32We saw one of the first 300 mph passes of the day today,
0:14:32 > 0:14:36which is the Marrow Streamliner. And he threw the 'chute,
0:14:36 > 0:14:40and the 'chute picked up the back of the car,
0:14:40 > 0:14:46and the car turned hard right, and fired off the track at 300-plus mph.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48He was lucky, he's a very big heavy car.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50We wouldn't have got away with it.
0:14:50 > 0:14:53Our car's too light, we'd have got flicked up.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55We'd have maybe got turned over, so, er...
0:14:55 > 0:14:59just a little bit sobering for the first day back on the salt.
0:14:59 > 0:15:03If you fall off, first is to get rid of it, kick it out of your way.
0:15:03 > 0:15:05The only enemy out there is the bike itself.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09The rest of it is just hopefully slide and a bit of skin missing.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12If you break an arm, that's not a bad injury considering what we do.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15I mean, you've got to keep things in some sort of balance, haven't you?
0:15:15 > 0:15:18- If I was thinking about, "Am I going to get hurt?"- Yes.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21- I wouldn't even be here.- No. - I wouldn't be doing this.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23It's a dangerous sport, riding motorcycles.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26The faster you go, the harder you're going to hit the ground.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29Speed doesn't hurt, it's the sudden stopping that hurts you.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33This isn't sitting in a car behind a windscreen,
0:15:33 > 0:15:36you know, with a seat belt on.
0:15:36 > 0:15:38You know, this is two wheels, this is 300 horsepower,
0:15:38 > 0:15:41no speed limits, all you've got to do is remember the way.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49Meanwhile, Dave and Steve may have uncovered
0:15:49 > 0:15:51why their bike suddenly lost power.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55- The whole thing seized. - Yeah, the whole thing seized.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58- Something has gone in it. - It's gone all over...- Yeah.
0:15:58 > 0:16:01- Steve...- No, I'm taking the pieces out I can see here.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05- Steve...- Steve, you're wasting your time.- It's everywhere.- No.
0:16:05 > 0:16:09- It's everywhere!- What I'm trying to do is to try and cut the pieces out
0:16:09 > 0:16:11that are jamming it from moving further forwards.
0:16:11 > 0:16:13It's everywhere. We can see it in this end.
0:16:13 > 0:16:15Look there's a piece here between there and the case.
0:16:15 > 0:16:17It ain't going to get these.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19Fucking godfathers.
0:16:19 > 0:16:21Oh, shit!
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Oh, fuck, this is... This is fucked!
0:16:25 > 0:16:28We don't know what's happened, what caused that.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31Don't ask me at the moment. I mean, don't ask me at the fucking moment!
0:16:31 > 0:16:34That's fucked! It's completely fucked!
0:16:34 > 0:16:37HE THROWS IT SHARPLY, IT THUDS ON THE COUNTER
0:16:37 > 0:16:42- That is completely and utterly fucked!- That piece of metal has gone in there and seized completely.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44The supercharger is dead.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48- Can we get another one?- No.- Oh!
0:16:48 > 0:16:51- Urgh!- No, I don't think I can.
0:16:52 > 0:16:54Man, my condolences.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58- It's eaten something.- It has. - It's eaten something big time.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01There's no coming back there, is there?
0:17:01 > 0:17:05- And it's literally just peeled the aluminium off the side.- Bollocks!
0:17:05 > 0:17:10This is bad as the entire engine going bang. We don't go any more.
0:17:10 > 0:17:15- Unless we can find a new one of those from somewhere.- We don't go any more unless we can replace that.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18Game over for us on the salt if we can't replace it.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21The rest of it is minimal. Nothing else wrong with the rest of it,
0:17:21 > 0:17:24but this is a... HE SIGHS
0:17:26 > 0:17:29Ironically, it's one of the only parts on their bespoke bike
0:17:29 > 0:17:31that they didn't hand craft themselves.
0:17:31 > 0:17:34If there's a gap between here and the case,
0:17:34 > 0:17:36air just leaks past and it won't make boost pressure.
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Despite being nearly 30 mph off the record,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Team Page's spirits couldn't be more different.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46Bunch of idiots. I'm sure Mike would go...
0:17:46 > 0:17:48He'd be well impressed, I think, wouldn't he, that we'd done it.
0:17:48 > 0:17:53- He'd be quite chuffed, I think. - He'd probably have 1,000 suggestions of how we could go quicker, though.
0:17:53 > 0:17:56Yeah, he'd probably be going, "What we want to do now is..."
0:17:56 > 0:18:00LAUGHTER The bike works, the bike runs.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02That's another big tick in the box for Team Page.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17HE SIGHS LOUDLY
0:18:27 > 0:18:30Well, it doesn't really matter how fast you go,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33cos it's never going to be fast enough.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36And when you get that first urge when you, "I just want to go to 200!"
0:18:36 > 0:18:40"Really, honey, I just want a car that'll go to 200, and then I'll be fine.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42"But I really want to go 225."
0:18:42 > 0:18:45Do you know how close we are to 250?
0:18:45 > 0:18:48300. This car could go 300.
0:18:48 > 0:18:52Wow! It's never fast enough. You can always go 1 mph faster.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56If you're going to set a record at Bonneville,
0:18:56 > 0:18:58this is where your record is going to come from.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00All the communications and all the timings
0:19:00 > 0:19:04all come through the main timing tower, which is where we are now.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08We're out between courses one and two at about the three-mile mark,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11which puts us in about the middle of the course.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14So we can see the cars just coming off the starting line,
0:19:14 > 0:19:17and then we can also see them finishing just past the five,
0:19:17 > 0:19:19- if it's a long-course vehicle. - ENGINE ROARS OUTSIDE
0:19:19 > 0:19:21We've got a car coming by now.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27We control the pace of the race and the safety of the race.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30It's our job to make sure that we get all the cars down course,
0:19:30 > 0:19:33and that they get down the course safely. Period.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35Copy underway.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Coming up next, we're going to have car 1133.
0:19:40 > 0:19:45This is the Eye Bloomfield Streamliner of Rick Pearson's The Flower of Scotland.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47He's got bigger since last year, that's what it is.
0:19:47 > 0:19:49LAUGHTER
0:19:49 > 0:19:53Having spent the last 52 weeks cooped up in a garage,
0:19:53 > 0:19:57it's finally time to see how the revamped Flower performs.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00A push vehicle is used
0:20:00 > 0:20:03to get the streamliner moving along the ten-mile track.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08And with their 300 licence still valid from last year,
0:20:08 > 0:20:10they can go straight for the record.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16ENGINE REVS That sounds good, doesn't it?
0:20:16 > 0:20:19- It sounds fantastic!- He's off! Gone!
0:20:22 > 0:20:23Pulled the 'chute.
0:20:23 > 0:20:27- 'That will be Scotland. This is Rick Pearson.'- Ssh, ssh!
0:20:27 > 0:20:30Rick has only managed to get up to the third mile,
0:20:30 > 0:20:32where he pulled the 'chute.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36The early signs are far from promising.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43I'm going to try and mend the blower.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47I'm not going to give up, until I have to give up.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49Amateur racing, huh?
0:20:51 > 0:20:53Very annoying, but...
0:20:53 > 0:20:55We'll be back.
0:20:55 > 0:21:00Yes. The super charger is a mess, it's a big mess.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02It may not be fixable.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05I may spend all day today, and half of tomorrow trying it
0:21:05 > 0:21:08and, in the end, we fail. But at least we've tried.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11At least Steve's got some idea what it's like out there.
0:21:11 > 0:21:15I've no idea at all. Unless I can go and steal a bike from somewhere.
0:21:16 > 0:21:18Hey, guys.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20Got salt?
0:21:23 > 0:21:26I threw the 'chute and there's smoke still coming in.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29So I thought about turning it off once, and then...
0:21:29 > 0:21:31I opened the canopy up, I opened the canopy up on the course,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34using it as an airbrake, to slow the car a bit.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36It's as much as you can do to hold it up against the wind, yeah.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39But at least then the smoke cleared and I could breathe again,
0:21:39 > 0:21:42but then, actually, it probably wasn't very bright, really.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47Not an ideal start, but the team will have a week to get it right.
0:21:49 > 0:21:55Full of fighting spirit, PJ is fuelled up and ready to go.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59- Are you sure we're allowed to give him vodka, AJ?- Yeah!
0:21:59 > 0:22:05But is it enough to get what they came for - the 175 licence?
0:22:17 > 0:22:19I like engineering and metalwork.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22I hated woodwork. If you did wrong, you couldn't put the wood back.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25But in metalwork, you could weld it back on again.
0:22:25 > 0:22:28This is carving, this is art, not metalwork.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32It's like whittling a piece of wood, but whittling a piece of aluminium.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35Whether I'll be successful, whether it'll work...
0:22:35 > 0:22:37- this time next week. - HE LAUGHS
0:22:42 > 0:22:45What's the main reason that these people are here?
0:22:45 > 0:22:50There's only one reason - it's for a record in a book like this and...
0:22:50 > 0:22:53while it doesn't seem like much, having your name listed in this book
0:22:53 > 0:22:55means a lot to the people that are doing it.
0:22:55 > 0:23:02Just run out the back door at 157. At mile two, it was 144.
0:23:02 > 0:23:07And mile three, it's 157, so he's taken some good figures there.
0:23:07 > 0:23:09We did it, bro!
0:23:09 > 0:23:12PJ and Dave have achieved their goal.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15They're now both proud owners of a 175 licence.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19Simple lifeform gets a little bit of paper. Simple lifeform even happier.
0:23:19 > 0:23:20Woo-hoo!
0:23:22 > 0:23:25BLUR: # Woo-hoo!
0:23:26 > 0:23:28# Woo-hoo!
0:23:30 > 0:23:32# Woo-hoo! #
0:23:34 > 0:23:38HORN PARPS, ENGINE PURRS GENTLY
0:23:41 > 0:23:44As of now, I officially give up trying to repair this super charger.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49- Just now.- He does...- I think it's a case of flogging a dead horse.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52Dave and Steve will now spend the rest of the week
0:23:52 > 0:23:54as reluctant spectators.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Most of the teams have their licences,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04but are getting nowhere near their records.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07You've got to more than want it, you have to earn it and part of that
0:24:07 > 0:24:11is a respect for the place, the people, for the machinery,
0:24:11 > 0:24:13to understand that there's a karma that goes back and forth.
0:24:13 > 0:24:18You have to understand the salt. You can think, "Oh, it's flat, all I need is a lot of horsepower,
0:24:18 > 0:24:20"go straight, put my foot down and have courage.
0:24:20 > 0:24:22"And, you know, and go fast as I can."
0:24:22 > 0:24:24Yeah? I'm sorry, that don't work.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33Last year, we didn't have engine problems, but transmission problems.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35It kept wrecking the gear boxes for some reason,
0:24:35 > 0:24:39but we seem to have cured one problem and generated another.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45Another engine's just scrap metal, I mean, it's, er...
0:24:45 > 0:24:50totally destroyed. Absolutely and utterly and totally destroyed.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54The only good thing that's left in it is the gearbox seems to be OK.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57Och, now, I'm fed up. At the end of the day, that's the way it goes.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00You know, it's full of lows and highs,
0:25:00 > 0:25:03I mean, the lows are really low, and the highs are really high.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06This year, the salt is unusually rough,
0:25:06 > 0:25:10and the Flower of Scotland team are not the only ones suffering.
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Started it up, and it's making an awful noise from the bottom end,
0:25:13 > 0:25:16so we've just got to pull it apart and see what's what,
0:25:16 > 0:25:18see what's wrong with it.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21- Just started up, that's a lovely lot of...- Oh, hello.
0:25:23 > 0:25:26- Where did that just land from? - That'll be one of the problems...
0:25:26 > 0:25:31- That's from inside the clutch. That's probably what's making a lot of noise.- Well, that's not good.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33Let's take the clutch apart!
0:25:33 > 0:25:38Once again, Frog's engineering prowess comes to the fore.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41- I've found the hole! - You've found the hole?- Yeah, look.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43Let's have a look.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45A-ha!
0:25:46 > 0:25:51Found this little fella rattling around in there.
0:25:51 > 0:25:52I think that's where he's come out from.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55And we think that's the hole he's come out from. We're hoping.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58This is Team Page's first visit to Bonneville,
0:25:58 > 0:26:03but petrolheads have been coming to the salt for the last 64 years.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07Seven days dedicated to the pursuit of speed.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31It's a unique setting where new friendships will be made,
0:26:31 > 0:26:35and machines and records broken.
0:26:35 > 0:26:40Chris Ireland originally planned to come out to the flats as a team of one.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44But he has since acquired two younger assistants.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49- They're my pit wallahs.- Thank you! 'Hard work sometimes,'
0:26:49 > 0:26:52but I wouldn't miss it for anything. It's brilliant.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55Absolutely brilliant. Really good. Apart from, you know,
0:26:55 > 0:26:58some of the views are not great, but...
0:26:58 > 0:26:59HE LAUGHS
0:26:59 > 0:27:01But, er, no, we're getting on all right.
0:27:01 > 0:27:06Chris's dedicated assistants are looking after every minor detail.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09It keeps the heat off the seat, cos the seat gets really hot,
0:27:09 > 0:27:11so when he sits down, it doesn't fry his bits, you know.
0:27:13 > 0:27:18With a few runs under his belt, Chris is brimming with confidence.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20- Hello.- Hello!
0:27:20 > 0:27:23- Built this in England.- Where? - It was built in England this.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25SHE PATS HIM ON THE BACK
0:27:25 > 0:27:28- I've been doing it since I was 19.- Wow.
0:27:28 > 0:27:33- Takes a lot of tuning to get those old Indians to run.- Hmm.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35I'll send this home and he won't believe it.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38- Fits me better than I thought it would. - LAUGHTER
0:27:55 > 0:27:59Each team has had at least a couple of runs down the salt.
0:27:59 > 0:28:04But for Geordie Oz, his three-year quest has been put on hold.
0:28:04 > 0:28:09It's basically an ongoing stomach problem I've had for about five years
0:28:09 > 0:28:12and, basically, it all just nips up solid and you...
0:28:12 > 0:28:14I'm not going to go into detail,
0:28:14 > 0:28:17but basically everything backs up and it's very, very painful.
0:28:17 > 0:28:23But, er, because there's no surgical department in Wendover,
0:28:23 > 0:28:25we have to drive 120 miles to the emergency room,
0:28:25 > 0:28:30because, if something internally bursts, it's going to be terminal.
0:28:30 > 0:28:35So it hasn't been a case of not racing, because I don't want to,
0:28:35 > 0:28:37it's been a case of I don't want to die from it.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41Oz's wife was due to arrive three days ago,
0:28:41 > 0:28:44but due to flight delays, she won't be turning up till later tonight.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47That'll take a lot of the stress away.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50Like, she's always upbeat, she makes me feel better,
0:28:50 > 0:28:53just being around, so that's a good thing.
0:28:53 > 0:28:58Back on the salt, Chris' bike is a long way off the 127 mph record.
0:28:58 > 0:29:00Thank you very much.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03But he hopes he's heading in the right direction.
0:29:03 > 0:29:05Right... 80.37.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09- Oh, well done.- Well done, that man! - Well done.- Getting better.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12- That's getting better! Excellent! - That's made my day.
0:29:12 > 0:29:15- That's excellent.- Really chuffed. HE LAUGHS
0:29:15 > 0:29:18A dramatic change in the weather
0:29:18 > 0:29:21means the Flower have missed their chance to get a run today.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26And as the wind speeds increase,
0:29:26 > 0:29:29the lightweight car needs to be packed away for safety.
0:29:29 > 0:29:32An abrupt end with the raising of the wind, you know.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35We did intend to start her, but the battery's a bit down
0:29:35 > 0:29:37and we can't leave her out in this wind.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46Only a fool would hang about in this kind of weather, you know.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52For some, today has been a relative success, but for the majority,
0:29:52 > 0:29:56it's been a combination of Mother Nature's wrath,
0:29:56 > 0:29:57and mechanical malfunctions.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09After nearly a week, most of the riders
0:30:09 > 0:30:12have had their chance to take on the empty plains.
0:30:12 > 0:30:15- LAUGHTER - Are you going to get all shy?
0:30:15 > 0:30:19Having just arrived, Oz's wife Becks has persuaded him to have a run,
0:30:19 > 0:30:23figuring that the best cure for cabin fever is a dose of salt.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26- It's not the same when we're not together, is it?- No.
0:30:26 > 0:30:28It takes the fun out of it, we're a team, like,
0:30:28 > 0:30:30- and that's the long and short of it.- Yeah.
0:30:30 > 0:30:33# I'm on the road again... #
0:30:39 > 0:30:41This'll be his first day out on the salt,
0:30:41 > 0:30:43so I think it'll be a major relief to him
0:30:43 > 0:30:47just to get up the salt and do a run, and see how the bike is.
0:30:47 > 0:30:50And see whether all the work he's done pays off.
0:30:50 > 0:30:55He's still in a lot of pain, and he's not eaten anything,
0:30:55 > 0:30:59so that'll add to the general tiredness and fatigue.
0:30:59 > 0:31:02And then there's the stress, but I mean, if he gets on the bike
0:31:02 > 0:31:06and it runs well, then I think a lot of that stress will dissipate.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09I can't describe it, it's not nervousness,
0:31:09 > 0:31:12but the tension is there. You so want him to do it.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15But at the same time,
0:31:15 > 0:31:18there's that feeling of, "God, what if something goes wrong?"
0:31:20 > 0:31:24Oz's record sits at 195 mph,
0:31:24 > 0:31:26but clearly glad to be back in the saddle,
0:31:26 > 0:31:29he has just one thing in mind.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32I've no strategy when I get on the bike at all.
0:31:32 > 0:31:36Just nail it really right and see where it goes to, like, you know.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58Car 1133, go.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01ENGINE STRUGGLES
0:32:01 > 0:32:06Back at the start of the long track, the Flower is holding up the line.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13Let somebody else go, if you want. If there's somebody ready to go.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16- We'll only be two minutes, I'm sorry. - Sorry.- Let him go.- Let him go?
0:32:16 > 0:32:19Let him go, Jim.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22Oz has reached mile marker three.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25I don't know whether I was going fast or not.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28I had it wound out in fifth and sixth, I think,
0:32:28 > 0:32:31so I presume it was doing...
0:32:31 > 0:32:34145 plus. I presume, but I really don't know.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37It looked good, you looked like you had a good line out there,
0:32:37 > 0:32:39- it looked all right.- Yeah.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41Call it a day for today, and then tomorrow start racing proper.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43Don't want to rush into it.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48Not 100%, but good enough to spank it up the salt at full tilt, ain't I?
0:32:48 > 0:32:51HE LAUGHS
0:32:51 > 0:32:54But, er...no, that was good. It was good.
0:32:54 > 0:32:58How could you not be proud of someone who's worked so hard
0:32:58 > 0:33:03to make that happen, and then has gone out and done it, and...
0:33:03 > 0:33:05Yeah, I'm really proud of him.
0:33:05 > 0:33:10Oz hit a maximum speed of 149 mph,
0:33:10 > 0:33:12and now, it's Rick's turn to post a good time.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15Turn the radio on, let's hear what we got.
0:33:15 > 0:33:18Look at the tail! It's got a booster tail on it now!
0:33:18 > 0:33:20- It looks pretty good.- He's gone!
0:33:20 > 0:33:23Things might look good from the crew vehicle,
0:33:23 > 0:33:27but at the business end, it's a different story.
0:33:39 > 0:33:41What is that out here on the right?
0:33:41 > 0:33:43All these people gathered up in this spot.
0:33:43 > 0:33:47- That's a car, isn't it?- A car. - It's an ambulance going down.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50Right out here to your right, where all these people are, that's him.
0:33:50 > 0:33:54- Yeah, something green there. - That's him, take a right.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57- I can see the car. - Is that him, is it?
0:33:57 > 0:34:00Unknown to me, they'd been shouting "fire" for quite some distance.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02Basically, we'd had a fuel pipe come off,
0:34:02 > 0:34:05so we were spraying methanol around the engine bay
0:34:05 > 0:34:06and that had caught and blown up.
0:34:06 > 0:34:10I found a turn off, stopped the car, and bailed out the left-hand side,
0:34:10 > 0:34:13and as I piled out, I heard the, "Fire, fire!"
0:34:13 > 0:34:16I turned round, the guy was there with the fire bottle,
0:34:16 > 0:34:17and he said, very politely,
0:34:17 > 0:34:20"Sir, you have paint blistering, you are on fire."
0:34:20 > 0:34:24Hey, I got paint blistering! Fire! Bring me CO2 quickly.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27- Goddamit!- And then, basically, I just said, "Knock yourself out,"
0:34:27 > 0:34:31and they started spraying halon into the engine bay to sort the fire out.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34LOUD SPRAYING
0:34:34 > 0:34:37You have a fire access? Cos you got flame in there.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40- Watch your hands, guys. - SPRAYING CONTINUES
0:34:40 > 0:34:42We had a medic on the scene to check me over,
0:34:42 > 0:34:45make sure I hadn't any smoke inhalation, and, um,
0:34:45 > 0:34:49they've basically saved the day cos they got the fire out on the car.
0:34:49 > 0:34:52Although she looks pretty bad, um, it's cosmetic.
0:34:52 > 0:34:56The team will spend the rest of the afternoon preparing the streamliner
0:34:56 > 0:34:58for the final full day on the salt.
0:35:24 > 0:35:26With the end of speed week in sight,
0:35:26 > 0:35:30the teams are realising how hard it is to claim a record on the salt.
0:35:30 > 0:35:34Well, yesterday, I spent all day adjusting the valve clearances,
0:35:34 > 0:35:38changing the jets, fitting different sprockets on it,
0:35:38 > 0:35:40and then I ran 5 mph slower.
0:35:40 > 0:35:42HE LAUGHS
0:35:42 > 0:35:44Yeah, no hurry.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50Even eternally buoyant Team Page is suffering.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53Yesterday, we had fuel issues, then we had electrical issues,
0:35:53 > 0:35:57and then we had a fairly vital piece of the framework snapped.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00And we needed to get some welding done this morning first thing,
0:36:00 > 0:36:03so it's time to go through it all again now
0:36:03 > 0:36:05and see what the problem is.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08I'd say our chance of breaking the record
0:36:08 > 0:36:10is slim to none at the moment.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13I don't think Mike wants to go this fast yet, he's not ready.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16- He's a bit of a old timer. - HE LAUGHS
0:36:16 > 0:36:20- You talking about me again?- No, I'm talking about Mike.- Oh, right.
0:36:20 > 0:36:24This is the third run. Another engine. Hopefully no fires.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27Er... No, should be all right.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30Everything's been checked, double checked and checked again, so...
0:36:30 > 0:36:33but out here, things happen, things go wrong.
0:36:33 > 0:36:36If we can make it to the five-mile mark, I'll be happy.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38Make a full pass. If we make it to the five mile,
0:36:38 > 0:36:40we should be going quickly to get there, so we'll see.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42Beautiful piece, love it.
0:36:42 > 0:36:46Still a funny colour, though. HE LAUGHS
0:36:46 > 0:36:50There's not many green cars here, so we had to have something different,
0:36:50 > 0:36:53and the flower of Scotland is green and purple, you know,
0:36:53 > 0:36:55- so we had to have it, you know. - It goes back generations
0:36:55 > 0:36:59that green is considered a bad luck colour on a race car.
0:36:59 > 0:37:05Bonneville sits nearly 4,500 feet above sea level,
0:37:05 > 0:37:07but there's a price riders have been paying
0:37:07 > 0:37:09for this relatively untouched landscape.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13The thinner air makes combustion engines work even harder
0:37:13 > 0:37:16converting fuel into power.
0:37:16 > 0:37:20I'm just changing the fuel now, because a couple of the racers
0:37:20 > 0:37:24have told me that this high octane stuff is doing more harm than good.
0:37:24 > 0:37:26So I'm going to try ordinary pump petrol in it now,
0:37:26 > 0:37:27see if that makes a difference.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29I mean, the engine is running really nice,
0:37:29 > 0:37:32but it just pull any revs at the top end.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36So it's not getting enough fuel or oxygen, one of the two.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40But the altitude and rough terrain
0:37:40 > 0:37:43are not the only things they have to contend with.
0:37:43 > 0:37:45Out here, anything can happen.
0:37:49 > 0:37:52- Damn it, damn it! - He's good, he's good, he's good!
0:37:55 > 0:37:58- What the fuck did he do there? - We pushed him over.
0:37:58 > 0:38:02- We did so. Reward of the day for saving that.- I know.- For sure.
0:38:02 > 0:38:06- Moving pretty good.- He's probably got a big fright, to be quite fair.
0:38:06 > 0:38:09If he didn't, he's not human, you know.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13'Back on course number one, it's mile four for car 1133.
0:38:13 > 0:38:19'Flower of Scotland is 250.916 for car 1133.'
0:38:19 > 0:38:21250.916.
0:38:21 > 0:38:25250 mph is the best speed they've posted this week.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30But Rick has to bail out early once again.
0:38:30 > 0:38:34It seems there's more coming out the back than just the 'chute.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37Now we're going to have to tell Rick what a hero he is
0:38:37 > 0:38:40and we know he'll not be comfortable with that.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43Look at him, cool as a cucumber! A walk in the park.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47It looked like it was virtually going teeter, teeter, teeter, then went.
0:38:47 > 0:38:51- Well, I steered into it.- I know! He steered into it! Click!
0:38:51 > 0:38:53Something like that, yeah!
0:38:53 > 0:38:57Having averted one disaster, another becomes apparent.
0:38:57 > 0:39:03The chain has, er, come off the back. Got a broken chain.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06So something's gone on, there's oil dripping out of the back of it.
0:39:06 > 0:39:08The rear parachute's got oil all over it here.
0:39:11 > 0:39:13That is, er...
0:39:14 > 0:39:16..not very healthy.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19Rick's been slowly inching up on this record.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21It's been a very rough week for Rick.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24They received the car about four days later than they should have,
0:39:24 > 0:39:26put them a little behind schedule,
0:39:26 > 0:39:28but none the less, they worked very hard to get here.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32Back in the pits, the post-race assessment continues.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34What I do want to see is just a broken chain
0:39:34 > 0:39:35and no other damage, you know.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45That's the chain, the front drive chain.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47It has water spraying onto the chain to keep it cool
0:39:47 > 0:39:52and, for some reason, it's got very hot, and it's broken.
0:39:52 > 0:39:55We'll have to see what damage the chain's done when it's come off,
0:39:55 > 0:39:59cos like it'll flail more, and just chew everything in front of it,
0:39:59 > 0:40:02so we'll get this open and have a look and see.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04They'll now need to take out the engine again,
0:40:04 > 0:40:08in order to check the transmission and see if anything needs replacing.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13The real important thing we can do at this time is the ice cream van.
0:40:13 > 0:40:17Ice cream vans are like policemen - you never get one when you need one.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20ICE CREAM JINGLE PLAYS
0:40:20 > 0:40:23For the previous two years, we've broken other things,
0:40:23 > 0:40:27and clearly the fire yesterday was a major setback for the car.
0:40:27 > 0:40:29The poor little thing is pretty wounded,
0:40:29 > 0:40:34and it's a lot to ask at this point to, er, to expect her to keep going.
0:40:34 > 0:40:39- But, er...- Well, the gearbox is still intact.- No?- Yeah.
0:40:39 > 0:40:42Oil dropping out, it's absolutely brand new.
0:40:42 > 0:40:45So the gearbox and engine have survived?
0:40:45 > 0:40:47We've got a leak somewhere, but as I say,
0:40:47 > 0:40:51we're not replacing anything, we're just... We'll cure the leak.
0:40:53 > 0:40:56- Let's fire on. - LAUGHTER
0:40:56 > 0:40:58And it's not only Rick and Derek
0:40:58 > 0:41:01that lady luck has changed the fortunes of.
0:41:02 > 0:41:05As you do in motorsport, somebody's offered me a ride.
0:41:05 > 0:41:08You can't turn it down, can you?
0:41:08 > 0:41:10Yeah, we're letting our mate Dave Branch go out, cos, you know,
0:41:10 > 0:41:13him and Steve have worked so hard on that bike.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16Dave has practically hand engineered every part of that bike.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19They've brought it all the way to America and, er,
0:41:19 > 0:41:23Steve got a nice little run on an 80 mph record, he went 129.
0:41:23 > 0:41:25And the blower packed up.
0:41:25 > 0:41:28The only part that Dave hadn't built has let him down.
0:41:28 > 0:41:30So we said he can take a shot on that.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33Hopefully, he'll have a nice run and get his licence.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37To get his 150 licence,
0:41:37 > 0:41:42Dave needs to keep the bike between 125 mph and 150.
0:41:42 > 0:41:48PJ's last run of a 164 shows the bike has more than enough clout.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55Having had just one run on the bike,
0:41:55 > 0:41:58it's a disappointing end to Oz's week.
0:42:00 > 0:42:04So the bike is loaded up now to take back to the camp site.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08It's a bit upsetting, to be honest, because...
0:42:08 > 0:42:11we've only managed one run up the salt.
0:42:11 > 0:42:14He's been so ill that that one run was really all he could do,
0:42:14 > 0:42:17and it wiped him out for the rest of the day.
0:42:17 > 0:42:21It's upsetting, because there's 3½ years' work in that bike.
0:42:21 > 0:42:26But I would rather have him home in one piece,
0:42:26 > 0:42:30than him be so ill. So he's on the mend,
0:42:30 > 0:42:34and the bike will come home and we'll be back again sometime.
0:42:34 > 0:42:37With his super charger shredded,
0:42:37 > 0:42:41Dave has finally got his ride up the salt on a borrowed bike,
0:42:41 > 0:42:44his kind benefactor just behind him.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47Can't wait to see his face at the other end, really.
0:42:47 > 0:42:50I hope he's got a real nice smile on it.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53- Oh, bollocks! - Oh, well, it's no big deal.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55Watch your glasses.
0:42:55 > 0:42:59- I completely lost on the gear changes.- It don't matter.- It does!
0:42:59 > 0:43:03- Eugh!- What did you do?- Not a lot. I got mixed up with my bloody gears.
0:43:03 > 0:43:07- Where did you do 154 mph?- Did I? I didn't realise I'd got that far.
0:43:07 > 0:43:12- 154.- Did I?- 153.- Was it? - That'll be about 153.
0:43:12 > 0:43:16- Oh, well. Well, perhaps I didn't get them mixed, then.- Well done, mate.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19I didn't know where the hell they bloody was!
0:43:19 > 0:43:22- The trouble is you might be told off.- Probably.
0:43:22 > 0:43:25Right, go and get in the van. Let's get you out of these, all right.
0:43:25 > 0:43:27But I thought I'd made a mess of it. I just...
0:43:27 > 0:43:31I thought I'd mixed all the gears up, but apparently I hadn't,
0:43:31 > 0:43:33so I've actually just gone quicker than I should've done.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36It's a smile.
0:43:36 > 0:43:38That what we wanted. A smile.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41I didn't organise any of this. It's these guys.
0:43:41 > 0:43:43Yeah, didn't know about it, at all.
0:43:43 > 0:43:46We were on the salt this morning watching,
0:43:46 > 0:43:48he tells us he's got a ride.
0:43:48 > 0:43:51And here we are now, about three hours later,
0:43:51 > 0:43:55he's not going to get the helmet back on with that grin.
0:43:57 > 0:43:59Really, really proud of you, well done.
0:44:02 > 0:44:04So we've been to Bonneville twice,
0:44:04 > 0:44:06- and twice you've gone faster than me.- Oh, well.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09Long may it continue. LAUGHTER
0:44:13 > 0:44:15Didn't do this in grand prix racing.
0:44:15 > 0:44:18You get caught in someone else's bay, they'll probably shoot you.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21Imagine Lewis saying to Red Bull, "Mine's broken, can I play with yours?"
0:44:21 > 0:44:23- LAUGHTER - That's not going to happen.
0:44:38 > 0:44:41It's the last full day of racing.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44The once-flat salt surface has rapidly deteriorated,
0:44:44 > 0:44:47making each pass even harder.
0:44:47 > 0:44:51Undeterred, Rick is still hungry for a record.
0:44:51 > 0:44:54To get the blue cap, we need to break a record at over 300 mph.
0:44:56 > 0:44:58There's a real challenge to getting one of those hats
0:44:58 > 0:45:01here at Bonneville, that's why there's only 75 blue hats ever.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04And there's six Brits, there's only two living Brits.
0:45:04 > 0:45:08You know, it's a very elite club.
0:45:08 > 0:45:10On course now, we've got vehicle 1133,
0:45:10 > 0:45:13Rick Pearson's the Flower of Scotland.
0:45:13 > 0:45:17Class record currently stands at 313.980.
0:45:17 > 0:45:20All right, guys, stop him and strap him, get him in there.
0:45:24 > 0:45:27If they can match or better the current record,
0:45:27 > 0:45:30an average over two runs will be taken
0:45:30 > 0:45:33and Rick could join the infamous 300 club.
0:45:43 > 0:45:46VOICES ON RADIO
0:45:46 > 0:45:49- He's going away now. - I can just see the rooster tail.
0:45:49 > 0:45:53RADIO CONTINUES, VOICE DISTORTED
0:45:56 > 0:46:00The bright green streamliner goes through mile four with a speed of...
0:46:00 > 0:46:04215.916.
0:46:04 > 0:46:09And here is the 'chute, and the car slows, as it goes into mile five.
0:46:09 > 0:46:11'About 100 mph short of the record.'
0:46:11 > 0:46:15HE SIGHS: He looked to be going away really well, but then...
0:46:18 > 0:46:20200 mph's crap!
0:46:20 > 0:46:22Rick's streamliner is not the only vehicle
0:46:22 > 0:46:25to have taken such a beating from the salt this week.
0:46:25 > 0:46:31Team Page's Triumph Bonneville was built to break a 124 mph record
0:46:31 > 0:46:33as a tribute to their friend.
0:46:35 > 0:46:41So far, it's managed only 90 mph and the bike is on its last legs.
0:46:41 > 0:46:45Fingers crossed, if it starts up now, we're going to get it together,
0:46:45 > 0:46:47take it back down the bottom end,
0:46:47 > 0:46:49and we're going to run it and drop his ashes, so...
0:46:49 > 0:46:53We think we can probably get it to run well enough to do one more run.
0:46:53 > 0:46:56And then, we'll do the do.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59We've built the bike, we've got it here, we've all had a ride,
0:46:59 > 0:47:03we've all got our licences, mission successful, as far as I'm concerned.
0:47:03 > 0:47:05- I don't know about the rest of you guys.- Yeah.
0:47:05 > 0:47:06Come on, Mike, one more.
0:47:06 > 0:47:09ENGINE STARTS
0:47:12 > 0:47:15ENGINE REVS LOUDLY
0:47:15 > 0:47:19With Team Page's bike defying the odds once again,
0:47:19 > 0:47:20it's down to chief engineer Derek
0:47:20 > 0:47:25to pinpoint the streamliner's latest mechanical failure.
0:47:25 > 0:47:26Now there we go.
0:47:26 > 0:47:30That is the bottom of the spark plug. For some reason, it sheared...
0:47:31 > 0:47:34If I can get this off of here, I will show you.
0:47:34 > 0:47:39That originally was in there.
0:47:39 > 0:47:43So, after the two, he was running on three cylinders.
0:47:43 > 0:47:46We ran on three cylinders, which we'd done a 200 mph pass.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49He now holds the record for a 750 cc car.
0:47:49 > 0:47:51- LAUGHTER - If only, yeah.
0:47:51 > 0:47:55So we put a fresh one in and should be good to go reasonably quickly.
0:47:55 > 0:47:59All week, the team have fought hard in the face of adversity
0:47:59 > 0:48:03and now need to rally for one last assault on the record.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06I've been here for a week, had some pretty good runs,
0:48:06 > 0:48:10and this is the last one, so we're really going to go for it.
0:48:10 > 0:48:15Despite all his hard work, Chris is well off the 123 mph record,
0:48:15 > 0:48:18but hopes his Indian will have left a lasting impression.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23In the 1,000 cc motorcycle category...
0:48:25 > 0:48:34..you will see Burt Monro. He had an Indian, 1967, 183 mph.
0:48:34 > 0:48:38That record from 1967 still stands today.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40And that, I think, is a tribute
0:48:40 > 0:48:43to how crafty some of these individuals can be,
0:48:43 > 0:48:48including a man from New Zealand who made his own pistons,
0:48:48 > 0:48:51built his own bike, and brought it over here and had great success.
0:48:51 > 0:48:55And to this day, his record still stands. I think that's pretty cool.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00Inspired by Burt's legacy,
0:49:00 > 0:49:04Chris and his well-oiled pit crew are primed for one last push.
0:49:20 > 0:49:22The thing to learn from what Chris has done here is,
0:49:22 > 0:49:25if you want something hard enough, you can get it.
0:49:25 > 0:49:29But you've got to work and push it. I mean, he's really worked at it.
0:49:29 > 0:49:31I definitely think Britain has forgotten about people
0:49:31 > 0:49:34who use their hands to, you know, build stuff
0:49:34 > 0:49:36and they need to remember that.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39The engine is 70 years old.
0:49:39 > 0:49:431942. It was left here after the war.
0:49:43 > 0:49:48- 'Chris has just brought it back to America and raced it down the salt flats at Bonneville.'- Good girl.
0:49:48 > 0:49:50How much better can you get than that?
0:49:52 > 0:49:58Chris has reached a very respectable top speed of 81.5 mph,
0:49:58 > 0:50:00twice the speed of the original bike.
0:50:00 > 0:50:03- All right? - LAUGHTER
0:50:03 > 0:50:06Congratulations, you old fucker, you!
0:50:06 > 0:50:08- 'Look at that!' - Well done.- Well done.
0:50:08 > 0:50:11'They're just having the best time of their little boy lives.
0:50:11 > 0:50:13'I don't care how much grey hair is on their head,
0:50:13 > 0:50:16'they are having a great time. And that's the whole point of it.'
0:50:16 > 0:50:20This is an elixir of youth, you're doing something,
0:50:20 > 0:50:23you have worth, you put relevance back into your own life.
0:50:29 > 0:50:31With the day coming to an end,
0:50:31 > 0:50:38the Flower must now get a successful pass of at least 313 mph.
0:50:41 > 0:50:43It's like a cat with nine lives, we just don't know to kill it.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46We've had it on fire. We tried to turn it over.
0:50:46 > 0:50:48We've blown up everything in it that we can blow up
0:50:48 > 0:50:51and it's still running, so we're going to give it another shot.
0:50:53 > 0:50:59As Rick puts pedal to metal, the team all know it's make or break.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13Do us a favour and just pull one of these legs off for us.
0:51:13 > 0:51:15- Do I have to be in this shot? - HE LAUGHS
0:51:18 > 0:51:20LAUGHTER CONTINUES
0:51:20 > 0:51:22Please don't show this to my kids.
0:51:27 > 0:51:29Oh, dear.
0:51:31 > 0:51:36- I didn't sign up for that, Jim. - The things you do for glory.- I know!
0:51:36 > 0:51:40These two have never met in their lives and they're now best mates.
0:51:40 > 0:51:43Yeah, picked me up at the airport. It's the first I'd seen him.
0:51:43 > 0:51:48It's all about making friends, and everybody helping each other.
0:51:48 > 0:51:52All the other race teams, everybody helps each other here.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55- For the final time. Are you right?- Got it.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58I think the best thing was we've missed the Olympics as well.
0:51:58 > 0:52:01LAUGHTER
0:52:03 > 0:52:07I think he's broke the gearbox. Sad.
0:52:07 > 0:52:11That'll be it. It'll be over. That's why I was out there.
0:52:11 > 0:52:14It's one of my favourite places on the planet,
0:52:14 > 0:52:17and, er, don't even know if you'll make it back, do you?
0:52:17 > 0:52:20So you just enjoy the moment.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25Yeah, it was worth it, every minute.
0:52:25 > 0:52:27And all the struggling financially to get here.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39I think we've amazed all the Americans.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41I think they were pretty impressed with us,
0:52:41 > 0:52:44especially by the machines we've brought with us.
0:52:44 > 0:52:47I mean, our pit has been full of visitors all week,
0:52:47 > 0:52:49always someone coming round to talk to us.
0:52:49 > 0:52:52LAUGHTER
0:52:52 > 0:52:55Some fella came up to the van, and I was sat in my leathers,
0:52:55 > 0:52:58and he said, "I just want to thank you," he said...
0:52:58 > 0:53:03"If it wasn't for you, and your film, I wouldn't be here."
0:53:03 > 0:53:07And he thought I was Burt Monro, the world's fastest Indian.
0:53:11 > 0:53:14- Anything to see? - Oh, yeah, have a look there.
0:53:20 > 0:53:23There's a tooth came off one of the gears and, erm,
0:53:23 > 0:53:27what happens is it jams against something else and it just explodes the casings.
0:53:27 > 0:53:30So...we're done in gearbox wise.
0:53:30 > 0:53:35Maybe see if we can build one up again, but don't see the point now.
0:53:35 > 0:53:38Run out of time, run out of luck.
0:53:38 > 0:53:42No, we've achieved nothing, in my terms, this week.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45Everybody's gutted, um...
0:53:45 > 0:53:50No, we came to do 300 mph, we came to break a record at 320 and, er...
0:53:50 > 0:53:55- I hate to break in this interview. Mind if we finish, er...?- Go on.
0:53:55 > 0:53:58I don't think the gearbox is away.
0:53:58 > 0:54:02I think it's actually the jack shaft, the secondary shaft is knackered.
0:54:02 > 0:54:05- You're joking?- No. It's still alive.
0:54:05 > 0:54:10HE LAUGHS Kenny's actually sussed it.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14I don't know whether it's totally alive, but the gearbox is intact.
0:54:14 > 0:54:20It's the jack shaft. I mean, I need to go and find bearings and whatnot,
0:54:20 > 0:54:23but as I say, at this minute in time, it might not be totally dead.
0:54:23 > 0:54:27But I'll tell you this much... Terry cannot believe it.
0:54:27 > 0:54:30There's no way that little car can get up and run again.
0:54:30 > 0:54:34I just wouldn't bet too much on it, I just wouldn't bet too much on it.
0:54:34 > 0:54:36They never give up.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39I just asked them to push it out the back and take photographs of it.
0:54:39 > 0:54:45Um, to be fair, though, she's so wounded that, even if they fix that,
0:54:45 > 0:54:48I'm not sure we can do 300 mph this week, but, er...
0:54:48 > 0:54:50I'm not going to stop them.
0:54:50 > 0:54:53Should you use super glue for this? LAUGHTER
0:54:53 > 0:54:56I'm going to staple it on. Careful, honey.
0:54:56 > 0:54:59Mike would have liked the silliness now.
0:54:59 > 0:55:01The shirts and 'taches, he'd love. He'd have lapped it up.
0:55:01 > 0:55:04LAUGHTER WOMEN: Our beautiful 'taches!
0:55:04 > 0:55:07- Hello!- Hi!- You look like a young Terry-Thomas, you cad!
0:55:09 > 0:55:12We're all 'tached up. 'Taches everywhere.
0:55:13 > 0:55:16- Dude!- Come on.
0:55:18 > 0:55:21Hippy will take the Mike Page Special out
0:55:21 > 0:55:23for the last time.
0:55:39 > 0:55:43It's a poignant moment, as he heads out on to the salt
0:55:43 > 0:55:47to scatter the ashes of his old school friend.
0:55:47 > 0:55:51MUSIC: "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" by Pink Floyd
0:55:55 > 0:55:57To Mikey man!
0:55:59 > 0:56:02We achieved it. LAUGHTER
0:56:04 > 0:56:07- EXCITED CHATTER - You've done it.
0:56:10 > 0:56:14Yes! Ha-ha! Where are you, hippy?
0:56:14 > 0:56:17# Nobody knows where you are
0:56:20 > 0:56:23# How near or how far
0:56:24 > 0:56:31# Shine on you crazy diamond... #
0:56:33 > 0:56:37- Going to get any AC?- I'm happy sitting here for a minute.
0:56:37 > 0:56:39- Are you?- Yeah.- Fine. Take your time, mate.
0:56:42 > 0:56:45Buddy.
0:56:45 > 0:56:47I shouted him all the way.
0:56:48 > 0:56:52- How did it go?- All right, actually. Still gotta break a record with it.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55Hopefully, back here some day maybe,
0:56:55 > 0:56:57but if not, we'll do it somewhere else.
0:56:57 > 0:56:58Well, if we break a record with it,
0:56:58 > 0:57:01we still put Mike's name in the record books,
0:57:01 > 0:57:04- cos it's now the Mike Page Special, and it always will be.- Yeah.
0:57:04 > 0:57:08- To Mikey man.- Yeah.- Woo-hoo! - Yeah, let's go crack a cold one.
0:57:08 > 0:57:10Yeah, let's do it.
0:57:10 > 0:57:14EVERYONE CHATTERS
0:57:14 > 0:57:16- I can push! - LAUGHTER
0:57:16 > 0:57:19Get away from it, Captain Hook(!)
0:57:19 > 0:57:21Leave my little pinkie alone!
0:57:21 > 0:57:25# You reached for the secret too soon
0:57:27 > 0:57:30# You cried for the moon
0:57:31 > 0:57:38- # Shine on you crazy diamond! - You crazy diamond! #
0:57:42 > 0:57:45Top man when he was around. Loved him to bits.
0:57:45 > 0:57:48- Well missed. - Could've picked a better bike.
0:57:48 > 0:57:50LAUGHTER Yeah, he could, yeah.
0:57:50 > 0:57:55- I think this proves we haven't stopped thinking about him and won't stop thinking about him.- Absolutely.
0:57:55 > 0:57:59Sitting in the cabin by yourself feeling ill is not good.
0:57:59 > 0:58:02When you got your best mate with you, it makes it so much better.
0:58:02 > 0:58:05- Eee... - THEY LAUGH
0:58:07 > 0:58:09This trip's not been about making records, it's just...
0:58:09 > 0:58:11It's almost like a pilgrimage.
0:58:11 > 0:58:14It's been absolutely brilliant. I mean, I've made new friends.
0:58:14 > 0:58:16Everybody's helped each other out.
0:58:16 > 0:58:20What's it like in one word? Proper!
0:58:20 > 0:58:23We came, we saw, we got the hell kicked out of us,
0:58:23 > 0:58:25but that's what this place is all about.
0:58:25 > 0:58:28Was it worth it? It was definitely worth it.
0:58:28 > 0:58:34No matter what class you're in, whether it's a 50, or a 2½ litre class on a bike, you earn it.
0:58:34 > 0:58:37You're not given anything out there ever.
0:58:37 > 0:58:39People think it's easy, you know.
0:58:39 > 0:58:42Well, if it's easy, guys, come and have a go, cos it ain't easy.
0:58:43 > 0:58:47DAVID BOWIE: # We can all pull on through
0:58:47 > 0:58:51# Get there in the end
0:58:51 > 0:58:54# Sometimes, it'll take you right up
0:58:54 > 0:58:57# And sometimes down again
0:58:57 > 0:59:04# It ain't easy! It ain't easy!
0:59:04 > 0:59:10# It ain't easy to get to heaven when you're going down... #
0:59:16 > 0:59:19Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd