Flat Out: The Race for the Motorcycle World Land Speed Record
On September 3, 2006, Robinson, driving the motorcycle streamliner Ack Attack, set the new world land speed record of 342.797 miles per hour. Two days later someone broke his record, but what matters is that, after nearly a lifetime of training, Robinson became, however briefly, the fastest man on two wheels. This enthusiastically written book begins almost 15 years ago, when Robinson was recruited to drive Tenacious II, the streamliner (streamlined motorcycle) the company owner hoped would break the speed record. It didn't, but Robinson and his team never gave up, testing new design after new design, edging ever closer to their goal. Robinson captures some of the adventurous, groundbreaking spirit of the Wright Brothers and also a bit of The Right Stuff. His first-person account of racing across Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats speedway on two wheels is exhilarating, leaving the reader out of breath. Gearheads will love the book's abundance of technical details; everyone else will love the story of sheer, wide-eyed excitement and determination. Pitt, David