Suzuki Hayabusa Crash at Bonneville Salt Flats May Have Set Record

Speed Week at the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats is the place to break land-speed records. Jason McVicar broke another kind of record. He may be the fastest motorcycle land speed crash survivor.

World's Fastest Open Motorcycle - Two turbo Suzuki Hayabusa with racer Jason McVicar
World's Fastest Open Motorcycle - Two turbo Suzuki Hayabusa with racer Jason McVicar
McVicar was running the long course on his two turbo Suzuki Hayabusa when his motorcycle hit debris. The Falkner-Livingston Team rider was going 243 mph when he came off the bike.
Jason McVicar may be the fastest motorcycle crash survivor on record. He was going 243 mph during Speed Week at Bonneville.
Jason McVicar may be the fastest motorcycle crash survivor on record. He was going 243 mph during Speed Week at Bonneville when it happened.

Suzuki Hayabusa and Jason McVicar will be back in action at Speed Week 2009
Suzuki Hayabusa and Jason McVicar will be back in action at Speed Week 2009

The debris had apparently been left on the course by a car. McVicar said the rear tire broke loose and the bike turned a sharp left and began tumbling. “Both the bike and Jason tumbled through the air,” said Team Manger Becca Livingston. “They were tumbling separately for the most part, but they did apparently contact at one point. When the safety team and medics arrived at the accident they were surprised to find him alive.”

McVicar was transported to a hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah and released later the same day. He suffered a broken kneecap. McVicar is at home in Vancouver, Canada resting and recovering with his very relieved wife and son by his side.

“Before the crash we set the all time top speed on the Salt Flats by an open motorcycle at 253.297 mph,” said McVicar. “This was a special record. It is the fastest salt record on a sit-on bike.”

Team FL rider Randall Parker also bumped his record in the 1000cc MPS-G class from 201.234 mph to 202.730 mph. Team FL uses K&N Engineering products on all their motorcycles.

“The K&N air filters performed well and kept the salt out of our highly tuned engines,” said McVicar. “Part of our routine every night was to clean the K&N filters with the K&N filtercharger kit.”

Next year, McVicar will be back at Bonneville in the repaired Suzuki Hayabusa. His goal is for a new land speed record of 260 mph.

Follow the Falkner Livingston team throughout the racing season at the K&N news site. Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.