It was while passing the end of a hedgerow that a sudden gust of wind hit the Vincent and almost sheered it and a white-knuckled Wright off the road at 185mph
despite a close call with a bird during a practice run , Wright had two runs planned , and would keep an eye on the white mark on the rev counter which indicated 180mph . The first run went very well and the bike went over the mark . Wright was happy . It was smooth and the streamlining worked in fine with the handling as it followed a centre of the road path . The second run was a little more exciting . Wright had moved up through the gearbox without any problems and all was going very well , until just past the speed trap . On the Canterbury Plains there are many tall hedges to provide wind shelter against the often gusty gales which sweep those parts . It was while passing the end of a hedgerow that a sudden gust of wind hit the Vincent and almost sheered it and a whiteknuckled Wright off the road at 185mph . But Wright managed to retain control and pulled up to stop . To put it mildly , he was slightly shaken , and after confirmation he had taken the new world record at 185.15mph he declared he would never again ride the Tram Road . Then it was Burns ’ turn for a record shot , and the third wheel unit was fitted to the Vincent . On his first run he equalled the 154mph mark but he wasn ’ t too happy as he related that when merely raising his head slightly over the fairing rim to look down the road would cause the bike to lose revs , and drift down the camber .
30 KIWI RIDER