The Worlds Fastest Indian

February 2, 2006 on 11:39 am | In Movies |

Here’s a story for you.

Burt Monro, a 67 year old pensioner from one of the southern most towns in New Zealand modifies an American motorcycle built in 1920 with parts that he makes himself (such as pistons cast from recycled metal) in a shed where he lives. He sets land speed records for New Zealand and Australia on this motorcycle on roads and beaches.

He saves enough money from his pension and local donations to ship himself and his motorcycle to the USA (working his passage on the ship to cut travel costs).

In the USA he buys a car, makes a trailer from scrap parts and drives himself and his motorcyle to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.

In Bonneville he sets the landspeed record for a streamlined motorcycle at 178.971 mph. More fine tuning attains speads close to 206 mph. His 1967 record of 190.07 mph remains unbroken.

By himself. Without a support team or sponsorship. At the age of 67. Travelling overland from the other side of the world. In 1962. Breaking land speed records which remain unbroken to this day - on a motorcycle modified with parts he built himself - in a shed where he lived.

Beat that! And remember it next time you tell yourself something is impossible.

And go and see The Worlds Fastest Indian.

Technorati Tags: Movies, Motorcycles, Success, New Zealand