TLN Motorsports and Kawasaki dominance in the 650cc Land Speed Racing class
Since 2008 TLN Motorsports and Kawasaki have been the team and manufacturer to beat in the paved track Land Speed Racing world. The team has currently set 251 Land Speed Racing records including 9 World’s Fastest Speeds. All but one of these records was set while ridding Kawasaki’s. Since their arrival in the Land Speed world they have re-shaped the 650cc class.
It all started with a 2006 Kawasaki ZX-6rr and a goal. There was a 650cc class record in the ECTA on the Maxton Mile that had stood for quite a while. The record was set by Chip Ellis and all of the 650cc class racers thought it would continue to stand for a while. The speed was 178 mph and no one was even close to breaking it. 2008 was spent learning what it took to be fast in paved track Land Speed Racing and developing the ZX-6rr into what would become the most prolific 650cc class Land Speed motorcycle of all time.
In April of 2009 the ZX-6rr was ready for some serious racing speed and became the 1st N/A 650cc Motorcycle over 180 mph in the Standing Mile with a pass of 180.038 mph breaking the long standing 178 mph record. That was World’s Fastest Speed #1. Two runs later TLN Motorsports bumped that speed up to 181.712 mph and the ZX-6rr was now the 1st over 181 mph setting World’s Fastest Speed #2 in the Standing start N/A 650cc Motorcycle Class. TLN Motorsports and Kawasaki dominance was just beginning.
In July 2009 at the former Loring Air Force Base in the LTA sanctioned event the ZX-6rr set her 3rd World’s Fastest Speed with a 190.118 mph run on the 1.5 mile track. The bike was the World’s Fastest N/A 650cc class Motorcycle in the Standing 1.5 Mile with that run and at the time, the only 650cc class motorcycle over 190 mph in the standing 1.5 mile.
In October of 2009 the ZX-6rr set the 4th World’s Fastest Speed in the N/A 650cc class on the Standing Mile at Maxton, NC with a speed of 184.161 mph. The bike was now World’s Fastest in both standing start lengths. TLN Motorsports was King of the Paved Track Standing Start Land Speed World.
In September of 2010 The ZX-6rr once again set a World’s Fastest Speed at the Streetbike Shootout at Maxton, NC. A top speed of 182.095 mph in a street legal configuration established the N/A 650cc class Motorcycle Standing Start (street legal) World’s Fastest Speed #5.
The team and the Kawasaki continued setting records and winning bike shootouts over the next few years. The team and the Kawasaki simply set the standard for the 650cc paved track Standing Start Land Speed Racing community for 8 years. The ZX-6rr has seen a lot of different configurations over the 8 years of racing. The bike was developed over years of trial and error. Reduction of weight and big HP for a 636cc motorcycle, along with aerodynamic advances are what has kept this motorcycle and TLN Motorsports on top over the years. Obviously the bike is still extremely strong and capable of still setting records. Unfortunately parts are few and far between with huge price tags. It was simply time to retire the 6rr.
World’s Fastest Speed #6 in Wilmington, Oh on September 2014. N/A 650cc Standing Mile with a top speed of 186.772 mph.
World’s Fastest Speed #7 in Wilmington, Oh on September 2014. N/A 650cc Standing Mile (Street Legal) with a top speed of 186.772 mph.
When the ZX-6rr was retired in 2014 she had an unbelievable resume.
- 84 National Land Speed Records set.
- 1st Standing Mile N/A 650cc Class Land Speed Motorcycle over 180 mph.
- 1st Standing 1.5 Mile N/A 650cc Class Land Speed Motorcycle over 190 mph.
- 5 time Street Bike Shootout Champion.
- 7 World Record Speeds.
It was time for the next 650cc class motorcycle to be added to the TLN Motorsports stable and the choice was a the Kawasaki ZX-6R. Work began on the new bike in the fall of 2014. There were huge tracks to fill for the ZX-6R and there wasn’t a lot of time to develop the bike for the 2015 racing season.
In May 2015 the ZX-6R made her debut on the Ohio Mile in style setting 6 Land Speed Racing Records in the event and running a top speed of 186.0273 mph. It was some performance for the new bike, right out of the box.
TLN Motorsports returned to Ohio in June 2015 and the Kawasaki ZX-6R picked up right where she left off. An additional 6 mew Land Speed Racing records were set by the bike, including 3 World’s Fastest Speeds. The bikes 1st World fastest Speed was the teams 8th. The N/A 650cc Class Standing Mile World’s fastest Speed was first bumped up to 187.9699 mph, then to 188.2058 mph for World’s Fastest Speed #9. World’s Fastest Speed #10 came when the N/A 650cc Class Standing Mile Speed was bumped up to 190.2748 mph as the Kawasaki ZX-6R became the 1st and only N/A 650cc class Motorcycle to ever run 190 mph in a standing mile. TLN Motorsports and Kawasaki dominance was continuing with the new ZX-6R.
July 2015 saw TLN Motorsports return to Maine and the 1.5 mile racing facility in Limestone, Me. It was an unbelievably successful event for the team and the ZX-6R was a huge part of it. While the team set 61 Land Speed Racing records during the event, 31 of them set on the ZX-6R. During the event, the N/A 650cc class Motorcycle Standing 1.5 mile World’s Fastest Speed #11 was set with a pass of 192.1650 mph. The ZX-6R has taken over where the ZX-6rr left off and dominated the paved track Standing Start Land Speed World.
In 3 events TLN Motorsports and the ZX-6R had set 43 new Land Speed Racing records including 3 World’s Fastest Speeds. The bike was performing above all expectations and the amount of success the ZX-6R had was just unbelievable.
TLN Motorsports and Kawasaki have unquestionably dominated the 650cc Land Speed Racing class since 2008. The middleweight Kawasaki’s have set record after record and now the ZX-6R is breaking the long standing records set by the ZX-6rr.
127 records of the team’s 251 records were set in the 650cc class. TLN Motorsports also campaigns a Kawasaki EX-250R and a ZX-10R. The Kawasaki ZX-10R is in four 200 mph clubs and has set a total of 53 Land Speed Racing records, pushing the 1000cc standing start class to new levels. The Kawasaki EX-250R has been a player from day one setting 71 Land Speed Racing records and making multiple passes at 112+ mph. The small bore class has taken notice and the TLN Motorsports EX-250R is the recognized standard setter in small bore Land Speed Racing.
So many times TLN Motorsports have been asked why Kawasaki. It’s an easy answer. Just look at the success. 251 Land Speed records set and counting, including 11 World’s Fastest Speeds. The Kawasaki dominance will continue for years to come as TLN Motorsports will be announcing huge new goals in the near future.
Land Speed Racing will continue to look at TLN Motorsports and the Kawasaki brand as second to none. The team will continue to make Land Speed Racing history.
