<Open Test Report SMC team breaks the world's fastest speed record with the "world's fastest" moped!

First Public Driving Test in Japan at the Oogata Village Solar Sports Line in Akita Prefecture

2023.12.06 11:00

株式会社コドルニス

The Super Minimum Challenge Racing Team (hereafter SMC, Director and Rider: Takushi Chikakane), which set the FIM/AMA-approved world speed record in Bonneville, USA, in 2019, on November 22 and 23, 2023, at the Oogata-mura Solar Sports Line circuit in Akita, Japan. Public test runs of the NSX-52, an improved version of the NSX-51 (50cc + supercharger) machine, were held.

This was the first time in history that a land speed racer (a machine dedicated to the maximum speed challenge) that actually achieved a world record, such as the NSX-52, was subjected to a public test run in Japan. Takushi Chikakane is a six-time FIM (International Motorcycling Federation)/AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) record holder. For this test, a 5km-long straight course was specially set up on the same circuit course. A laser measuring device was used to measure the distance, and a photoelectric tube and speed gun were set up to take precise measurements, even though it is not officially certified.

As a result, the NSX-52 continued to break the world's fastest speed record that Chikanen had set himself at the BMST (Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trial), a world-recognized competition in the United States, from the start of testing to 2019. The final result was a 400m measured section average speed of 117.05km/h, a feat that broke the world's fastest record set in 2019 by more than 15km/h, albeit unauthorized. In this test, the engine speed was kept at 12,500 rpm, lower than the limit of 13,500 rpm, and the auxiliary distance was 1,000 m, 600 m shorter than the 1,600 m of the BMST. The record was set with an ample safety margin and against the disadvantage of a short acceleration section.

The SMC team is scheduled to participate in the BMST to be held in August next year. We are expecting more record-breaking performances from the team.

NSX-52 Record Achievement Moment

Illustration with NSX-52 dimensions

What is the Land Speed Racer?

For more than 120 years since the birth of gasoline-powered motorcycles in 1885, top speed has been used as a number to indicate the absolute performance of a machine. The world's most prestigious land speed race is the Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trial (BMST) held in Utah, U.S.A., where riders compete for the world's highest speed record with the same engine displacement and mechanism.

The BMST is the world's most historic FIM (International Motorcycling Federation)/AMA (American Motorcyclist Association) sanctioned competition with a history of over 100 years since its birth in 1912, and is the world's premier maximum speed certification event. The strict rules, which stipulate that the average speed of a one-mile measurement section on the world's longest straight course of 10 miles (approximately 16 km) is the certified speed, and that the record must be broken again on the return leg, known as the "return run," to be recognized as a new record, have made the event a favorite among motorsports enthusiasts around the world. This is the reason why motorsports fans around the world say, "The record at Bonneville is the real record. In order to compete in this event and win the title of "World's Fastest," a body that reduces air resistance like a rocket was created, engine power was increased to the utmost limit, and even the front brakes were removed to reduce weight. The ultimate racing machine, aiming only for the world's fastest record, is called the "Land Speed Racer.

The NSX-52, which broke the world's fastest speed record with a 50cc + supercharger mechanism that was said to be impossible

■Background of Holding This Public Test

The SMC team teamed up with an all-star team from Japan's precision microfabrication industry to develop the world's smallest supercharged 50cc racing engine and turbocharged 125cc engine, which were said to be impossible, as a private team. In addition, an original frame and cowl were developed, and in 2019, the NSX-51 (50cc + supercharged) and NSX-02 (125cc + turbocharged) will compete in the Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trial (BMST), an FIM/AMA-sanctioned race to be held in Bonneville, USA. (125 cc + turbo), the NSX-51 (50 cc + supercharger) and the NSX-02 (125 cc + turbo), achieved the unprecedented feat of setting six world speed records in the BMST.

Although the team made improvements to the machine with the aim of breaking even more records, the world was unable to compete due to the cancellation of the BMST competition due to the outbreak of the new coronavirus, logistical disruptions, and the cancellation of the event due to heavy rain and hurricanes caused by global-scale abnormal weather.

During the three years following the Corona disaster, the SMC team further developed and improved the machine, employing advanced materials such as titanium and carbon, which are used in space rockets, and succeeded in significantly reducing the weight of the car body by 15 kg. The characteristics of the engine have also been significantly revised to improve performance and reliability.

In August 2023, the team traveled to the United States with two machines, fully prepared to break the world's fastest speed record. However, the BMST competition was canceled due to Hurricane Hilary, which made landfall in Southern California for the first time in 84 years. The machine was expected to break the world record for sure! However, they were unable to run the machine that they had hoped would "surely break the world record!

Since the machine had already broken the world record many times in bench tests, the first public test run in Japan was held this time to shake down the machine and test its capability. As expected, it broke the world's fastest record and showed the world a glimpse of its capabilities.

Challenges for BMST entry in 2024

Although the SMC team broke the world's fastest speed record, the team needed more than 10 million yen in local expenses alone to participate in the Bonneville Motor Show in the U.S., including round-trip transportation costs for two machines, staff expenses for their stay in the U.S., local transportation vehicle rental costs, entry fees, and various insurance premiums. Even in Japan, since almost all parts are made of one-off products, more than 20 million yen is required including costs for replacement parts, spare parts, development of improved products, and various safety verification tests. Although the performance of Chikanen and the two machines have been greatly improved and the world record, although unauthorized, has been broken, and much is expected of their performance in the race, they are in a dilemma: they cannot compete in the Bonneville event next August unless they can secure a sponsor.

We hope to prove the performance and capability of our machine widely by breaking the world's fastest record in this public test, and to solicit corporate and individual sponsorships for our entry.

November 23, 2023 Oogata Village Solar Sports Line Goal Scene Video

https://youtu.be/TyM8R8pRFVk?si=u-2ULOYj9vVwHJjZ

NHK News Test Run of Moped Motorcycle Unofficially World's Fastest Record Oogata Village

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/lnews/akita/20231123/6010019692.html?fbclid=IwAR1CGhXxKdKLrIJGesbzdW9yxf4yllevjpzDxDG4eDhXzaPL7FSSG96YJuo

About SMC Project

The essence of made-in-Japan products is compactness and high performance. Sony's transistor radios and Honda's Super Cub, for example, have driven Japan's manufacturing industry and economy. It has been a long time since the manufacturing industry was said to be a declining industry, with IT companies taking over the flower industry of the era, but there are many companies in the precision micro-metal processing industry that possess world-class and one-of-a-kind technologies. An all-star team of Japanese manufacturing companies gathered with the aim of "setting a world record for the world's fastest time in the world's smallest and most precise class to demonstrate to the world the excellence of Japanese manufacturing technology! The Super Minimum Challenge Project is the result of these all-star teams of Japanese manufacturers coming together with the goal of "achieving the world's fastest record in the world's smallest and most precise class to show the world the excellence of Japanese manufacturing technology! The engine is based on the Honda Super Cub, a symbol of made in Japan.

Public test run results

Location : Oogata Village Solar Sports Line

　　　　　　　　61-16, Kataue, Oogata-mura, Minami-Akita-gun, Akita 010-0452

Period ： November 22, 2023 (Wed) 10:00 - November 23, 2023 (Thu) 16:45

Contents of the public test: 5km from Miyuki Bridge to the turnaround point in front of the northern bridge.

　　　　　　　　The public test will be conducted along a 5km straight line from Miyuki Bridge to the turnaround point in front of the North Bridge.

Course setup: Average speed (measured by photoelectric tube) over a 1,000-meter run and a 400-meter measurement period,

　　　　　　　　A speed gun was set up at the 400m exit point to measure the maximum speed.

<Measurement results and data

6th run

November 23, 13:45, temperature 7.4 degrees, southwest wind 2.4m

Average speed over 400m: 117.05km/h