Andy Sills & the 4th International Speed Trials

August 30, 2007 Page 1 of 4    1234

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This time, the challenge facing Andy Sills is even greater, as he will be attempting to beat the existing world record in the 1400cc class, where almost 'anything goes' in terms of permitted machine modifications, choice of engine parts and type of fuel. The current record is an incredible 256 mph (412 km/h), but as far as Andy is concerned, it's a challenge he's been waiting for his whole life.

Andy only discovered motorcycling in his forties, after having built up and sold a successful manufacturing business. This put him in the enviable position of having lots of spare time on his hands, which he soon put to use riding motorcycles. With more than 400,000 miles (650,000 km) ridden in the last ten years, Andy has been making up for lost time.

"It's not about how long you've been riding; it's more about how many miles you've actually ridden. Since I sold the business I've had all the time in the world and I've been using it to just ride and ride and ride. Being a small guy of only 5'3" (1.57m) and 130 lbs (58kg) it's natural that I was attracted to big bikes and after owning a Harley and a Ducati, I then bought one of the original BMW K 1200 RS motorcycles. This bike afforded me the opportunity to ride long distances and I discovered that it could go very fast for hours and hours."

When Andy bought the 130 hp K 1200 RS, he soon discovered that the desert was a place where he could exploit its high-speed capability. Living in California, he was able to easily travel to States such as Nevada and Arizona in search of the perfect roads. With well-maintained asphalt and good visibility, Andy was able to ride fast and safely on the K 1200 RS and it was around this time that he thought it would be good to get involved in land speed racing.

After seeing an article in a motorcycle magazine about the BMW of San Jose dealership in California (which had set a land speed record on a specially built BMW boxer) Andy rode there, introduced himself to the dealer principal and told him he had come to answer their advertisement for a test rider. When San Jose's owner and legendary tuner, Chris Hodgson told him that there was no such advertisement, Andy came clean and said that he would do anything for a ride. He explained that as he had no day job, time on his hands and spent much of his time riding fast in the desert Ð where he had clocked up more than 100,000 miles (160,000 km) Ð he was surely the perfect man for the job.