Hands up who knows why the Triumph Bonneville is called the Bonneville? Do you even know where Bonneville is? OK there are two, but we’re talking about the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, and not the Bonneville in south-eastern France.
It was the Utah Bonneville, where in 1956 Johnny Allen reached a record speed of 214 mph on a 650cc twin carb Triumph engine, designed by the legendary Edward Turner. Two years later, Triumph unveiled the first iteration of the legendary Bonneville motorcycle, the T120, named after this record breaking feat. During the heyday of British motorcycle manufacturing, the Bonneville conquered the world, becoming one of the most popular motorcycles ever produced.
Now, while that may all sound like ancient history, it might surprise you to know that bikes from the 1950s are still regularly smashing land speed records at Bonneville. In fact, since 2001, Alp Racing Design has been building and racing record-setting (and breaking) machines in the vintage, pushrod, special construction, naked and partial streamline classes, using 1950s Triumph engines and frames. When you’re working with 70 year old engines, there aren’t many brand new performance parts that you can buy that will give you a huge uptick in performance and speed. Instead, teams racing in the vintage classes rely on knowledge and huge amounts of ingenuity to tease ever higher speeds out of these antique engines.
This is something that Alp Racing Design, a husband and wife team of Alp Sungurtekin and Jalika Gaskin-Sungurtekin, are experts at, having broken a number of land speed records with their Triumphs, almost since they first began racing down dry lakebeds and salt flats. They eke more speed out of old Triumph engines than you ever thought possible (or wise!), and now they’re aiming to go one step further with a 1000cc Vincent HRD Black Lightning engine.
Read on to hear from Crew Chief Jalika and get the lowdown on running a race team and what it takes to set records on the salt….
T-200 at Bonneville Salt Flats, UT . Pic by Mikey Revolt
When did you first get into motorcycles?
I became Crew Chief in 2007 and I started riding in 2009.
What drew you to motorcycles initially?
I just liked the general concept of travelling from place to place minimally, it feels like the embodiment of freedom.
Did any other riders inspire you?
Personally, I love Bessie Stringfield and her story. She enjoyed riding cross country and along remote back roads, but did so during a time that was dangerous for her. In spite of this she appears to have used her energy to focus on living her best life. I think she unwittingly set a beautiful prime example of being the change you want to see.
What was the first bike you ever worked on?
It wasn't exactly a whole bike so much as it were pre unit Triumph parts my husband (Alp) and I put together in 2009 for our first races at Bonneville in 2011.
How did you first become involved in Alp Racing?
Alp and I were talking about bikes and what we liked or disliked about them and one day he asked if I wanted to start a race team with him to see where it goes. I didn't hesitate at all and said "sure why not?". I'm thankful I didn't realise the amount of work we would be in for... there is something wonderfully encouraging and almost self propelling about starting a new adventure for the fun of it with eyes wide open, ready to learn and tackle anything.
Did you have a background in motorcycles or engineering before joining Alp Racing?
No. My formal education was in the Arts/Craftsmen and Language/Cultural Anthropology/Psychology fields where I earned several degrees.
For a few years I had the opportunity to enter the fashion world as an international fashion and beauty model, which mainly taught me how to travel light and efficiently, allowed me to see other countries and different parts of the US. It also reminded me of how much I love to create whenever I would interact with the clothing designers, beauty brand business executives, stylists and set builders. I learned a thing or two about product placement, visual story telling and this inspired me to seek a way to return to my original love of all things art and craft work but from an angle where I could be more involved in the creative second production process.
I learned about engineering as we went through our team. I was fortunate to be in a unique position where my weird artsy/non engineering ideas and McGyver-esque tendencies would be received and applied whenever appropriate, particularly on the race course. This is alongside the more form follows function design approach and engineering experience that Alp brings through his formal education, work experience and unique ideas in Industrial Design.
“There is something wonderfully encouraging and almost self propelling about starting a new adventure for the fun of it with eyes wide open - ready to learn and tackle anything”.
What are your key responsibilities as Crew Chief for Alp Racing?
Frankly for the better part of the past 10 years I was the Crew Chief and the entire crew itself. This meant I was responsible for learning how each bike was supposed to function per our understanding at the time, verify at the races that the bike was operating safely, making a list of and sourcing materials needed for the races as well as picking up items delineated by Alp for the bike itself; and finally reviewing all procedures together.
This helped reduce the amount of things Alp would have to think about for safety reasons at the starting line as he is also our rider. As time went on we were fortunate to have amassed a rotating crew of people that were available to be on the team depending on which races they could attend. This freed me to delegate various tasks and focus more on hearing out and sharing ideas with Alp on different concepts as well as verifying everything we needed for the races was checked off.
This is mainly important because the venues at which we race are remote and once you are out there it is critical to ensure you have everything you need... you become your own little village.
What are the key dates in the calendar for a usual year at Alp Racing?
Racing is a year round affair for us. During the "off season" (end of November-early May) with the exception of major winter holidays, we are always planning, designing, sourcing materials, fabricating and building. From early/mid May through mid/late November every year, we have races at El Mirage Dry Lake, CA once a month except for August, when we have Speedweek at Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. There are several other races held at Bonneville towards the end of the year between August and October sanctioned by SCTA and other organisations such as AMA and FIM. You an find all SCTA sanctioned race dates here. At Alp Racing Design we're fortunate to be located so close to El Mirage, it allows us to attend every race as well as go ourselves to test tune our bikes in between races. In many ways, it helps prepare us for Bonneville Speedweek and all following races held there, as it is much further, the courses themselves are much longer (allowing more time to get up to speed within the measured mile), and the events are much longer. Conversely, racing at El Mirage is shorter in time and overall length of the course, it is a lot like drag racing. Because of many factors including weather pattern (or lack thereof), we always aim to attend every race both at El Mirage and Bonneville... you never now what curveball will be thrown your way next!
Can you give a brief overview of the classes you race in for our readers?
Mainly Vintage, Pushrod, Special Construction, Naked or Partial Streamline Classes in both Gas and Fuel. For example A-VG, A-VF, A-PF etc. you can view a list of classes in which we have raced on our racing site.
While Alp Racing is most famous for racing pre-unit 650cc Triumph engines, you’re currently working with a 1948 Vincent HRD engine - Where did the love of old motorcycles stem from?
We both love the overall aesthetic of pre and post war bikes in general but particularly the ones that were more stripped down after the war and ridden as street bikes or raced on courses, for their brutal simplicity. Vintage Triumph motorcycles were also an affordable and accessible way for us to get into Land Speed Records, as at the time when we started, you could find parts virtually everywhere from online to swap meets and build a whole bike from the ground up.
Vincent HRD 666 shot at El Mirage Dry Lake, CA by Chuck Null CFN Image Works
What records are you hoping to break with the Vincent?
Our aim is actually to go faster than any of our previous record holding little 650cc Triumphs, one of which is the 'Asymmetric Aero', it reached 175.65mph and has recently retired, it is available to to public to view at Haas museum in Dallas, Texas alongside our Partial Streamline Bike the 'T-200'. We have however just broken the last record of 149mph set in 2018 by a double engine Indian, with a new official record of 168+mph. (The records are an average of the first qualifying run you make that beats the last record and a second run to back up the first.) So we're still pushing!
How many times do you test your land speed bikes?
As often as we can bring them out the a desert lakebed.
Do you test ride the land speed bikes yourself?
No. I will help bring the bike back to the trailer/push truck and haul it back to the pits. Our bikes are individually handcrafted and measured to fit one rider, my job is to make sure it is functioning as we have discussed and that the rider is safe overall. I love bikes but I consider myself to be more of a chill desert rider. I may take a bike that fits me to run out there just for fun when the timing is right.
What does it feel like to race at Bonneville?
For me it's a lot of keeping your head down sticking your nose to the grinder as I'm constantly learning every second. There's always a new challenge, a new theory to test, new climate conditions etc. so I do not allow myself to get too comfortable. I feel like a newbie every time and compared to many old school racers that have been around since the 60s, some of whom have become our mentors... I am! It's scary in a good way. But then after the flurry of back to back work and taking bikes apart together on the silt, salt or even in a parking lot is over for the day (or at the end of the race meet), there is this incomparable peace and natural beauty that you can't help help but lose yourself to in awe.
What was it like when the Alp team broke the land speed record on the Triumph?
We have broken several records on different Triumph based builds. We're always just proud and relieved, like another weight has been lifted but we don't ponder on it too long asides from analysing what we've learned before moving onto the next target to see what else we can improve. Alp does a ton of research beforehand, but still it's all just a theory until you get out there and prove it to the clock.
Which racing record are you most proud of?
All of them, every single one took a lot of work and planning and balancing our lives to make happen and each one is an opportunity to try something new.
Do you build custom bikes to order or is Alp Racing focussed solely on racing and land speed records?
Alp Racing Design builds Custom Racing Bikes and custom commission work for personal use. If a racer, collector or other bike lover is interested in one of Alp's designs for their historical value and authentic racing pedigree or to race themselves and have a chance at getting their name in the record book, we welcome the opportunity.
In 2019 you visited the Moon Eyes show in Yokohama, Japan with an Alp x Thompson cycles collaboration Triumph build! What was that like?
Alp Racing Design built that bike for Thompson Cycles so that we could race together at Bonneville and hopefully nab a record, which we did! Having one of the world's largest international custom show invite us with a new record holder was an exciting moment for us all and a fun unique chance to see another culture within that scene/context of a love of custom bikes etc.
What is your daily ride right now?
I currently have a 650cc 1955 pre unit Triumph swingarm built from parts, its my desert sled. I love that I don't have to worry about keeping it "pretty", that it's small and agile but loud as heck and packs a punch because it's a legit Alp Racing Design engine that has simply been detuned a bit so I can hop on at leisure and have fun in the middle of nowhere while we camp and test tune one of our racing bikes. I also love how relatively simple and straightforward it is for me to take apart and maintain as needed.
What does riding mean to you?
Tuning in. Apparently I'm one of those lone wolf types. I enjoy the solitude and feeling the wind, that motor and watching the desert sun set.
Favourite place in the world to ride?
Any place that is remote.
What lessons have you learnt from living your life around motorcycles?
I live my life around creativity, getting my hands dirty and all things related to alternative living, transport and lifestyle. All of that has shown me that anything worthwhile will be a lot work but has immense rewards if you stick to it, mainly the learning of new skills and getting to know yourself.
You also make jewellery! Do you find that the two sides of your life with motorcycles and making metal jewellery crossover inspiration wise?
Yes I do! If you really think about it everything a human creates is inspired by nature consciously or not. It's no different for our Top Fuel Nitro Machines that have the aerodynamic features of an egg from the front or a sparrow from above, nor my jewellery whose forms tend to be geometric. My jewellery pieces are more directly influenced by ancient armour, celestial bodies, molecular shapes and archaic tools at the moment, so I would say perhaps the difference lies in the actual concept and goal rather than inspiration. I look forward to making my pieces available for purchase very soon, as well as collaborating with other creators with complimentary vibes worldwide.
What’s next for you and Alp Racing?
Right now our goal is to make the Vincent666 faster than any bike we've built before. We currently offer support T-shirts, hats, pins and jumpsuits and on our website and through Facebook. We also look forward to designing and building parts that will be more accessible to the daily rider: several concepts are in the works so stay tuned!
You can follow Jalika's jewellery and other design work on Instagram here. You can find some behind the scenes captures of Alp Racing's ventures and all official racing related content on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, as well as their website.
Interview by @rozzle_dp