“America’s Queen of Speed” Valerie Thompson and her All American Team "7" Racing crew traveled 8,500 miles from her hometown in Scottsdale, Arizona, all the way to Southern Australia with the BUB Seven Streamliner to break the all-time land-speed record of 376.363 mph. With conditions all ideal and as anticipated, the team set to reach the 400 mph mark and Valerie took off.

Just when she reached the 4-mile marker, the BUB Seven Streamliner crashed at 299 mph and along with it smashed Valerie’s dreams to break the record. Fortunately, Thompson walked away from the stunning wreck with only minor injuries to her leg.

The World Speed Trials at the 28th Annual Speed Week is a new motorcycle-only event regulated by the Federation Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and the AMA. The event was scheduled for March 17-19, 2018 at Lake Gairdner salt flats in Southern Australia and Valarie and her team were there well in advance to conduct mock runs and other tests to streamline her final attempt run on March 19th, exactly when the crash occurred.

BUB Seven Streamliner is an American-built streamliner motorcycle that held the motorcycle land-speed record from 2006 to 2008 and again from 2009 to 2010. It is a 500+hp monster built around a 21 ft carbon fiber monocoque frame and is powered by a 3000 cc, dual overhead cam, 4 valve, turbocharged V4 engine.

Such power was now going to attempt the 400 mph mark to make Valarie the fastest person in the world on two-wheels, beating the previous record of 376.363 set by the Ack Attack Team. With conditions favoring the attempt, Valarie set off only to have her streamliner lift its back past the 4-mile marker resulting in a ghastly crash.

Luckily, Valarie had deployed the chutes that helped stabilize the crash to an extent, and still, the Streamliner was dragged onto its side for half a mile leaving a noticeable trench along the edge of the course on Lake Gairdner. The wreckage spawned nearly a mile across the salt, but everyone was relieved to see that Valerie was okay and that all the safety equipment worked flawlessly.

The team is currently assessing the damage and reviewing the incident. FIM later reported the incidence and summarised saying “There was no major damage to the track, which remains in near-perfect condition. Cleanup has taken place, and racing is back underway for the rest of the contenders at the final day of the World Speed Trials Australia.”

The BUB Seven Streamliner is far more sensitive to the wind due to its size and speed when compared to the non-streamlined class.