Riverton’s Bruce Thornton has claimed the title of fastest man alive — in Southland — after topping 350kmh at the Bonneville Salt Flats Speedway. Mr Thornton drove the ‘‘Kiwi Coupe’’, a modified, steel-bodied 1934 Plymouth at this year’s annual Bonneville Speed Week in Utah after his friend Chris Barnes, also of Riverton, was unable to drive it after being diagnosed with a heart condition. The pair had worked on the car, co-owned by Mr Barnes, for the past two years. ‘‘He asked me to drive so I said ‘why not’ ... I was expecting to go as a crew member, not as a driver.’’ Mr Thornton hit a top speed of 221mph, or 355kmh. He described the experience getting into the driver’s seat as ‘‘being behind the wheel of a car as a kid and thinking about putting your foot flat and going for it’’. Despite reaching eye-watering speeds, Mr Thornton said he remained unsatisfied. ‘‘I feel like I’ve got unfinished business ... I had a figure in my head which was 248mph [399kmh] which I thought would be a nice number — might get there in the future.’’ He is one of many to have followed in the footsteps of Invercargill legend Burt Munro, who in 1967 set motorcycle speed record in the 1000cc Streamliner Modified Fuel category at Bonneville in his modified Indian Scout. Mr Munro died in 1978 but his record still has not been beaten. Going to the United States had been a good experience for Mr Thornton. He enjoyed meeting ‘‘like-minded people’’, while racing on the salt flats despite how dry it was. ‘‘It’s like being in a dehydrator. ‘‘We were down to 3% humidity.’’ Although he beat the previous record raced by Mr Barnes in the Kiwi Coupe, this did not come without issues. ‘‘It wasn’t plain sailing. ‘‘We had fluid leaks, the gearbox out twice and steering box issues,’’ Mr Thornton said. However, being there and having to work on the car on the salt flats just added to the experience, he said. While he was doing his run, he said his mind was completely clear. ‘‘You let if unfold in front of you. ‘‘If you entered it with any sort of premeditation you wouldn’t be thinking clearly.’’ Before the run there was a serious crash in which a driver was seriously injured, he said. Kiwi Coupe has been sold and is now in Salt Lake City. Mr Thornton, a carpenter by trade and a keen surfer, is two years away from retirement and said once he was retired he would revisit racing again. ‘‘If I had the money, I’d be back for the next meeting.’’
