Valerie Thompson has survived a crash at speed most motorcyclists will never even come close to reaching.
Thompson is one of the world’s fastest land speed racers and generally regarded as the fastest female rider in the world. Last week, she was down in Lake Gairdner, Australia, laying down runs at the World Speed Trials. Four miles into a run in her streamliner, she says she had just cleared 481 km/h when the bike started to go wonky.
Thompson deployed her bike’s chute soon after she lost control and the machine flipped over, which might have saved her life. Thompson walked away from the crash, which is even more impressive when you consider the wreckage from the bike was spread along almost a mile of the course, according to the FIM, who sanctioned the race.
