I Saw the Ultimate Rocket Bike in Action and It Blew Me Away
Key takeaways
- As I watched Graham Sykes climb onto his rocket bike, I was worried for a moment that I was about to film a man as he died.
- After battling through the crowds flooding into the venue, I eventually found Sykes and his team among cars and bikes of all shapes and sizes, diligently preparing Force of Nature for its one scheduled run that day.
- Sykes (in his racing leathers) and the team make some adjustments to the bike.
As I watched Graham Sykes climb onto his rocket bike, I was worried for a moment that I was about to film a man as he died. But as he hurtled past me at hundreds of miles per hour and engulfed me in a cloud of steam, I realised I needn't have worried -- this is just a normal day for Sykes.
I was at the Santa Pod raceway in Bedfordshire, England, meeting Sykes and his team as they prepped his entirely steam-powered bike -- dubbed Force of Nature -- for a potentially record-breaking speed attempt during a drag-racing festival. After battling through the crowds flooding into the venue, I eventually found Sykes and his team among cars and bikes of all shapes and sizes, diligently preparing Force of Nature for its one scheduled run that day.
Watch this: World's Fastest Steam-Powered Rocketbike 05:32 Sykes, who seemed far calmer than I expected, offered me a marshmallow as I got my first glimpse of the bike, "I tend to not eat a great deal before a run, except for sugary sweets -- we've all got our vices!" he said.