In 1979, French cyclist Jean Claude Rude set out to break the world speed record for a bicycle. The previous record for a bicycle, set in 1962, belonged to his compatriot José Meiffret and was 204.7 km/h (127.2 mph). This speed was shown on the German autobahn near Freiburg, where the rider was riding in the flow of Mercedes-Benz 300 SL.
This type of race is called motor-paced racing. The cyclist moves in a slipstream behind the accelerating car. This technique, well known in auto racing, allows you to significantly reduce the frontal resistance of the driven car and gain speed, all other things being equal.
Rude aimed for 240 km/h and he needed a powerful accelerating car capable of moving at such a speed. At that time, the Porsche 935 was one of the best racing cars, well proven in endurance racing.
An agreement was reached with the Germans, and they prepared the car for the record run: chassis 935-003 was absolutely “fresh”. Before the record runs, it took part in only one competition – on July 3, 1977, the “200 Miles of Nuremberg” at the Norrisring. Bob Wollek (No. 50) finished second.
The power of this 935 was 630 hp, but it was reduced largely due to the rear superstructure, which significantly worsened the aerodynamic characteristics of the base car. This superstructure created an air pocket in which the cyclist moved. A horizontal roller was installed on the rear overhang in case the front wheel of the bicycle came into contact with the car.
The Germans also provided the Volkswagen test track in Wolfsburg (Ehra-Lessien). This track was located on the border with East Germany (GDR) and was in a no-fly zone. But its main advantage was the 9-kilometer straight. This is the place where the Bugatti Veyron and McLaren F1 later set their records. The Porsche 935 was piloted by another famous Frenchman – Henri Pescarolo, an active racer at the time, and after finishing his racing career, the owner of his own endurance racing team.
The rear superstructure greatly changed the car’s aerodynamics, which affected its handling. But the situation with the turbocharger was even worse: turbo lag led to flame emissions. The exhaust had to be diverted to the sides, although the danger of burning the cyclist remained.
The acceleration was successful. But at a speed of 160 km/h, the record holder’s rear tire burst and flew off. The fall was avoided and the tandem returned safely to the pits. Rude was disappointed, but still ordered more reliable tires from Michelin for the second attempt. But the second attempt did not take place – Jean Claude Rude died under the wheels of a train. It is believed that he was experimenting with getting out of the air pocket, which could happen during the second attempt, when the cyclist literally runs into a wall of air. The current world record, set in 1995, is 278.8 km/h (167 mph) and belongs to Dutchman Fred Rompelberg.
