Boosted For Speed Week Glory
Adam’s YZF-R3’s Salt Flats Text Book Challenge
What started as a bold university project for Adam Howe, soon turned into a full-fledged attempt at a land-speed record. The challenge was set—take a Yamaha YZF-R3, a reliable yet modest learner bike, and push it well beyond its intended limits.
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With a tiny turbocharger in hand and a team of experts at the ready, the project quickly evolved from a thesis requirement into something far greater. Now Adam is heading to the salt flats of South Australia and the 35th annual speed week at Lake Gairdner to see if he can turn theory into practicality, and an official Aussie record in the 350cc Modified Partial Streamlined Blown Gas (MPS-BG) class. Adam's goal? 136mph (220km/h).
How did Adam go? Read his 2025 Speed Week story here:
Assisting Adam in his quest has been Dr. Ali Zare from Deakin University who has provided crucial engineering guidance, and a translating service to understand the complex turbo diagrams. Ben Shaw from Extreme Creations, a mastermind of forced induction, chipped in to build custom components and offer troubleshooting support. Adam also revealed that family members also played a vital role—machining parts, sourcing components, and lending a hand when late-night fabrication work stretched into the early hours.
From Benchmarks to Breakthroughs
The project officially began at Yamaha dealership, Trooper Lu’s Garage in Liverpool, where the stock Yamaha YZF-R3 was put on the dyno. The baseline figure—36.1 horsepower (26.5)—left plenty of room for improvement. What followed was months of design, fabrication, and relentless testing.
The centrepiece of the build is a VZ21 turbo, one of the smallest available. The wastegate actuator was swapped for a 7.5 psi unit, and the wastegate ported to prevent excessive boost spikes. Alongside these modifications came a growing list of essential components—HEL braided brake lines, a steering damper, a lanyard kill switch, and a reinforced chain guard. A custom 3mm aluminum plenum took shape but not after after several failed attempts, and as the project’s complexity grew, so did Adam’s determination to see it through.
Challenges and a Turning Point
Adam’s first attempt to fire up the turbocharged engine was met with crushing disappointment—the bike produced not a scarp of boost. Frustration set in as sleepless nights were spent troubleshooting potential causes. A breakthrough came on dyno day when Ben Shaw diagnosed the issue: the wastegate was opening too soon, dumping the precious boost. Adjustments were made, and the results were immediate. Boost pressure stabilized at 9 psi, and the power output surged to a heady 59.7 horsepower (44kW)—nearly double the stock figure.
The Road to Speedweek
With the performance gains secured, attention turned to final preparations for DLRA Speedweek at Lake Gairdner which was by now just weeks away. Fine-tuning the gearing, ensuring stability at high speeds, and addressing the last safety requirements became top priorities.
Finally, what started as an ambitious university project had transformed into a serious contender for the salt flats.
Yamaha's YZF-R3 has already proven itself as capable learner machine, now Adam is now ready show what it really can do. Adam's project is not just about setting a land-speed record, it's about pushing boundaries, testing limits, and proving that even a humble learner bike can graduate to greatness.
Adam Howe and his YZF-R3 will be on the Lake Gairdner salt flats for Speed Week 2025 from 3-8 March 2025. Look for a full recap of his attempt on Motor | Life | Passion
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