Triumph trivia

A Rocket III Classic, dubbed the "Texas Rocket", set the founding land speed record in the'3000 production (overhead cam)' class at last year's Bonneville Speed Week in America. Bob Walton Jr was the pilot, and he wound the Rocket III up to 139.132mph (224.214kmh) on the Bonneville short course.

Italy is a motorcycle racing Mecca, and there are a smorgasbord of single-model titles on the menu. Two such series were held in 2006: the Thruxton Cup and Speed Triple Cup. The Thruxton Cup was a carry-over from the previous year, and continued to surf the wave of popularity, while the Speed Triple Cup was new to the scene. For the record, Andrea Olivari (Thruxton) and Giorgio Salvatico (Speed Triple) were the two winners. The Thruxton Cup will return in 2007, while the Speed Triple Cup has been re-branded as the Triumph Open Cup, and will accept Speed Triples from 2002 onwards, as well as Daytona 675s and the all-new Tiger 1050.

Huge Lawrie, a former champion oarsman and the star of global television hit House, is a passionate Triumph owner, and rides a Bonneville around Los Angeles in between filming commitments. Aside from the concrete slabs which double as roads in many parts of Los Angeles and its environs, Lawrie loves riding around the world's motion picture capital. "… the bends, the camber, the weather and the scenery are just first rate," he says.