For Yorkshire-based engineer, granddad, and precision madman Graham Sykes, speed has been an obsession for most of his life. He’s been involved in straight-line motorsport efforts (both on two wheels and more) since 1979 and is turning 60 years old in 2023. His wife Diane is also heavily involved in the family engineering and speed efforts, working both in the office and on the crew, towing the bike back where it needs to go after speed runs are complete.
What bike are we talking about? It’s a steam-powered monster of a thing that Sykes calls Force of Nature. At Elvington Speed Week in late May 2023, this bike—which Sykes has been taking to events for the past several years—officially set a new world record for a steam-powered motorcycle. It did a standing 1/8th mile run in just 3.878 seconds, achieving an exit speed of 163.8 miles per hour. To run it, water is heated using hydrogenated vegetable oil, keeping the pursuit of speed as environmentally friendly as possible.
After completing that 1/8th mile run, the top speed achieved by the Force of Nature and its operator was 180 mph, but that number is just fun to talk about, and didn’t count as part of this record-breaking achievement. As you may already have guessed, Sykes isn’t just the engineer behind this bike—he's also the pilot.
“It’s just a big bomb really, and it all started in my shed. I’ve taken the principles of chemistry, and married them with precision engineering to create something I’m passionate about – fast bikes. I wanted to do this in a way that is sustainable for the planet (I’ve got nine grandkids after all), and demonstrate that you don’t have to compromise on speed, you just have to get creative,” Sykes said of his creation.
The record was certified by the UK and ITA governing body for UK and European Land Speed Records. Project Force of Nature has been a journey that was 10 years in the making. It’s an impressive achievement on its own, but it also follows a previous British national speed record for fastest three-wheeled vehicle that Sykes set on another homemade machine in 2015. There, he crafted a V8-powered three-wheeler that he named Syko, which hit a top speed of 180.3 mph and did an average speed of 171.4 mph on a flying quarter mile.
What’s next for the Sykes family and Force of Nature? In the future, they plan to surpass 200 mph top speed on a standing 1/8-mile run. If you’ll be anywhere near the Hockenheim Circuit in Germany in late August 2023, you can also catch Force of Nature appearing at the Nitro Olympics night show from August 25 through 27, 2023.
