In The Zone On The Ballistic In The Zone On The Ballistic Eagle
What is red, white, blue and gold and can reach 202.55 miles per hour in 7.887 seconds in just a quarter mile? Superhero fans would say Superman, but the answer is actually something and someone from this world.
The Ballistic Eagle, piloted by Effingham resident Kevin Martin, is the answer to the question.
What, you say, is the Ballistic Eagle? The answer is that it is one of very few jet powered bikes ever created and it takes an even more rare character to operate something with this much thrust.
Enter owner and operator Kevin Martin. From the outset, Martin built his jet bike to be the fastest in the world, but he would almost have to pay the ultimate price to accomplish what he had set out to do.
“When you get up to speeds over 170 miles per hour there are many dangers to consider,” says Martin. “But, there is also so much to do with g-forces and aerodynamics that make this harder to do than it sounds. Many people have lost their lives trying to do it.”
Martin is one of the lucky ones. Having flatlined on three different occasions, Martin knows that God has given him second and third chances.
So why not fix g-force and aerodynamic issues in the wind tunnel Kevin? “I’m a hands on guy, and besides, that would not be any fun.”
Fun has almost turned to tragedy for Martin on several occasions. One such occasion, while Martin was a sophomore at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach FL, his fun was interrupted by the ignorance of another driver. He had just taken his final exam before Christmas break. His buddy needed a lift to go pick up his car so they jumped on a Honda Hurricane 600. Only a mile from home an office supply truck swerved into the lane he was in. The truck had slammed on his brakes to make an illegal u-turn. With nowhere to go, Martin locked up his brakes at a speed of only 40 miles per hour. Martin had almost cleared the truck but his left knee caught the back bumper, shattering his knee and ripping the footpeg off. His buddy was thrown two lanes over and knocked out momentarily, but suffered only minor injuries.
When Martin awakened, lying on his back, he was holding his shoe in front of his face. “I remember looking at the sole of my shoe, then I realized that my foot was still in my shoe,” said Martin. “I thought, ‘damn this is going to hurt’.”
God was with him that day. Although his leg was severed, his femoral artery was still intact which kept Martin from bleeding to death. “The paramedics on scene, and the doctor’s at the hospital saved my life that day,” acknowledged Martin. “Even though I knew I was in trouble, and I saw the sense of urgency in everyone’s faces, I knew I would need to help them do their jobs,” says Martin. “I didn’t scream or freak out, I was in pain but I had to forget about it so they could do their jobs as quickly as possible.”
Martin’s positive attitude served him well that day. Though he was obviously in shock, Martin kept calm and even cracked jokes with the EMTs on the way to the hospital. Once at the hospital, Martin went into surgery for 12 hours.
“I remember the doctor aksed me about calling my parents,” says Martin. “I didn’t want to worry them, but then he told me that I might not make it out of surgery alive.”
With death a certain possibility, and or at least the very likely possibility of having his leg amputated, Martin passed out before talking to his parents on the phone.
Doctors saved his life, and miraculously his leg, but this was only the beginning of a very long journey for Martin. He was told that he would probably never walk again, but Martin didn’t take the news lying down. He voiced to them that was just unacceptable. His determination and positive attitude served him well.
Today Martin holds the un-official Guinness and IHRA record for the quarter-mile. On April 24, 2009 his motorcycle, The Ballistic Eagle, became the first jet powered motorcycle in the world to officially break the 200 mile per hour barrier.
It all started when he was around 10 years old. That’s when he got his first bike, and it were daredevils such as Evil and Robbie Knievil that inspired him to do what he does on the Ballistic Eagle today.
He now travels the country and shoots down raceway’s for eager fans. Many factors have to be considered before racing the jet powered motorcycle each time, that’s why Martin takes with him to each show a highly trained and skilled crew who help him in the tweaking and planning process before each ride. And thanks to their expertise, Martin has campaigned the bike since 2003 with no safety issues.
“You can’t ever say enough about your crew,” says Martin. “Without them I couldn’t do what I do.”
Knowing that death is likely with even the slightest error on the bike, Martin doesn’t allow the ultimate price affect what he does. “Any racer will tell you, you don’t think, you react. If you think you are already dead. First and foremost, you have to trust your crew.”
Before each race, Martin goes behind closed doors for ten minutes to clear his head, and visualize the run over and over. There have been several times over the years that Martin has had a “bad gut feeling” before the race. It might be a strong crosswind on the track or a problem during tuneup. Whichever the case Martin says that as soon as he hit’s the ignitors he forgets everything and his body goes into autopilot.
“Most racers call it “the zone” – where the racer blocks out everything around him and gets tunnel vision,” says Martin. “In actuality, this is a form of self hyponosis. I place myself in atrance in order to completely focus on the performance.”
On one occasion while Martin was in the zone, seconds prior to his race, his crew chief stepped directly in front of him,urgently trying to get Martin’s attention. Martin did not realize he was there until his crew chief started shaking Martin’s helmet furiously. “He was trying to give me an update that the crosswind had increased to 25 miles per hour,” says Martin. “He probably saved my life that day. I was ready for the crosswind and was able to keep from hitting the wall when the wind crossed about 1000 feet down track.”
Though Martin does not encourage young kids or teenagers to follow in his footsteps as a daredevil, he does use his story of trials, tribulations and overcoming adversity to show young people that the mind is a powerful tool and if they set their mind to do so, they can overcome and accomplish anything.
Martin says that 2010 will be a building year for he and his team, but already things are getting exciting in the Martin Motorsports camp. Recently, they broke ground on a new 6,000 square foot facility which will allow for more custom fabrication and research for Martin and his team.
So what record will Kevin Martin be chasing in the future?
“I really don’t want to give away too much about what we are working on, but I will say it will be exciting,” says Martin.
Kevin Martin, an Aircraft Engineer by trade, has been involved in drag racing since 1990. He began working as a volunteer crewmember for a Supercharged altered team known as the Absolute Pleasure. Kevin’s love of speed soared to new heights, as he felt the growing need to pilot such a radical hot rod! For several seasons, Kevin gathered knowledge about what it takes to be successful in this sport.
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