A 62-year-old precision engineer from North Yorkshire has created one of the most jaw-dropping machines in motorsport history. a steam-powered rocket bike that ripped through the quarter-mile in just 5.5 seconds at nearly 193 mph.
The impressive performance was captured on video at Santa Pod Raceway during the Festival of Power event, where Graham Sykes piloted his custom-built “Force of Nature” machine to a personal best of 5.5039 seconds at 192.94 mph.
In the dramatic footage, the sleek white-and-black bike sits staged at the starting line before unleashing an explosive launch. A massive white plume of steam erupts from the rear as the machine rockets forward with ferocious acceleration, leaving spectators and track officials in awe. The on-screen scoreboard flashes the stunning elapsed time and trap speed as the bike hurtles down the strip.
Sykes, who built the bike in his workshop over six years and five major iterations, calls the project “Force of Nature.”
Unlike traditional steam engines or modern electric and gasoline-powered machines, this bike uses superheated, pressurized water released through specialized de Laval nozzles. The water instantly flashes into high-velocity steam, generating rocket-like thrust.
Key performance figures include:
0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 0.4 seconds
Peak acceleration forces reaching 6.8 G, comparable to fighter jet pilots
Massive water expulsion rate of about 40 liters per second during full thrust
The bike is currently the second-quickest motorcycle ever recorded over the quarter-mile, trailing only a specialized hydrogen peroxide rocket bike. It has also posted some of the quickest acceleration numbers ever seen from any two-wheeled machine in the early portion of the run.
Sykes has described the power delivery as “all or nothing”, there’s no throttle modulation once the valves open. The rider must brace hard against the intense forces while the machine converts stored thermal energy into raw forward thrust.
The latest runs at Santa Pod mark another milestone for the project, which continues to push the boundaries of what’s possible with steam propulsion in the modern era. Sykes and his small team have stated they believe even quicker times are within reach with further development.
