Mark Salle-Tabor wants to top 150 mph on a 1978 Kawasaki his late father nicknamed "Wasabi." If he does it Aug. 23-27 at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, the Tabor name goes into the land speed record books.

Salle-Tabor, 27, is a motorcycle builder and AMA professional racer who works full time at RPM Powersports, the family-owned dealership at 1925 12th St. in Sarasota. He will attempt two records at the Bonneville Motorcycle Speed Trials, the AMA's annual Land Speed Grand Championship, according to Your Observer.

His father, Aaron Tabor, died of cancer Feb. 11 at age 50. Days earlier, Salle-Tabor had visited him in Virginia and shown him a photo of the green KZ650 he'd spent more than a year building. Aaron pointed out the paint looked like wasabi. The name stuck.

"I'll be complete having a record with my last name on there — getting the 'Tabor' name documented," Salle-Tabor told Your Observer. "He would've loved to be out there to watch that."

Two records on the line: a rebuilt Kawasaki and the 'OMNI bike'

The first record attempt comes in the 750cc Assembled Partial Streamliner category, where the existing mark is 150 mph. Salle-Tabor bought the Kawasaki in Tampa, recognized it had "good bones" and spent a year and three months fabricating it into a machine he believes can break through.

He's also hauling the "OMNI bike," a collaboration between OMNI Energy, RPM Powersports and PRIIME Vinyl of Bradenton. That bike set the 500cc Modified Gas-Powered world record at 128 mph in 2021. Salle-Tabor will now enter it in the 500cc Modified Fuel-Powered class.

RPM Powersports owner Marcos Gonzalez, who founded the Sarasota dealership, said Salle-Tabor's drive is unmistakable. Gonzalez test-rode Wasabi down the block when it first arrived at the shop and came back calling its power-to-weight ratio "insane."

From a Walmart pit bike in Indiana to Sarasota's racing circuit

Salle-Tabor grew up in Columbus, Indiana, riding a Coleman pit bike from Walmart at age 6, and attended Hanover College before developing his land-speed interest and moving to Sarasota about five years ago. He worked in the Marine Operations division of the Sarasota County Fire Department before leaving in April to join RPM full time. He earned his AMA professional license through Florida Track Days events at Homestead-Miami Speedway, climbing from intermediate amateur.

First Bonneville run set for Aug. 23-27, results to follow

This will be his first time competing at Bonneville. The event runs Aug. 23-27 on the 40-square-mile salt expanse near Wendover, Utah, and is sanctioned by both the AMA and FIM for national and world records.