Competing at the Bonneville Salt Flats must be unlike motorcycle competition in any other form. It is distilled, essential, and highly focused. It involves a triage of elements : the rider, the machine, and a shockingly flat, pure white, plain of centuries old salt stretching for miles in front of you.
Your only real competition is the clock. And only the
most fundamental rider skills are required. There are
no nuances such as the correct line thru the corner,
there are no corners. Lacking also are the optimum
shifting points and braking markers. Power and
aerodynamics-the essential components of Speed: these
are the requirements at Bonneville.
We went to Bonneville this year with big hopes. The
Flying Fox Racing Team has expanded in 2008. Dean
Paulus, Uncle Phred, Brent and Sue Hanson from the Bay
area, Todd and Anne-Marie Rasmussen from OKC, Wes
Stevenson and I are joined by John Ferguson and Rob
Billington. Rob is the proud owner of the R25/2 known
as the 'Freedle Flyer'.
Our racing stable has also expanded and is now three
machines:
"Freedle Flyer" running in the P-PV
250cc class
"Bonita Rapida" running in the
P-PV 500cc class
( P-PV = Production Frame, Production Engine, Pushrod,
vintage )
"Rennsport Replica" running in the
APS-PG 650cc class
( APS-PG = Special Built,
Partially Streamlined, Pushrod Gas)
We were very confident that all three
machines were capable of setting records in their
respective classes; the "Freedle Flyer" was running on
a Open Record and only had to finish the course to
Qualify; "Bonita" had proven to be very competitive
last year and was sure to benefit from some additional
development applied over the winter; and the
"Rennsport" had demonstrated 100+mph potential on a
variety of test runs. But those had been here at
sea-level, not the 4,400 feet of Utah, and certainly
not at 90+ degrees. And as we learned last year,
Preparation and Luck each play a huge role in success
at Bonneville.
The "Freedle Flyer" owned by Rob Billington and ridden
by Brent Hanson, is an original survivor. What lurks
inside this motor is a total mystery to us all. But it
looks, runs, and 'feels' to me like a stone stock
R25/2.
We brought it to Bonneville with little more than a
tune-up and a carb rebuild. Brent took the little 250
and set the first ever P-PV Record at Bonneville in the
250cc class at 59.209mph. And then, just because he
could, he took it back out and attacked and broke his
own record moving it up to 61.968. And thru it all the
"Freedle Flyer" ran like a champ, never so much as
leaking a drop of oil!
The 650cc "Rennsport Replica" proved to be a challenge.
With far more motor than the others and certainly a lot
more speed potential, but suffering from a lack of
opportunity for complete testing and development, it
retired early with some transmission teething troubles.
With a little sorting out this winter this bike will be
even faster than it is good looking. Watch for it next
year when Dean Paulus – now a certified Salt Rat – will
put it, and himself, into the record books.
My hopes for Bonneville in 2008 were two:
-Move the
existing record of 91.65mph up to at least 95.00mph…and
-Make at least one pass thru the lights at 100+mph
I was sure that I had enough motor, what I needed was
enough Luck. After my attempts at El Mirage in the
Spring I was a little apprehensive at Bonneville. All
four runs at El Mirage were good, but not as good as I
knew the bike to be capable of. There was always some
small element (often me) in each run, which was not
quite right. But at Bonneville Luck was finally in our
corner.
On Tuesday I made
my initial run. I attempted to ‘feel out’ the motor
without going to the limit. All I wanted was a good
clean run at 85-90 percent of the motor to get a good
plug check and some idea where I needed to go with the
jetting. But as soon as I hit third gear and tucked in
I knew I had a good run. The timing slip confirmed this
with a 95.635mph trap speed. Well beyond the standing
record and faster than “Bonita” had ever gone at this
altitude! What a rush! A quick look at the plugs
confirmed what I had felt during the run, and I made no
changes at all with the jetting. So back in line we
went for a flatout speed attempt.
It’s mid-afternoon now and the air is much warmer. I’m
sweating inside my leathers as I reach the head of the
line. The motor is running, and fully up to it’s
operating temperature, while I am well into my personal
red-zone. All that is forgotten instantly as the Track
Steward gives me the ‘GO!’ signal and I launch “Bonita”
down the salt.
The smoothness of the motor is
deceptive as I spin her out to about 6,000rpm and
gently feed in more and more clutch and until it is
fully ‘home’. At 8,500 I shift into second gear. The
motor spins right back up to 8,500 rpm in second, and I
catch third as quickly as I can, and tuck as far down
onto the tank as possible. The motor does not pull as
hard in third, but it does pull, and keeps on pulling.
I know 8,100 RPM is 100mph and I watch the tach needle
as it edges passed 7,900 RPM while I try and keep track
of the marked mileage cones flashing passed. For an
instant the tach needle brushes 8,100 RPM then falls a
little below 8,000, catches and starts to climb
again…just as the three mile marker flashes by on my
right.
I sit up and roll out of the throttle knowing that I
have a Qualifying run. I have to calm myself, and
remember to SLOW DOWN before I make the right turn onto
the pickup road. At speed, and in a straight line the
salt seems better than asphalt, but it’s not a surface
that lends itself well to hooking a hard right hander
at speed! We load the bike onto the trailer and head
for ‘the shack’ where we will pick up the timing slip.
Uncle Phred is whooping it up saying the run was over
the Ton, but I think it was a little bit shy. He’s
willing to wager a dollar, which is a little rich for
me but I had the advantage of the tach reading, so I
risk it. Unfortunately I won, but we were all elated as
the speed was 98.313 mph! Almost 7 mph over the
standing record! We’re off to impound!
To establish a new record at Bonneville it is necessary
to make two runs. This first recognized run is termed a
Qualifier or ‘Qualifying Run’ if it exceeds the
existing record by .01mph or more. This is what we had
just done. The second run must be made within 24 hours
of the first, but cannot be made on the same day,
unless it happens to be the last racing day of the
meet. So all the ‘Qualifying Run’ machines spend the
night in guarded impound and are ushered out the next
morning to be the first machines to run. This second
pass is called a ‘Record Run’ and the new record is an
average of the two attempts. If you’re Lucky that is.
Thursday morning
we are out on the salt at dawn, ready for a Record
setting run. The air is much cooler, maybe 60 degrees.
But as soon as the sun comes up it warms to 70. Still
much cooler than yesterday; and cool is good. The lower
the air temperature the denser the air. And more air
means more power, more power means more speed…maybe
100mph?? As we edge our way up the line and our team
attitude is positively jubilant. Everyone is feeling
real good about our chances, and I think we have a
record setter on the trailer.
We are about 8-10 vehicles back from the start and I
decide to get the bike off the trailor and get her
warmed up. Turn on the gas, tickle the carbs and a
couple brisk prods on the kickstarter…nothing. Not even
a little ‘pop’. Kick, kick, kick. I’m feeling all the
luck draining away as I’m thinking the bike just SAT
overnight…what could possibly change?
We pull one of the plugs, and check for spark.
Absolutely nothing…and the spare coil is in the pits
about 7 miles away. And so the madd scramble is on…a
time trial of an altogether different sort.
Each and every member of the team became a real
competitor: Rob on the cell calling back to the pits
with a shopping list of what I’ll need from there while
at the same time driving support for Brent’s Record Run
on the 250; Uncle Phred is in his Car headed for the
pits; while John Ferguson assists with the preliminary
work on the bike to help change the coil. Sue heads off
to let the Steward know that we have a problem and may
be delayed, and to ask if there is a cutoff time for
us. She returns to let us know that the Steward insists
that we be ready to run before the first vehicle making
a non-record run arrives at the start line. In other
words we can be the last in the ‘Record Run’ line but
no later.
Rob calls John’s cell to let us know that Brent brought
a spare coil which is in the back of their car, in the
bottom of his tool box! Sue scrambles around and digs
it out, I have the chest piece off and cannot get the
left anchor screw off the coil. It is buried back
beneath the housing cover and there is no purchase.
Without a right angle screwdriver, the only choice is
to pull the entire magneto assembly, points and all, to
loosen it. I scratch a reference mark in the case to
retime it by (what else is there to do?) and yank it
off. Uncle Phred is now back with the tools and other
spares, everyone helps with handing me what I need and
the new coil is installed, the impromptu timing mark
lined up, and a plug attached.
There are now only four vehicles ahead of us. Dean
gives the motor a kick and announces that we have
spark. I tighten everything down, send out a short
prayer to the Salt Gods that the timing is close
enough, and struggle getting that damn fiddly cam-drive
in the chest piece lined-up and installed. It clicks
into place and I let Dean and John finish buttoning it
all up and tight, while Sue helps me into my leathers.
There are two vehicles ahead of us now and Dean has the
motor running, getting her warmed up. John and Uncle
Phred move the support vehicles up to the startwhile
Dean and I walk the bike up. We move directly to the
head of the line and are the last of the Record
attempts for the morning. The motor has had less than
two minutes of warmup, and I’ve barely got my helmet
on. But we are in Record setting position on the
Bonneville Salt Flats, and it is our turn to show what
we have. And maybe we have a little Luck left. I’m
hoping we have at least three miles worth.
The motor sounds great and responds cleanly to throttle
inputs. So the timing is close at least. And once the
motor is at full song it will not matter much anyway.
Now I try to forget all that has just happened. Focus.
I am suited and at the line. The Steward checks my
lanyard, mentions a rough patch at the three-quarter
mile mark in the center of the lane. Then he wishes me
‘Good Luck’! and gives me the ‘Go!’ sign.
Bonita launches nice and clean as usual, but a little
flat. Still she hooks up pretty well at 6,000rpm just
as she usually does, then catches me a bit by surprise
with the rush out to almost 9,000rpm. I shift into
second and roll the throttle nearly to the stop, and as
8,500rpm hits again I make the change into third. I am
at only 6,200 rpm now and roll the throttle to the
stop. This is about 82-85 mph but the motor is pulling
up just as she should. I’m trying to get as tight a
tuck as possible, watching the tach rise toward
7,500rpm and getting a reference check on the cones so
as to keep as straight a line as possible.
The second mile marker flashes passed and the motor is
really singing now. The tach needle is doing a slow
motion dance over the 8,000 rpm point. I take my hand
from the bar and lay it flat against the side of the
headlight to reduce my frontal area just that little
bit more…and maybe I see a little more speed. But I
know I am rapidly approaching the 3mile marker and the
end of the run. I look up to check my line just as the
3 mile marker goes by, and I know I’m done.
I sit up, feeling good, and the blast of wind
resistance takes 20mph off my speed. I’m feeling really
good now as the realization sinks in…we did it!! The
record is ours !
And all it took was a little Luck,
the participation of a fantastic little group of Guys
and Gals dedicated to doing their very best in a Team
Effort, and the generous support offered by our
sponsors:
South Sound BMW of Fife
Olympia Powdercoating
Mega Machine of Tumwater
Local 1797 United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners
Vintage Machine Works of Tumwater Washington