A heartfelt thanks goes to our sponsers: Tenzing Momo of Pikes's Place Market, South Sound BMW, Local Union No. 1797 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, Tenzing Momo of Pikes's Place Market, South Sound BMW, and Brian, Dean and Wes, and everyone who generously donated time, money and materials and participated in this adventure...
"Memories are Made of This!" - Kevin Brooks
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 little BMW single 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 BMW twin motorcycle 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 its operating temperature, while I am well into my personal red-zone. 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. And each and every member of the team became a real competetor : 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 BonnevilleSalt 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 tack needle is doing a slow motion dance over the 8,000rpm 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.
And 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
