Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1960's

c .... JolIuoD ••d world's rastest _tllKJc:l. (r_cnlUlld), Leo Par•• (tap) wltII _Id's qulek.st lIlDtorqc:l.. And til. qalek.st lilt III•• fl,st.'" homeland of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We will see him again, with some new changes in his fantastic Harley-Davidson Sportster. N ext week the results from Tucson will be reported on these pages. Sunday This day of the Sabbath was like slow motion activity after saturday's action. To the racers in competiti on there were no such feelings, for there was only one sight in their intentions and that was to win. As in any event with more than one machine, some win, som e lose, but each is a sports'man. Viacent Dr&fted · . The strip had advertised a match race and this the spectators were to have. Clem Johnson was approached and asked if he would take M & CO s place against Leo. Clem accepted, and brou ght forward his World's Fastest Motorcycle. Ralph Owens was Clems assistant and played a prominent role in the races to come. Their car was backed into the starting area and everyone wondered why. A quarter-mile run in reverse? Clem's Vincent responded to the electric rollers as Ralph fed the open jaws of Hilborn injectors with a .primer can, until the Vincent could thnve on its own fuel supply. Leo fired witb a minimlllll effort and IOUed &0 witbin a few feet of tbe starting line as Clem moved tbe Vincent into a position just bebind lbat car everyone questioned. A pair of steel cables were auached &0 tbe auto, IOUed out and fastened &0 tbe foolllegs of Clem's macbine. Tben everyone mew tbe reason, for tbe Vincent was lost from sieht as dense smoke enveloped machine and auto when die clutch was engaged. Leo locked his front wheel and spun the Avon slick until its surface resembled fiy paper mastic and then he moved into the starting lights. Sling shot cables were removed from the Vincent and it proceded forward. Blink, blink, two yellows and then the green. Clem was out first with Leo only an rpm or two behind. The Vincent gathered itself into a acceleratlDg blur and reached the finish lights first with an E.T. of 9.72 seconds at 158 miles per hour. Leo Payne's image was clear enough to stop the loser's clocks in 9.89 seconds at 152.00 miles per hour. Round Two (World's Record) One for Clem, and preparation for round two was difficult, as spectators crowded the Vincent's pit area. Leo Payne was all alone in another pit section as no one offered condolences for the loss and they probably would not have been appreciated anyway. Within twenty minutes each rival was ready for round two and the staging scene repeated. This time Leo locked his brake and burned the slick not once but three times in succession as Clem Johnson tugged at the steel slings in tethered acceleration. Both forward. staging lights are turned on IlY tbe front wheels and again the countdown. Fairly close out of the hole but one third out Clem described the Harley's acceleration as a bat out of • Clem shut the 96-inch Vincent off and coasted through the traps at 92.49 miles per hour. The elapsed time with such a speed? 10.88 seconds! Leo Payne won tbe round and set a new elapsed time record of 9.46 seconds at 149.25 miles per hour. Fantastic, Fabulous, Harley-Davidson, are the combination of words that can remotely describe this performance. Round Three There was an odor in the air which lent apprehension to the atmosphere that preceded round three. The distinct smell of burnt cork and neoprene from clutch plates was present in botb pit areas. Only a short time was left by the curfew law, for the running of the next race and Leo furiously mixed another load of nitro muttering, -I can probably get just one more run on those plates.Clem wasn't taking a chance and hurriedly changed important parts in his clutch assembly. At tbe critical moment of firing and burning of the tires neither opponent lookedat the other, but as they advanced to the line, glances were as often to the side as forward. Let the other man stage first. He will be under tension for a short time longer than you, were the type of thoughts in each rider's mind. As a result there was a hesitation when one waited for the other and finally each advanced together. Again staged perfectly, the light transferred from yellow to green. Together off the line and then Leo's HarleyDavidson did its -bat- act. The sportster led through the finish lights in 9.67 seconds at 151.54 miles per bour. Clem Johnson shut down so that the clocks read 108.00 miles per hour with an elapsed time of 10.08 seconds! What a match! Two out of dlree victories for Leo Payne and a new record elapsed time for mo&orcycles. Clem Johnson witb fantastic performance figures in both elapsed times and speed. We will see more in the future as there is the feeling that no limit exists in performance figures for the fuelburning acceleration addicts. Leo Payne loaded his equipment and wa ved farewell as he left our California regions for a two-out-of-three against Don McEvoy'S twin-engine Triumph in Tucson, Arizona and tben return to his Top Fuel Four of the finest, SOnny Raslawski, Clem Johnson, Bob Michaels and Bob Sirkegians BSA Super Bike were qualified for top fuel at Irwindale Raceway. The first race had Sonny Raslawski's Harley towing right alongside Clem Johnson, to fire for the day's quickest race. The Vincent produced sounds of power in perfect harmony wi th SOnny's Harley until half-way through the quarter mile and then tbe big Vincent broke into fi ts of broken exhaus t notes. SOnny took the winner"slightsin 10.00 seconds fiat, while Clem stuttered through in 10.47 seconds. Bob Michaels and Sirkegian went to the line with a lot of people wondering how Sirkegian's BSA street bike could be matched against a 74-incb HarleyDavidson fuel bike. Wben the race was over everyone understood, for there just wasn't much distance in the space between machines at the lights. Bob Michaels won with a 11.48-second time ticket that read 123.48 miles per hour for speed. The BSA Super Bike was close behind at 11.64 seconds and 119.20 miles per hour. Only two left and it was quickly reduced to a win for Raslawski as he defeated Michaels with another ten second sweep of the quartermile. Top Gas Lions and Irwindale each had a familiar name on the winner's roster for top gas bike in both make and rider. Millard Disharoon won the honors at the beach on his 55-inch Sportster. turning 11.63-115.89, and Joe Smith rode the big 74 Harley out of Laidlaw's stall, to an unbelievable speed of 128.00 miles per hour in a sbort time of 11 seconds fiat. Top Street suzuki at Irwindale and Harley at Lions. No bandicap at Irwindale to give an advantage for small displacement. It just took some luck, performance and consistency, for Steve Rowles to come through the lights into a winner's circle turning 13.39 seconds and 96.98 miles per hour on his Suzuki X-6. Oh yes, next week the X-6 will be mounted in a drag frame and performances could be out of sight compared to other two-strokes. Al Sherwin woo top street at Lioos after fighting down contenders like Bruce Miller and Mike Kawana. Al rode bis Harley on many fast trips but the best was 12.61 and 105:73. Next leek and More Suzanne Lardiere has been chasing Millard Disbaroon for three weeks to local drag strips and this time she's g0ing to catch him. Dish and Suzanne will be married at Irwindale Raceway under the open skies with a background of Cbrondex Cbristmas tree lights that should make the wedding ring nash many colors from yellow to green and red. Arter the vows are said, the bride and groom will race their cycles to determine who's goine &0 wear tbe pants in tbe family: Suzame rides a Triumpb Bomeville and of coorse as we lIDo.., Dish is a Hadey devotee. We know tbat die buman element will merge; but Harle:r and Triumph? Be at Irwindale &0 see tbis lovely co~le say, -I do.- More Lions will be closed next Sunday and Irwindale on Saturdays beginning next week (March 25, 1967). After that weekend it will be Saturday in the foothills and Sunday at tbe beacb. A plea for competitors has been sent out by Jerry Johnson, cycle pit director at the Smokers Drag strip that is located in Bakersfield, Calif. Cycles are being giveo a chance at tbis location tbat was previously closed to us. We must cement this opening by gi ving as large a turnout as possible on Sunday, April 2nd. I will join or head a caravan to Smokers Drag Strip on tbat day. Want to help tbe cycles have anotber open spot for competition racing? Then join a caravan to Bakersfield for April 2nd. The M.D.R.A. will have a meeting on Sunday, April 9tb at El Dorado Park at 6 p.m. Righ t after the races at Lioos Drag Strip, we'll get together and discuss cycle drag racing'S future and elect officers. That should make a full day for every cycle enthusiast. (Results on page 20)

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