Page 15
October 9, 1973
A brief history of racing fuels
By Geoffrey Wood
In the world of speed there are
many mysteries, but for pure
intrigue nothing surpasses the
~!~!:~ ~! s~c~~tic350CC~~~<~~racer,~~~~:,
Some folks figured that Kenny Roberts just overcooked it when he got off while
leading his heat at the Golden Gate mile. But, as Ken said and as these pictures show,
the rear wheel did part company with the motorcycle. Look closely at the second
shot and you'll see the wheel canted sideways. It obviously happened quickly (as
things do at 100 MPH) because Ken is still holding on. By picture No.4 he has let go
as the bike climbs a haybale and heads for the fence. In the last shot Ken sits up to
check oncoming traffic. When help arrived his first question was, "What the hell
happened?"
I Photo sequence by Bill Spencer
have
used
first began extracting speed from the
internal combustion engine, with many
international motorcycling events
allowing all sorts of fuel to be used.
Today special fuels are used in
spet;dway racing, speed record setting,
