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use the weekly meet as a low-cost testing ground. But since Vance's 200-plus mph run was not at a nationally sanctioned meet, the record was largely ignored. "There's been a debate forever about who ran the first 200 mph, six-second run, and I don't even care about that," Vance said. "It was a national track with top-notch timing gear, a regular weekly meet and everyone saw it, so no one could deny that. All I can say is that it was a real man's machine; I don't know any other way to say it. If you didn't have experience on other drag bikes, you'd never be able to manage it. You couldn't just put someone on a Fuel bike, they'd kill themselves. It was the top of the food chain in terms of power. You had to have a few screws loose to ride one in the first place." A year after Vance's 200-plus run, Elmer Trett got the official recognition as the first to break the fabled 200 mph barrier when he did it at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis in 1983, in the semi against O'Brochta. Trett and Vance met in the final at Indy setting up the perfect scenario between the two top guns. Vance nailed the light and got a great start and had a lead but blew his motor on the shift, giving the win to Trett. Vance finally decided to quit riding the V&H Suzuki top fueler when Vance found he could not control the direction of the bike in a crosswind. "The problem was we were pushing the envelope without the advantage of a wind tunnel," Vance said. "Today that would have been the first place we would have tested. "At that point I was ready to work on making Pro Stock more popu- lar, and I was afraid the Fuel bike was going to continue presenting challenges we might not be able to answer. So, I finally told Byron I wasn't going to ride it anymore." P110 CN III ARCHIVES Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives Vance said that comparing the twin-engine Honda to the Suzuki Top Fuel bike at that time was like comparing a lamb to a lion. PHOTO: NHRA Today, Vance looks back and can now smile about both the fame riding that machine gave him, and the aspect of riding such a powerful, awe-inspiring and hard-to-handle machine and living to tell the tale. "Even though we only ran the Fuel bike for about four years, that got us as much or more notoriety than the Pro Stock thing," Vance said. "People really liked the bike. They liked the way it looked, kind of futuristic, and it was a great brand ambassador for Suzuki. If I walk into a room or someone introduces me, the first thing peo- ple say is, 'Oh man, I saw you run that Fuel bike. It was awesome!' They always remember that bike, and it always had a special place in my heart." Larry McBride bought the Vance & Hines Top Fuel Suzuki, rebadged it and campaigned it for several years before heavily crash- ing the bike in the early '90s and being badly hurt in the process. The motorcycle was damaged in the crash, but McBride still has it. "I'm hoping to have the bike restored at some point," McBride said. "But I'm still actively rac- ing, and it takes all my time. But someday we will bring it back." Vance would love to see the machine restored. "I should just call Larry and throw him a bunch of money to rebuild it," Vance said. "It would be great to be reunited with one of the most recognizable ma- chines in drag racing history." CN