Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1508846
AMA Hall of Famer Passes A MA Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee T.C. Christenson passed away on Monday, Sep- tember 25. A native of Kenosha, Wisconsin, Christenson entered the world of motorcycling when he was 15 years old, purchasing a rundown Whizzer motorbike—which he had restored during the spring of 1959. Not long after, Christenson found his niche in drag racing. Christenson's love affair with drag racing began as a recre- ational pursuit, as he started out competing against friends on empty rural roads for bragging rights and cash. By 1963, Chris- tenson delved into regulated racing at the local Union Grove Drag Strip, winning his very first sanctioned race. From there, Christenson start- ed racing aboard Nortons and began to work at Sunset Motors, a Norton dealership owned by John Gregory. Christenson and Gregory formed a dynamic duo with the Nortons, and Christen- son emerged as one of the best drag racers in the Midwest dur- ing the mid-1960s. At the same time, Christenson also compet- ed in road racing for Ducati. In 1969, Christenson pur- chased the motorcycle deal- ership from Gregory, and the pairing continued to chase championships together by building 750cc drag racing bikes. From 1970-72, Christenson and Gregory developed a trio of twin-engine Nortons dubbed the Hogslayer, named for its ability to upset the dominant Harley-Da- vidson drag racers of the time. The Hogslayer gained interna- tional fame following its con- struction, and Christenson and Gregory traveled to the United Kingdom on numerous occa- sions to demonstrate the bike on national television. The Hogslay- er is now housed in the British National Motorcycle Museum in Bickenhill, England. In 2004, the Hogslayer was part of the NHRA's "Golden 50" display at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. Aboard the Hogslayer, Chris- tenson grew into one of the fastest drag racers in the world, earning the NHRA U.S. Nationals title during the 1972 season—the first campaign that included Fuel Bikes in the program. One year later, Christenson set the then-A/ Fuel Bike elapsed time record with a 7.83-second run, which propelled him to the win at the NHRA National Motorcycle Re- cord Championships. Despite Norton ceasing production in 1975, Christenson claimed the official NHRA Fuel Bike National Championship in 1976. Although Christenson was able to subsidize his racing expenses through his motor- cycle dealership for a few years after Norton's closing, his racing career slowed down from that point forward with the emer- gence of supercharged single- engine Japanese bikes taking over the drag racing scene. After his racing career, Chris- tenson continued to run the Sunset Motors Dealership in Kenosha. CN WIND IN THE P32 AMA Hall of Fame drag racer T.C. Christenson passed away.