By John K. Endrizzi
Many folks have heard about Land Speed Racing and have vague ideas of what it is. Unlike most other forms of motorized competition , land speed racing pits a man and his machine against only the record book. There may or may not be other entrants in the class that the competitor has entered. However, the goal is the record. It can be held by only one person. This concept gives land speed racing a completely unique personality. One of the results is the shared sense of adventure and camaraderie experienced by the racers. With that idea in mind, I would like to unfold in a time line the events and emotions of the Buell Brothers as they set a new land speed record in 2009.
The day begins long before dawn. After assembling at motel in Wendover, the team makes the ten mile drive to the track. A stop at the Salt Flats Cafe is made prior to following the markers across the salt to the pits. We lay in at least ten bags of ice along with a copious supply of sport drinks and bottled water. At the pit, we open the trailer, restock coolers, sweep the work area and roll the bikes out. Every crew member has his own agenda of duties, there is no standing around playing pocket pool!
By this time the old haymaker is beginning to show himself. The air is at it’s densest before the temperature begins to rise. Denser air means more horsepower, thus the racing bird is rewarded for his early get-up with more speed rather than worms ! Joe’s bike is given a very close inspection prior to being loaded for the tow to the pre-staging area. Things like tire pressure, drive chain tension, and fuel top-off are just part of the pre-run check list. After making the mandatory riders meeting, we tow the Buell to pre-stage. There we wait with other riders to be summoned to the starting queue. Typically there are 15 to 30 bikes in pre-stage at one time. On command from the starter, an official sends 6 to 8 bikes the 1/2 mile to the start queue.
The starter is in radio contact with the timing tower. The tower will notify the starter when the track is
clear. He will then summon a bike up from the queue. As the rider approaches the start line, the starter will give the rider the green flag. This action gives the rider the go ahead to start his pass. Two miles are allowed for acceleration. The time/speed recording takes place during mile 3 for bikes running under 175 mph. ( If a bike has run over 175 it can be run on the “long course” which has a 5 mile run up ). On the short course there is a two mile shut down.
The first pass that Joe made this year was aborted due to shifting problems.
Anticipation quickly turned to frustration on that first pass. The remainder of the day was spent back at our pit identifying and correcting the malfunctioning parts.
The next morning was a repeat of the first up to the beginning of the down pass. All ears were tuned to the sound of the Buell as Joe accelerated. It was a serenade to a motorhead ! First gear— red line –BANG ! Second gear—red line –BANG ! Third gear— red line–BANG ! By this point Joe and his ride were out of ear shot. Now it was a matter of waiting for the announcer to break the silence with the terminal speed announcement. The suspense is thick enough to choke a goat ! Here it is…. Snap crackle, the word come over the radio in the tow truck “ Buell Brothers 1350-APS-PG 175.129 MPH “ WAHOO ! We all dance, hug and hi five each other. The previous record in our class was 154.98.
The crew focuses and we head down the course to meet up with Joe. After a somewhat frantic search we find our rather dehydrated compatriot and make the tow to impound. With timing slip in hand Joe reports to the steward at the impound area. There the motor on the Buell is sealed. Fasteners on the heads are marked in such a fashion as to prevent the motor from being opened, thus preventing any mechanical or dimensional change from being made. Now according to AMA rules, the team has the remainder of that calendar day to make another run in the opposite direction from the run just completed. Together the average speed must be greater than the standing speed in the record book to qualify for the new record.
Our down run was recorded at 12:41:37 PM Sep 1. After impound we re-hydrated…….. You wouldn’t believe how good those nasty sport drinks feel and taste on a sun parched throat. We inspected the bike and made ready to tow the bike to stage for the return run. At 15:13:40 the temperature was recorded as 89.6 F under clear skies as Joe left on the return run. The result was 177.452 MPH. That clenched a new record for the Buell Brothers racing Team ………. Almost !
After a frantic search for our intrepid rider, we found man and machine. Next it was back to impound for the tear down inspection. It is up to a team that is seeking a record to remove both heads from their bike. Once this is accomplished, the scrutineers ( inspectors ) will measure the bore and stroke to verify that the machines displacement fits the class. When they have finished, the race team is free to re-assemble the motor. Now it’s back to the pit where no small amount of back slapping and hip-hip hoorahs are seen and heard by all ! The records are officially announced after the meet. For AMA records this is a formality. For our crew, Joes new record was a great reason to party. However the party was rather short lived as we had two more team bike to run with only two days left……. But that is another story to be told at a time in the future!