1971 The 13th Annual Fuel and Gas Championships
Formosa Raceway, Bakersfield, California
By Joe Smith
Before I start this story I should tell you about “the end to the tire smoking runs”. (Tire smoke runs were in the 9:30 E.T. and about 164 MPH range). I had found out during the tire smoking days just how to make a run smoking the tire and get the most traction. I had to let the clutch out first and open the throttle afterwards, it had to be timed just right to stay under the power, still smoke the tire and not stall the engine. When I learned how to do this right it gave me an edge over the other fuel bikes. One Saturday night at Irwindale Raceway while making a single run I was a little late with the throttle and the engine bogged off the starting line, I left the throttle on and finished the run. I’m sitting on the bike taking off my helmet and gloves and feeling a little disgusted. The tow truck is coming down the return road with the head lights flashing off and on, pulls up with the brakes locked and the tires screeching. My wife says you just turned your quickest run ever, 9:08, 168.00 MPH”. That Saturday night was the end to tire smoking runs. I killed the engine a few times on the starting line until I learned how to do it right.
It was Saturday night at Irwindale Raceway and Mel Rex; the general manager had talked me into running in a bracket race. I had never been in a bracket race before, that was really a car thing. Well, I was still trying to collect points with Mel and Irwindale Raceway so I had said OK. I ran three times in handicap races. The first one was against a Super Stock of some kind and of course he got a big head start on me before I got my green light. I just did nip him at the traps and won with a 9:20, 163.35 MPH. In the pits I checked the bike over and my wife mixed up the next batch of fuel and we went over to the In & Out hamburger stand to get something to eat and while we were in line the guy behind me comments it was neat seeing my bike in the brackets, but look out if you have to race something fast with a chute.
The next round I ran against another slower car, he got a head start and again I just did get him in the lights. The run produced a 9:16, 160.98 MPH. We get back to the pits and I tell my wife, this is not a lot of fun and I’m not doing it again. The last round is against a Fuel Altered, it wasn’t “Willy Borsch” but it was still a really fast and wild car to race. This time I get the head start and I’m really hooked up good. I get right to the timing light and this Fuel Altered zooms by and his chute pops open right beside me. There’s a loud bang and the concussion from the chute blew my bike toward the guard rail. It causes me to close and open the throttle so fast that I blew an engine and darn near fell down. About the only thing left in the frame was the heads hanging on the top bracket and the crankcases bolted in the frame. I gathered all the parts and headed for home.
The really bad thing was the next weekend is the race at Bakersfield, California. I wouldn’t have time to get any new parts.
The next morning I go out to the garage and start looking for parts I can put another engine together with. I checked out the parts that was in the engine I blew and find the only thing left I can use is the cylinders and the rear one has a deep scratch in it. The heads have a bent valve in each and the exhaust pipe bolt threads are gone but I can take care of the heads. The rear rod is bent and I will have to do some welding on the crankcase to repair a couple cylinder studs and a broken front motor mount. It ends up that I need fly wheels, rods, and pistons and I’m back in business. It just happens; I have a set of 4 ¾”. Stroke S&S flywheels I was going to use later, but the only pistons I have are for a 4 ½ in stroke. I have a set of used pistons that Venolia gave me to set up for the 4 ¾” stroke but they are in pretty bad shape and instead of the eight thousand clearance I normally use I will have to settle for eleven thousand clearance I burned a lot of midnight oil and by Thursday night I had the bike back together (now a 108 cubic inch) and ready to run; with a lot of junk parts. I didn’t even have time to clean up the welding I did on the crank cases and frame. But, I was going to Bakersfield.
The Fuel and Gas Championships was one of the most popular Drag Races their was on the West coast, all the big name Fuel Dragsters were there and it never failed to be a great couple days of Drag Racing. We got there Friday morning and found a Motel that still had a room left. Checked in, unloaded the baggage and headed for the drag strip. The place was already pack, took an hour to register and almost as long to fine a place to pit. Unloaded the bike and went though a final check on everything. My wife Pat made a fuel mix and set it a side to put in the tanks when we got closer to running. The line the fuel cars used that led to the fire up road was long. It wound its way clear through the pits. The bikes had a special place next to that line, but you still had to wait a long time to make a run. (I got one run that day).
We got close to the time to make our run, Pat check the fuel mix and filled the tanks. We had moved up from our normal 86% to 89% nitro and I had upped the jets to .512 because of the 3% more nitro. This is the first time I fired the bike with the bigger engine and the minute it lit I knew it was stronger. I got a good burn out, cracked the throttle a couple times and staged. I got the green light and worked the clutch and throttle just like I did with the 102 cubic inch engine, carried the front wheel about fifty feet, got a little front end wobble but it straighten out and the engine quit about the middle timing light. When Pat came down to pick me up, she said it sure sounded like a different bike but sounded like you ran out of gear or something, but you ran a good number, 9:12 E.T., 163.82 MPH. I said it quit in the middle of the timing lights and we got a fuel leak because my leg is soaked with nitro. We got back to the pits and looked all over for a fuel leak but couldn’t fine one. There was no time left in the day for another run, so we loafed around awhile and watched the dragsters make some runs and went back to the Motel.
Of course the parties were in full force that night and most of the racers were working on their machines in the parking lot, including me. I found one thing I forgot to do, when I changed to the .512 jet I forgot to change the fuel nozzle, the one I had in was smaller than the jet, it was the one I used when I was running 86%. I changed it that night, and left the fuel leak for day light. After all there was some partying to do.
Saturday, it took a long time getting to a pit parking spot, this time Big Daddy Don Garlits was just down the line from where we were pitted. There was a place for the bikes to pit, but it was always full (the best spots taken) so I sometimes pitted with the dragsters. No one ever complained. We decided to fire the bike and look for the fuel leak. We had to go to the end of the strip on the return road, fire the bike and ride it back to the pits. By the time I got back my leg was soaked with nitro again. I put the bike on a block and let it set there idling and begin looking for a leak. I couldn’t believe where it was coming from, it was squirting a stream out from between the rear cylinder and the head. (I later found one head bolt was about .010 to long and the head did not seal off the O-ring because of that bolt). My wife said, I guess were done. No were not, I got a long narrow center punch and begin tapping around the area where it was leaking until it quit, it held all weekend.
I hung back for quite awhile that day. I had fixed a fuel leak I wasn’t sure was fixed, was using junk engine parts and had no trial run on the fuel and jet change. Pat mixed the fuel and we got in line and waited our turn. I was sitting on the bike waiting for the OK to start the run, got the wave to go a head, grabbed the door handle and when the tow truck reached the right speed, let go and let out the clutch and the engine fire right away. It was so responsive to the throttle I couldn’t believe it. Made a good burn out behind the truck, got staged and got the green light. The rear tire hazing a little smoke for a few feet and the front wheel about two inches off the ground, it stayed that way for about half the track. I had a little front fork wobble, cleared the timing lights and made my way to the return road. I knew it was a good run but didn’t know how good it was.
Here comes the tow truck with the head lights flashing off and on and the horn blaring away. I did it, the first 8 second run, 8:97 E.T., 166.05 MPH.
The best part of that run was the tow back to the pits. Going back to my pit area you had to drive along the line (that weaved its way through the pits) of fuel cars waiting to make a run. The announcer was still talking about “The First Eight Second Run” by a motorcycle and all the racers in that line was clapping as we drove past. The NHRA wasn’t sanctioning record runs for motorcycles at this race but because it was “The Gas and Fuel Championships” it recognized my 8:97 as the first.
Sunday was race day. My first run was against Bob Abel and his Harley who blew his engine on Saturday and was running his back up. I took the win with 9:16 E.T., 165.89 MPH. The second run was with Jeff Gough and his Sportster. I had a good burn out and pulled a big wheel stand right off the line, got a little crossed up and had to shut down to gain control but still got the win light with a 9:33 E.T., 152.60 MPH. The third and final run was against Boris Murray and his twin engine Triumph. We both fired together down the fire up road ready to run. What a different between the two bikes. Boris has to keep throttling the twin and my Harley idles until I leave the starting line. I got a good green light, was carrying the front wheel again and felt I was on the way to another run in the eights. While the front wheel was in the air I got a little crossed up and had to back down on the throttle, got the wheel down and back in control in time to still turn a 9:22 E.T., 160.05 MPH for a win. In the years to follow Boris and I would battle each other for wins and records all over the country. He was a great rider and competitor.
In all the years of Drag Racing you always remember some races more than others. That weekend at the Gas and Fuel Championships” in Formosa, California was one of those races. It was the race that got my racing career off to a good start. A Sponsor Program from Harley Davidson and the beginning of the Exhibition Runs at all the NHRA Nationals.
Back at the Motel the first thing I did was to call Bob Laidlaw. (Laidlaws Harley Davidson) I woke him up and told him about the first 8 second run; we talked about thirty minutes, I filled him in on ever thing that happened over the weekend. After all, he was my Sponsor at the time.
Joe Smith
Top Fuel Harley Racer
All Rights Reserved - Joe Smith
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