Harley-Davidson World Recordrun

HARLEY-DAVIDSON WORLD RECORDRUN

CHUCK CLAYTON

WITH ALL THE CONFIDENCE of a Cape Canaveral (not Kennedy) missile launching. The Harley-Davidson Motor Company and other interested American businesses (Goodyear tires. Tillotson carburetors, Duckworth chain, Mobil oil) had gathered their representatives, the motorcycle press. American Motorcycle Association officials and U.S.A.C. timer Joe Petrali to witness a foregone conclusion in one of the most "iffy" games in the world.

The gray fiberglass shells that were to carry the 883 cubic centimeter H-D Sportster and 250cc H-D/Aermacchi Sprint were engineered by airline pilot Harold "Stormy” Mangham with the aid of fellow Texans F.ve'rett Brashear and Johnny Allen. Mangham streamlining was on the 650cc Triumph that set a record in 1958 at 214 mph (driven by Allen). And his fabled Chevrolet V-8 powered two-wheeler “Big John." had it not turned an unofficial 300 mph at Bonneville last year? Stormy’s prediction of 175-200 mph for the Sprint and 250-300 mph for the Sportster, as a result of using his streamlining, were widely believed.

But such estimates are best taken with a grain of salt, and there was not that much good dry salt in all Utah that week to show what both motorcycles could really do. The same soggy salt conditions that dampened the Bonneville Nationals the previous week (See pages 34 and 35) bogged down the H-D record attempt.

The chosen rider. Roger Reiman, son of a Kewanee. Illinois Harley dealer and runnerup in current AMA national point standings, managed to get the Sprint up to 149.50 mph to set a record in the new 250cc streamlined gas class, but the machine wasn’t even wound out in 5th gear. The Sportster, for all its power, never had a chance on the short strip of usable runway. It broke traction easily and its streamlined frame refused to handle on the bumpy salt. Before the project was called off. Reiman dropped the Sportster at 90 mph and received a faceful of speeding salt (no damage). The 25-year-old was ready to ride as soon as he could see again, but Stormy had some problems to smoke over before making any new predictions. •

Footnote — A new date has heen tentatively scheduled in late September or early October when the Harley-Davidson Motor Company will again attempt to break the existing world record for motorcycles. In the event this is achieved, our report will continue.