Lions Drags
Lions Drags
TO MOTORCYCLE drag racers, $900 is a lot of money. So, when California’s famed Lions Dragstrip offered that prize one Saturday night, it attracted a swarm of racers eager to burn rubber. They came from as far away as the Midwest and New Mexico, and used doubleand single-engined Triumphs and bored and stroked Harley-
Davidsons, in attempts to claim the proffered dollars.
It was a quiet man from Cedar Rapids, la., using an H-D with the standard size 74-cu. in. engine, who collected top prize of $200, and another $25 for sharing low e.t. of the meet. His name is Leo Payne, and his exploits with the Milwaukee-built V-Twins are famous.
DRAG RESULTS
BRACKET ONE <10.75 sec. and under) 1. Leo Payne, Cedar Rapids, la........... . Harley-Davidson, 9.90 sec., 144.69 mph 2. Joe Smith, Baldwin Park, Calif......... Harley-Davidson, 10.28 sec., 142.63 mph BRACKET TWO ( 11.50-10.76 sec.) 1. Bob Braverman, Van Nuys, Calif........ Yamaha, 11.06 sec., 122.22 mph 2. Ken Kotalac, Santa Ana, Calif.......... Vincent, 11.11 sec., 126.05 mph BRACKET THREE (12.25-11.51 sec.) 1. Bob Sirkegian, Baldwin Park, Calif...... ..........BSA, 11.56 sec., 125.87 mph 2. Ed McDonald, Paramount, Calif........ Harley-Davidson, 11.71 sec., 115.00 mph BRACKET FOUR (13.00-12.26 sec.) 1. Jim Sherwin, Bellflower, Calif.......... Harley-Davidson, 13.07 sec., 101.12 mph 2. Dave Allee, Inglewood, Calif........... .........Honda, 14.35 sec., 93.16 mph BRACKET FIVE (13.75-13.01 sec.) 1. Henry Mynatt, Huntington Beach, Calif. Harley-Davidson, 13.04 sec., 104.00 mph 2. No runner-up declared BRACKET SIX (14.50-13.76 sec.) 1. George Meyer, Hacienda Heights, Calif. . . ..........BSA, 13.70 sec., 96.87 mph 2. AI Sherwin, Long Beach, Calif.......... Harley-Davidson, 13.70 sec., 94.04 mph BRACKET SEVEN (15.25-14.51 sec.) 1. Greg Anchondo, San Gabriel, Calif...... . . Suzuki, 14.76 sec., 86.95 mph 2. Bob Hemmings, Los Angeles, Calif...... Triumph, 14.55 sec., 81.52 mph BRACKET EIGHT (16.00-15.26 sec.) 1. Tony Moreno, Los Angeles, Calif........ .......Bultaco, 15.63 sec., 79.64 mph 2. Bill Shorrow, Dave Woolley, Downey, Calif Triumph sidehack, 17.77 sec., speed n.a. BRACKET NINE (17.00-16.01 sec.) 1. Gary Jones, California ............... . Suzuki, 17.07 sec., 72.78 mph 2. Charles Turner, Bakersfield, Calif....... Yamaha, 17.93 sec., 73.40 mph BRACKET TEN (Over 17.00 sec.) 1. Bruce Caldwell, Rolling Hills, Calif...... Triumph, 17.15 sec., 71.59 mph 2. John Watkins, California.............. . Yamaha, 19.91 sec., 62.19 mph LOWE. T. OF MEET Leo Payne, Cedar Rapids, la............. Harley-Davidson, 9.78 sec. Dave Campos, Albuquerque, N. Mex....... Harley-Davidson, 9.78 sec. TOP SPEED OF MEET Buddy Martinez, El Monte, Calif.......... Triumph, 151.26 mph
It was a poor night for Triumph-powered machinery. The Martinez-McEvoy doubleengined Triumph collected the top speed prize, with 151.26 mph. Apart from that, Triumphs were shut out of the money. Another H-D, transported from New Mexico by rider Dave Campos, shared the low e.t. purse with Payne. Both set 9.78 sec.
The meet was run on the basis of e.t. brackets, rather than in class divisions. This meant that a slow-running “pure” dragster might line up against a very quick street-legal machine, and made for keen racing. There also was no lack of variety in machinery. There were H-Ds that came mighty close to being choppers, a BMW using a Volkswagen engine, and a three-wheeled contrivance that was neither motorcycle, car, nor sidehack. Super-enthusiast Tony Nicosia, just back from Daytona, even ran his Suzuki Hustler without altering the gearing, and set 13.01 sec., 104.77 mph. Then he packed up in preparation for another road race the following day !
The three-wheeler used a standard 55-cu. in. H-D engine, in a frame that carried two dragster type front wheels, and a single slick rear tire. Owner Gerry Banks was not allowed to start until he had equipped the device, named “The Thing,” with safety belts, as the organizers feared he might be crushed in event of a crash. He won some half-dozen rounds before being eliminated.
Triumph troubles started early in the program, when the very fast Boris Murray twinengined bike broke a chain on its first run. Buddy Martinez, riding the “twin-twin” Triumph owned by Englishman Donald McEvoy, shut down a similar machine ridden by Don Harris, and in doing so set the 151.26 mph that stood as fastest speed of the night.
Payne’s route to the final included a win over Dave Campos, before he met Martinez and his 80-cu. in. machine. Amid billowing smoke, Payne shot from the line first, and held the lead with 10.16 sec., 147.05 mph, to Martinez’ 10.23 sec., 149.00 mph.
In the final, Leo faced Joe Smith, and his 90-cu. in. H-D. Car types who attended the meet must have been startled by the bike riders’ unusual methods of making “burnouts.” Smith placed the front wheel of his machine against a fence, tweaked the throttle, and produced the required wheelspin and clouds of smoke. Payne achieved the same effect by clamping hard on the large front brake of his machine and twisting the grip.
Smith ran 10.28 sec., 142.63 mph, but Payne, with 16 cu. in. less displacement, made a beautifully straight run in 9.90 sec., 144.69 mph. His 296-lb. machine was virtually unchanged from the 1967 season, apart from a new carburetor he has designed. Payne’s next aim is to ride an H-D at more than 200 mph at Bonneville this year.
In the No. 2 bracket, Bob Baverman screamed his amazing double-engined Yamaha to a win over Ken Kotalac’s big Vincent. In the No. 3 bracket, a near-standard 40-cu. in. BSA took the honors with 11.56 sec., and a shattering top speed of 125.87 mph. The bike is not quite standard—it runs on nitromethane and alcohol. Rider Bob Sirkegian uses a Sifton cam and some special head work, but has kept the standard barrel, pistons, and crank assembly. The BSA still weighs 350 lb.
With a good crowd and nearly 150 bikes on the strip, the Lions management, and Bob Ebeling, who gave up the seat of his Triumph fueler to organize the meet for his fellow riders, were well rewarded. B
