Wills Sets Record, Collins Wins At Ocir
WILLS SETS RECORD, COLLINS WINS AT OCIR
RACE WATCH
Wills Sets NMRA Top Fuel Record but Collins Wins OCIR Race; Glover Wins Trans-USA Series
A potent collection of Top Fuel drag bikes came together for the year’s final event, run in conjunction with the NHRA’s Winston World Finals for cars at Orange County International Raceway in Southern California. The motorcycle part of the program was sanctioned by the National Motorcycle Racing Assn. (NMRA), and was won by Russ Collins and his V-Eight Honda Sorcerer. In a stunning upset, Collins holeshot and beat Terry Vance and the VHR Suzuki in the final round.
The NMRA Top Fuel championship had been decided long before the race at OCIR. Bo O’Brochta took the title with his Terminal Van Lines Kawasaki at Ateo, New Jersey. Yamaha’s Jim Bernard actually won at Ateo, but O'Brochta’s efforts got him enough points to tie up the title. Tired from a season on the road, O'Brochta and crew stayed home in Florida instead of running OCIR.
And by doing so, O'Brochta lost his NMRA Top Fuel E.T. record to Motorcycle Unlimited’s Sam Wills. In qualifying Wills ran 7.30 sec. and 193.96 mph, close to O'Brochta’s record of 7.29. And in the first round of eliminations, Wills blasted down the strip in 7.27 sec. at 196.08, taking O’Brochta’s record with him to the cheers of 60,000 spectators. Unfortunately Wills’ bike blew up in the semi-finais, but if he couldn’t win the race, at least he had the record.
Terry Vance and his GS1100 fueler (with steel crankcases cast by the Suzuki factory in Japan) qualified second fastest with a 7.35 sec. and 192.30 pass, and Russ Collins went the quickest he ever had with the Sorcerer to qualify third, turning 7.36 at 191.48.
In winning his first round, Vance went 7.29 at 194.38 mph.
When Wills broke his Kawasaki in the semi-finals, Collins advanced to the finals with a 7.66 at 186 mph. Vance made it to ,the final round with a 7.29 and 187.49 mph solo pass when Jim Bernard's Yamaha developed an oil leak and shut down on the starting line.
The final was staged with tension. “Old Man” Collins wanted to put Vance and tuner Byron Hines—w'ho built the engine package for the Sorcerer before leaving R.C. Engineering with Vance to form Vance and Hines Racing—on the trailer and show he could do it himself. And Vance wanted to make his mark with a new Top Fuel record.
Collins got the jump on Vance, a rare feat in itself, putting enough distance between the Sorcerer and Vance’s Suzuki at the start that even Vance’s better E.T. couldn't make it up. At the lights it was Collins out front with an E.T. of 7.36 sec. and a terminal of 191.48 mph. Vance turned 7,32 sec. and 192.30 mph.
“I'm so glad I won,” said Collins afterwards. “We really worked hard for this.”
“Me and Byron have got terrible stomach aches,” said Vance after congratulating Collins on his victory, “from eating crow.”
Joel Breault
