Bonneville 1970
BONNEVILLE 1970
Don Vesco Becomes The Fastest Man On Two Wheels. Displacement: 700cc. Record: 251.924 mph!
JODY NICHOLAS
THE 22ND ANNUAL Bonneville National Speed Trials were again presented by the Southern California Timing Association and the American Motorcycle Association on the salt flats at Wendover, Utah. The night scenes at the gambling halls and all too few restaurants contrasted strangely with the seriousness of the men of the salt during the day. Although many crews were very pleased with the week’s outcome, others went home, vowing to return next year and up the record they just missed breaking.
In spite of some rain Tuesday night, which delayed runs the following day for several hours, and the deluge which began falling Wednesday afternoon that cancelled Thursday’s runs, many new records were set on Saturday morning. Some 62 changes were made in the record books, and the week was proclaimed a success by AMA referee Earl Flanders.
As most of the entries were Californians, most of the records went to Calif. A notable exception, however, was Leo Payne, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, who took his stock-framed, fuel-burning, partially-streamlined H-D Sportster (bored and stroked to 74 cu. in.) to a two-way record of 202.379 mph on Tuesday morning. Leo has been campaigning on the salt for a number of years now with much success, and his run using a fairing (built by Wixom Bros. Co.) like the H-D road racers is practically incredible.
Warner Riley, of Skokie, 111., upped two records on his Harley. His A-AG-3000 record run netted a new record of 155.578 mph on gasoline. The faster of his two records was made in the APS-AG 3000 class at 169.604 mph.
BONNEVILLE 1970
NEW BONNEVILLE RECORD HOLDERS
Darrell Packard, Loma Linda, Calif. APS-A-50 82.264 Darrell Packard, Loma Linda, Calif. APS-AG-50 75.364 Jerry Ramer, Van Nuys, Calif. C-AG-50 58.788 Paul Flanders, Pasadena, Calif. C-C-50 64.470 Doral Eckhardt, Long Beach, Calif. A-AG-100 90.078 Melvin Nichols, Oroville, Calif. C-C-100 82.822 Doral Eckhardt, Long Beach, Calif. APS-AG-100 95.728 Dennis Robertson, Burley, Idaho C-A-100 73.194 Doral Eckhardt, Long Beach, Calif. A-A-100 91.639 Randy Kinnings, San Diego, Calif. A-C-125 75.573 William Vickery, Denver, Colo. C-AG-125 78.432 William Vickery, Denver, Colo. C-A-125 82.270 James Prescott, Gulfport, Miss. APS-AG-175 99.5 15 James Prescott, Gulfport, Miss. A-A-200 104.733 Larry Williford, Santee, Calif. A-C-200 96.434 James Prescott, Gulfport, Miss. A-AG-200 104.271 Bill Stewart, Anaheim, Calif. C-A-200 104.341 James Prescott, Gulfport, Miss. APS-AG-200 110.411 Philip York, Albuquerque, N.M. C-AG-200 88.203 Bill Stewart, Anaheim, Calif. C-C-200 104.833 Philip York, Albuquerque, N.M. PS-AG-200 90.270 Bill Stewart, Anaheim, Calif. PS-C-200 112.115 Art Barda, Orange, Calif. A-A-250 125.306 Art Barda, Orange, Calif. A-C-250 128.096 Art Barda, Orange, Calif. APS-C-250 133.060 Art Barda, Orange, Calif. C-A-250 125.567 William Vickery, Denver, Colo. PS-AG-2 50 111.714 Jerry Straley, Van Wert, Ohio A-AG-350 105.121 Paul D. Guptill, Los Angeles, Calif. A-C-350 100.685 Robert Barker, Sierra Madre, Calif. APS-C-350 146.221 David Mutz, Pomona, Calif. APS-AG-350 115.329 Don Vesco, La Mesa, Calif. PS-A-350 145.732 Tony Nicosia, Santa Ana, Calif. APS-A-500 146.889 Tony Nicosia, Santa Ana, Calif. APS-C-500 137.363 Charlie Cash, Carlsbad, Calif. A-C-500 134.320 Tony Nicosia, Santa Ana, Calif. C-AG-500 124.763 Wayne Harvey, South Gate, Calif. C-A-600 92.551 Bob Westbrook, Santee, Calif. A-AG-650 120.223 Arthur Drinker, Claremont, Calif. APS-C-650 130.938 Bruce Cox, Hermosa Beach, Calif. APS-AG-700 132.296 Jim Moore, Bell, Calif. C-C-700 114.432 Don Vesco, La Mesa, Calif. S-AG-700 240.244 Don Vesco, La Mesa, Calif. S-A-700 192.436 Alan Holloway, Belmont, Calif. A-AB-750 146.733 Shorts Cardinell, Dallas, Texas C-C-750 142.382 Sam Wheeler, Costa Mesa, Calif. S-AG-750 208.729 Roosevelt Lackey, Detroit, Mich. A-A-883 143.939 Jim Ludiker, Detroit, Mich. C-AG-883 130.250 Gary Hensley, Detroit, Mich. A-AG-1000 137.215 Don Chaplin, Carlsbad, Calif. APS-A-1000 143.361 Richard Strickland, Baldwin Park, Calif. APS-AG-1000 149.285 Richard Strickland, Baldwin Park, Calif. APS-A-1000 148.956 Gary Hensley, Detroit, Mich. C-AG-1000 137.702 Monterio & Macias, Castro Valley, Calif. C-C-1200 134.278 Don Sliger, South Gate, Calif. A-A-3000 194.724 Bob Thomas, San Antonio, Texas A-AB-3000 172.455 Warner Riley, Skokie, III. A-AG-3000 155.578 Warner Riley, Skokie, III. APS-AG-3000 169.604 Leo Payne, Cedar Rapids, Iowa C-A-3000 186.731 Leo Payne, Cedar Rapids, Iowa PS-A-3000 202.379
An excellent first year on the salt was enjoyed by the Wheeler and Moulders team from Costa Mesa, Calif., who took their single-engined, gas-burning Norton 750 streamliner to a 208.729 mph average. It is fairly unusual for a first-year attempt not to be plagued with all sorts of problems, but the careful construction and sound design features of the Norton streamliner were well in evidence and precluded many problems common to most attempts.
Another outstanding first-year effort resulted in a record for Al Hollaway of Belmont, Calif. Al’s BSA Three was constructed almost entirely by himself and was a work of art. Suffering from clutch problems and a crosswind during his record runs, Al still managed an average of 146.733 mph. The supercharged BSA 750-cc Three engine uses a constant flow (Hilborn-type) fuel injection and runs on straight methanol. A spinning rear tire at close to 150 mph prevented achieving a higher top speed.
Art Barda, of Yamaha International Corp., took home four new records, the fastest of which was on a TD-2 Yamaha running in the APS-C 250 class at 1 33.060 mph.
Perhaps the most well represented family at Bonneville again this year was the Vesco family from the San Diego area. Don brought his twin-engined Yamaha streamliner which uses two 350-cc TR-2 Yamaha engines, and runs on gasoline. After several fast qualifying runs early in the week, Don set a one-way speed of 240.244 mph on Wednesday morning. But on the return run, the rear tire blew out at just slightly over 250 mph and cut the cable release to the parachute. It was probably a good thing, however, as the streamliner fell on its side and slid some 300 yards through the trap lights—at a speed faster than the present 245-mph two-way Bonneville record! The parachute’s timely deployment is very likely the only reason the machine didn’t go into a series of horizontal endos and cause some real damage.
As soon as the machine stopped, Don, smelling gas, actuated his fire extinguisher, knocked a hole in his jammed canopy, and was patiently standing beside the slightly bent streamliner when the tow truck arrived.
Upon first examination, the streamliner seemed to be in worse condition than it actually was, and two days later, with the help of eager hands, the bike was ready to run again. Saturday’s record run was spoiled by a blown transmission.
Two weeks later, Don Vesco became the fastest man on two wheels. He rebuilt his streamliner, went to Bonneville again and was success ful.
Records established were:
1. S-C-G 700, 249.965 first run 253.883 return run 251.924 two-way average
Don disconnected one engine and set records in the following classes:
1. S-C-G 350, 200.423 first run 1 95.270 return run 1 97.81 3 two-way average
Then, by breaking the seal on the gas tank, but not adding anything to the gasoline, Don sped to a fuel record:
1. S-A 350, 197.531 first run
190.129 return run 193.756 two-way average
Three just rewards to one of Bonneville’s most enthusiastic competitors.
