In September of 1948, Rollie Free set a world record of 150.313 on the first
Vincent Black Lightning bike during runs on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
Herb Harris of Austin TX, the current owner of that bike had it on the salt
during World of Speed last year. The photo of Free, stretched our prone on
the bike and wearing a rubber bathing cap borrowed from his wife, his swim
suit and borrowed tennis shoes is one of the most famous motorcycle racing
photos existing today. A smaller 15" bronze of the 40" sculpture of the run
by Jeff Decker is the trophy for fast bike of the year at World of Speed.
Free said that after the Sept. 13, early morning run he was "blue from the
cold." Jeff has more information on that Vincent Black Lightning than
anyone, anywhere. He used this research for the intricate detail of the
larger sculpture.
Wes
on 4/14/01 7:55 AM, ardunbill@webtv.net at ardunbill@webtv.net wrote:
> Hi Folks, later on I may put some more out on this subject if there is
> any interest. It is a charming story how two enthusiasts in New Zealand
> acquired (Russell Wright bought it and paid for it, just like you and I
> might have) the 1954 Black Lightning Show Model from the Vincent
> company's display that year in London, and achieved the World's
> Motorcycle Speed Record with it. On a narrow two-lane, DAMP, closed
> public highway no less.
>
> I possess a copy of Burns' unpublished manuscript, thanks to my old pal
> Sid Biberman, one of America's greatest Vincent men, which has
> circulated underground for many years in New Zealand and throughout the
> world-wide Vincent Owners Club. So between that and other authoritative
> sources, some factual stories can be told.
>
> It happens that some still footage of the Burns & Wright machine at
> Bonneville in '56 appears in a Videotape entitled "The Hot Rod Story",
> produced by Alex Xydias of So Cal Speed Shop fame, and still available
> from Alex at P.O. Box 11316, Burbank, CA 91510. Just a short bit of the
> bike standing in the pit area, no info is given. The person on the
> camera may well not have known he was looking at the Official World
> Record bike. This tape is a valuable document on early Bonneville
> racing, by the way, shows the Hill-Davis Streamliner on record runs in
> '52. The Hill-Davis car is of special interest to Ardun folk because it
> contained a Flathead engine converted to OHV with the Moller-Adams
> heads, built by C.T. Automotive. Only one set of these heads was made
> and today it is in the Smith Museum at Speedway Motors. Cheers Bill
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