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Art Arfons started with a jet two wheeler and ended with the four wheeled
version of Green Monster 27 - there were two wheels close together under
the nose according to those who saw it at Bonneville. I understood that
Art ran private time on the salt and did not have any sanctioning body
present on either occassion. As a two wheeler vehicle it did not have an
FIM class to enter at that time. It also crashed. The four wheeler did
not run fast enough and was retired along with the great man after one
series of Bonneville runs on metal wheels.
The FIM Technical Staff have told me that they had nothing to do with the
SMI Motivator or the Budweiser Rocket vehicle attempts on the Alvord Desert
and Edwards/Muroc respectively. Kitty O'Neill claimed a 'womens LSR' after
running on the desert and is said to have done two runs in opposite
directions in one hour. But who timed it and who was the sanctioning body?
If the FIM have no details and there is currently no class for thrust
powered three wheelers - then was this just more hype from the Fredericks
team? The Motivator was going to be timed through52.8 feet long speed
traps = not a distance recognised by any of the European governing bodies.
The FIM did change how they calculated their average speeds for all classes
many years ago and this may have brought down the shutters on these earlier
bids.
Malcolm Pittwood, derby, England
ps Have found a Motorcycle News report that attributes the 1979 Bonneville
timing of the Budweiser to Earl Flanders who is stated as being " of the
FIM, the American Motorcycle Association and the International Hot Rod
Association". These attributes mean nothing unless the appropriate
Stewards were present and the rules of two runs in one hour complied with -
which we all know they did not.
pps Anyone know anything more about the Alvord event?
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