1951 Triumph & Ariel Bonneville Speed Records -2-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article

Description

1951 Triumph & Ariel Bonneville Speed Records -2-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article
Original, vintage magazine article
Page Size: Approx. 9" x 12" (23 cm x 30 cm) each page
Condition: Good
SPEED IS WHERE YOU FIND IT
Blackie Bullock mounted on his American rec-
ord holding Class “C” 40 cu. in. Triumph
Thunderbird.
YES, like gold, speed is where you
find it and whether you seek a
“mother lode” or a bonanza of surplus
rpm’s, the search is likely to prove both
laborious and frustrating.
This may be taken as a far fetched
comparison but, as widely separated as
these two categories of prospectors may
be, they have a lot in common, at least
inversely so. The one seeking the Fort
Knox foundation material starts with a
grub stake and sometimes ends up with
gold. The one searching for the stuff of
which motorcycle speed records are
made, starts with gold and is lucky to
end up with a grub stake.
Even if you are lucky enough to hit
the jackpot, some claim jumper will
sooner or later take over and you are
right back where you started. The glory
is unfortunately too short lived' unless
you happen to be the first to reach the
few recognized goal posts along the ulti-
mate speed route. For example, the first
man to cover a mile in a minute found
his fame enduring as did the one who
first went 100 miles per hour. The pres-
ent goal is 200 miles per hour, as yet
unobtained; so if your aspirations are
to be an enduring speed hero, you had
better step lively because the next one
will be 300 miles per hour and that
would take Marshall Plan Aid.
Before the startled spectators could
shet their awe opened tatter traps at
the sight of the first movement of a gas
engine propelled vehicle, the designers
were already trying to figure a way to
make the infernal machine go faster;
there has been no rest since. While it
is an expensive racket to directly partici-
pate in, it only costs two bucks a year
as a spectator to watch from a front
From left to right: Bus Schaller, official A.M.A. referee, Ed Brady of Johnson Motors, Pete
Colman, co-tuner of the record-breaking Thunderbird, astride same and Cal Makela the
other Johnson Motors tuner.
Standing left to right: Sam Parriott, Blackie Bullock, Cal Makela, Pete Colman, Bus Schaller, Otto
Crocker and Tim Withim. Kneeling left to right: A. J. Lewis, Buddy Parriott, Dan Busby and Ed Brady.
row seat in the “Motorcyclist” grand
stand. So be seated, you railbirds, and
let’s see what wares the speed merchants
have displayed since last month’s issue.
The record breaking spree at Bonne-
ville Salt Flats, as reported in last
month’s “Motorcyclist” touched off as
much frenzied speed activity as a stick
poked in a hornet’s nest at a nudist
colony picnic. The ink had hardly dried
on Bus Schaller’s (the A.M.A. referee)
report of preceding activity before an
aggregation of Triumph and Ariel en-
thusiasts moved in with set jaws and
“they can’t do that to us” looks on their
faces. “Oil up the clocks and hook some
fresh batteries on those electric eyes,”
they ordered, “this shindig is just get-
ting started.”
Included in the determined group
were Bill Johnson and Ed Brady, presi-
dent and vice-president respectively of
Johnson Motors, Inc., Pete Colman, Cal
Makela, A. J. Lewis, Tim Withim, Otto
Crocker, Buddy Parriott, Dan Busby,
and the two doughty pilots Sam Parriott
and Blackie Bullock. The equipment in-
cluded a 40 cu. in. Triumph Thunderbird,
a 61 cu. in. Ariel Square Four, jungle
hats and cold cream (for protection from
the salt flat sun) and a can of Shell
activated ethyl gasoline direct from the
Shell Station pump at Wendover, Utah.
When the Sept. 13th sun set on the
arid salt flats, Otto Crocker’s famed
electric timing instruments had record-
ed the following times which Bus Schal-
ler’s precision check on the engine dis-
placements and compression ratios defi-
nitely established as new Class “C” speed
records, subsequently certified by the
A.M.A. as follows:
September 22nd, 1951
Johnson Motors, Inc.
267 West Colorado Street
Pasadena, Calif.
Gentlemen:
Please be advised that we have certified
the following new A.M.A. records:
40 cu. in. Cl. “C” Triumph 132.1607 m.p.h.
61 cu. in. Cl. “C”
40 cu. in. Cl. “C”
10 miles
20 “
30 “
40 “
50 “
Ariel 131.9539 m.p.h.
(standing start)
116.0915 m.p.h.
117.2952 m.p.h.
117.9319 m.p.h.
117.9561 m.p.h.
17.9554 m.p.h.
Sincerely yours,
American Motorcycle Association
(signed) E. C. Smith
Secretary
Blackie Bullock’s record on the Thun-
derbird of 132.1607 m.p.h. was the aver-
age of his 132.6944 m.p.h. easterly and
131.6270 m.p.h. westerly runs.
be
readers:
118.4990
118.4016
118.5749
118.4607
10
20
30
40
m.p.h.
m.p.h.
m.p.h.
m.p.h.
The 133.2839 m.p.h. made by Sam Par-
riott on the Ariel was attained with a
133.2839 m.p.h. east and 130.6240 m.p.h.
west runs.
Bullock’s 10 to 50 mile records were
made over- a ten mile circular course;
the times made on the flying start were
not certified by the A.M.A. but will
of interest to you
miles
miles
miles
miles
Needless to say, it has been a great
day for all and a fine tribute to the
British designers of the winning motor-
cycles and their American tuners. The
machines were straightforward models
as sold to the public for touring pur-
poses, with truly relatively few engine
modifications and these involving cata-
loged parts sold over the counter, with
Sam Parriott aboard his record holding 61 co.
in. Ariel Square Four receives congratulations
from Bill Johnson, President of Johnson Motors,
fitting and tuning within reach of even
the careful and skilled home mechanic.
The speeds established are truly re-
markable, especially so in view of the
fact that fuel was ordinary pump gaso-
line (Shell Oil may take exception to
use of that word “ordinary”—let us
rather say—gasoline daily supplied the
public by all Shell stations) and com-
pression ratios under 8 to 1 as required
by the A.M.A. A strictly “cricket” vic-
tory as our English cousins might say
—No nitro, no oversize engines.
The “Bird” records also established the
marque as fastest Class “C” in Ameri-
ca, regardless of engine size.
Even the tuners, Pete Colman and Cal
Makela grooming the “Bird,” and A. J.
Lewis minding the Squariel no doubt
were a bit wonderous at the results of
their work, like little Jack Horner who
stuck his thumb in the pie and came
out with a plum. In the background Bill
Johnson and Ed Brady beamed happily,
proudly stating that “Them’s our boys.”
Factories and tuners are important
on such occasions, but some one has
gotta ride ’em and Blackie Bullock and
Sam Parriott were the boys that crawled
in under the paint to lessen the wind
resistance, and darn near pulled the
slides out of the carburetors to get that
ultimate miles per hour. No job for the
faint of heart.
No—I am not taking any bets that
these records will last till this story
gets to press. The midnight oil is still
being burned and Pete Colman has con-
fided in me that he knows that if they
had given the blipper nozzle in the car-
buretor just a sixteenth more turn, and
run another half tooth on the muffler
belt, and had used Wesson salad oil on
Bullock’s face instead of cold cream,
that they would have come up with an-
other five miles an hour.
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