Team Tracy at BUB’s International Speed Trials, 2010

Team Tracy came together again to blaze the Bonneville salt at the 2010 BUB Motorcycle Speed Trials. With Bonneville located virtually in the middle of nowhere, just getting there is half the fun. Team members congregated in Wendover, Nevada, with some having ridden thousands of miles for the five-day event that is like no other on earth.

For this year’s attempt in the 1350-MPS-AG class, Tracy’s Suzuki Hayabusa morphed into a partially streamlined rocket, and her sights were set on speeds over 201 miles per hour. Tracy was sitting pretty on national and world records in the 1350-M-AG class from her prior two years of competition, but this class presented new challenges that had been consuming her thoughts for months.

“Smitty” Smith, with James Squires riding shotgun, hauled Tracy’s new 20-foot custom trailer that housed her Hayabusa, custom garage, and built-in, upper-story viewing deck built especially for her dad, Mark Norris. Tracy’s slogan, Never Accept Limits, Go Beyond Them, gleamed across the trailer’s walls, along with a tribute to her beloved Oakland Motorcycle Club and other sponsors. Her trailer is an inspiration and a sight to see humming down the freeway, and it gives cause for any motorcycle enthusiast to smile a little more broadly while riding past.

Team Tracy 2010

Of course there were problems from the start—it wouldn’t be land speed racing without a host of them. But the team’s designers and gear heads all pulled together, think-tank style, to brainstorm. While they pondered solutions, some of the finest dining in all of Utah was available courtesy of Chris and Sandy Vetter. Nourish the body—nourish the mind. In the Vetter’s caring culinary hands, how could Team Tracy possibly lose?

This year, Tracy was privileged to run the coveted eleven-mile international course, which is exactly where she wanted to be. On this FIM long track, she can take five miles to get up to her fastest speed. Timing begins at mile marker five and ends at mile marker six. The remaining five miles are for slowing down the bike. Tracy was psyched for her first ride, but she was determined to take it easy enough to get a feel for the newest incarnation of her motorcycle.

During Tracy’s first ride, she could feel the bike heating up in a way she hadn’t experienced before. After all, her custom modifications are for better aerodynamics, not necessarily for better airflow. Until then, she had ridden open and unfaired, but the heat was excessive. Additionally, Tracy was unable to shift into high gear. Even with these issues, her first pass was recorded at a whopping 177 miles per hour. Not bad for right off the trailer!

To determine what gear she was in during the race, Tracy was going to count the downshifts as she slowed her motorcycle after the marked mile, but nothing clicked. Mistakenly, she thought her transmission was blown. All the way to Bonneville and with only a single morning run, Tracy feared her racing was over almost before it had begun.

Luckily, the problem was isolated to the clutch and not the transmission. Mike Vetter and the pit crew bled the hydraulic clutch and added fresh fluid to get it into a useable state. A chin rest was also added to adjust Tracy’s head position and improve visibility. Tracy’s second pass was clocked at a respectful 185.650 miles per hour. But the crew determined that the engine was maxing out in top gear and that new gearing would be required to solve the problem.

Day Two

Heavy rains fell that evening, causing the salt to flood, and all racing came to a halt during the morning. The mood was somber and still, which would have been disappointing, except that the Hayabusa required many hours of work. So, in an ironic twist, the gods of speed continued to smile upon Team Tracy. Team mechanics Mike Vetter and Dave Gimbert disassembled Tracy’s entire streamliner fairing in order to swap the rear 38-tooth sprocket with a 36-tooth sprocket.

There were other issues. “The bike is getting too hot at fast speeds,” Tracy stated solemnly when I spoke with her that first night, “but Brent is working on a new air/fuel mixture.” Tracy’s muffler was burning the fiberglass on her bike’s side. A curved pipe and heat shield, courtesy of extraordinary efforts by Paul Gregersen and Brian Jagger, was added to direct heat away from the motorcycle.

Also, her visibility was impaired due to abrasion on the windscreen that made it impossible to see. A hole was cut into Tracy’s windscreen for her to look through, and a helmet face shield was cut and riveted on to cover the hole. The goal was to create visibility without losing too much integrity around her streamlining. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a necessary concession that worked. By late afternoon, the short track was opened, and Tracy got in a single ride, clocked at 192.967 miles per hour. Cheers were heard throughout the pits as she blurred down the track, and the team was looking forward to getting an early start the following morning.

Day Three

On the third day of racing, Tracy’s top speed was a blazing 194.998 miles per hour. The track remained wet, causing decreased traction, but everyone remained optimistic for improved conditions. During Tracy’s second run, her clutch went out again, and she had to pull off the FIM course. Only one run was completed that day, though Tracy quickly reminded me that every chance to race on the salt is a blessing and an opportunity to learn.

Don Mills, the current world record holder in Tracy’s class, offered her the use of some parts off of his clutch, since he stopped riding due to mechanical failure on the first day of competition. You may recall Don was instrumental in helping Tracy achieve her national record in 2008, when he loaned her his custom tank, which ultimately gave her the edge to nab it. How’s that for class?

Day Four

After finding a well-stocked Barnett truck on the fourth day of racing, team mechanics were able to add stiffer springs (donated by the Barnett folks) to Tracy’s clutch and reassemble it with new hydraulic fluid and one of the parts donated by Don Mills. Then, during her first ride of the day, her air box blew off, so another attempt was abandoned. A new mixture of air/fuel was concocted and tried. “It’s a bit slippery out there in the marked mile, but I’m not letting off the throttle,” Tracy said. I can only imagine what goes through her mind in that zone.

During her second run, seven mile-per-hour side-winds kicked up that hit her like a brick wall, causing her to lean. Not only did that throw off her aerodynamics, but because she was tucked down low and peering through a small hole in her windscreen, for a time she could see only sky. Fortunately, with nothing in Bonneville to get in your way for miles, it is one of the few places on earth where one can theoretically ride blind.

Tracy was in line for a third attempt, when racing was again stopped due to the wind conditions. With her bike running well, Team Tracy remained optimistic for good salt and air conditions on the fifth and final day of racing.

Day Five

Team Tracy was first on the salt on day five, where the winds continued wreaking havoc for the racers. During the first lull in weather, Tracy went for it, earning her best speed of the week at 196.244 miles per hour. The team made some final modifications to the Hayabusa— a risky decision, as the adjustment would eat up valuable time, and Bonneville afternoons are known for their increased winds, but the adjustment was necessary for speed.

We’re all at nature’s mercy, but never more so than at Bonneville, where one must prepare, prepare, prepare, and then hope for the best from the weather. Tracy arrived at the start line with her bike poised for speed, but with conditions worsening, Tracy made the difficult decision to abort her final attempt. Spent, but satisfied with their efforts, Tracy and team earned another year of invaluable Bonneville experience—priceless.

Tracy achieved a new personal best speed of 196.244 miles per hour, and Team Tracy was honored to be the recipient of the Team Spirit award, presented by the Buell Brother’s and Sister’s Racing Team. It was another exceptional year. Tracy’s 2010 promotional sticker states, It takes a team to make a dream. But it also takes a dream to make a team, which is exactly where “we” come in. Any way you look at it, big cheers for Team Tracy!

(Many thanks to John “Geezer” Rohowits, whose detailed notes on the day-to-day action at the pits were used in this report.)