What is Nitro Bike Drag Racing and why does one get into it??
I had hardly any idea what Nitro Bike Drag Racing was about before I did some research.
I knew it involved two awesome, very out of this world looking, cool bikes lined up at a drag strip and when the light goes green, well yup, off they go….in a burst of flames….into the distance….to see who is the fastest.
It wasn’t until a good friend of mine, Gary McGuinness, said that his brother had his own drag race team, Blattt Racing and yes, that is Blattt with a triple t, that I wanted to know more. Not just about the bikes themselves but also why one decides to take on, what I thought, was a hugely dangerous sport. Sooo I sent Wayne McGuinness, Gary’s brother, some interview questions which are included in the bottom of this article.
First of all “What is Nitro Racing?”
“Motorcycle drag racing (also known as “Sprints”) involves two participants lining up at a dragstrip with a signaled starting line. Upon the starting signal, the riders accelerate down a 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) long, two lane, straight paved track where their elapsed time and terminal speed are recorded. The rider to reach the finish line first is the winner. The best-known form of motorcycle drag racing is the Pro Stock Bike category, although several other categories exist, including 1,000 horsepower (750 kW) nitromethane engine.[ Motorcycles in the Top Fuel category are fueled by nitro methane and can make nearly 1,500 horsepower.[1]:116 From a standing start they can cover the first 60 feet in less than a second and can reach 200 mph in less than eighth-mile or 660 feet.”
Bloody hell! Thanks Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcycle_drag_racing
This is the American version, but Gary was saying in Australia it is a bit different. Here, we don’t call them “Sprints” and the lanes aren’t paved but are still professionally prepared. But other than that it pretty much explains it in layman’s terms.
Credit: Blattt Racing
It obviously does take a special type of person to race these monsters.
Which brings me back to Blattt Racing…….
Blattt racing comprises of Wayne McGuinness who owns, runs and races Blattt Racing and brother Gary McGuinness who was Pit Crew but now has his racing license and at one stage was the fastest Aussie in the US in nitro bike class under Pro Fuel. Wayne also won a Wally for Nitro Harley’s and this is the highest award in USA drag racing AND has broken one Australian and one American track record. Wayne also currently holds the track record in Nitro bike in Australia at Perth Motorplex which is a motorsport venue located at Kwinana Beach, Western Australia.
Gary and Wayne McGuinness Credit: Blattt Racing
Wow! Why haven’t we heard about these guys
The McGuinness’s hail from Kwinana which is approximately 39 km’s south of Perth and is the home of Blattt Racing. Blattt Racing consists of a new HRP built Nitro Pro Dragster to run in the new ANDRA Nitro Bike class, added to the 2014 schedule to accommodate for these bikes. Also in the camp there is a 151ci Pro Gas Harley, that has top qualified in MB/A, and currently runs 8.03 times, a Dodge Challenger and a Dodge Charger.
Wayne McGuinness Credit: Blattt Racing
This Australian owned racing business is privately funded so they don’t really have sponsors as such. Wayne’s good friend Clyde from Bravo Resources in O’Connor, does all the Team’s machining work but they are looking for a major sponsor.
Unfortunately, Wayne needs to work away to be able to support the running of the Team, but you can tell by the photos of his bikes, the awards that they have won, records they have broken and the passion in the answers to the interview questions that there is no doubt this Team has the guts, balls and determination to succeed in this Nitro World.
I encourage anyone to check out Blattt Racing and contact Wayne McGuinness just to see how committed he and the whole team are to their Nitro Racing. The stats don’t lie.
I am heading over to WA in July and will be catching up with Blattt Racing. Sooo, I have organised to interview them and to have a close up with the bikes. I will be doing a vlog and also bringing you race dates as they arise.
Now check out my interview with Wayne. There are still so many good stories that Wayne and Gary have told me and just not enough space here to share but I am so excited for them. Their future looks bright and will look even brighter with a major sponsor. If you think this is a business you would like to support, check out Blattt Racing facebook page, get in contact and support this committed Australian team.
Gary McGuinness Credit: Blattt Racing
INTERVIEW WITH BLATTT RACING
1. How many nitro bikes do you have?
I currently have 2 Nitro bikes, One Injected and One Carburated.
2. How long have you been riding?
I started riding bikes from about the age of 6, was on a QA50 Honda.
3. When did you start motorbike racing?
Started racing as a Road Racing Sidecar passenger about 25 years ago, the bike was handmade by an old guy, who was the driver for the first year, then he retired so I purchased the bike from him and continued to race it for about 5 seasons, winning the WA title for 4 years in succession, plus racing in the Australian titles and Kings of the West round the houses series, I also had a few seasons with different sponsored bikes that people were trying to sell, so I would race the bikes, win races and prove the bikes were good, so they would sell.
After a few seasons, everyone had stepped up with performance, and a few rule changes to coincide with the World Formula 1 Sidecar rules that engine / tyres and rims could be bigger, I decided to stop racing, due to the extra expense of all the changes needed to be competitive, having 3 engines to modify and all the rims and tyres combo’s we used to run was way too expensive.
So after more than 10 years away from the Sidecar Road racing, I decided to try racing in the Thunderbike series on a 998R Ducati, that was fun for a while, had a huge highside and made me think about injury time and not being able to work, so stopped racing and decided to go Skydiving instead!
4. What made you decide this was what you wanted to do?
I got to the stage after 6 years of Skydiving and 5 years as an Instructor, with a bit of BASE jumping around the world, it was time for a change.
5. How did you get into it?
I was at work, looking at a website that had all types of cars for sale (Racejunk.com) and seen a 1998 Dodge Charger drag car for sale, so enquired about it, guy lived in Nth Carolina, and this is when the Aussie dollar was $1.10usd, I said I would buy it, which this guy didn’t believe someone from Oz would buy a car sight unseen, and ship it all the way? But after some convincing, he knew I was genuine. So, I called my brother Gaz, told him we’re going Drag racing!!!
After a season with the car, and from the same website I noticed a Pro-Gas Harley drag bike for sale, no one was running one of these bikes in Oz (Thinking they were slow) so bought that and started running in Perth, started running good times (8.30 without turning the Nitrous on, 7.63 on Nitrous) this bike had won the 2002 American Pro-Gas championship with Tom Bradford owning it, bike is a killer (Currently for sale, with spare engine) so made everyone take notice!
After two seasons on the Gas bike, heard of a guy in the states (Johnny Vickers, Hawaya Racing) that was making Carburetted Nitro Bikes, so enquired about the bikes and the costs and how reliable they are (up to 200 passes with minimal maintenance) decided to purchase one, head over to the States race there and then bring it back to Perth and race here, also another two Perth guys had gotten Johnny to build bikes for them, one was an Injected Nitro bike the other was a Carburetted bike like the one I had built.
So, after completing a 2-day Nitro bike school at Rockingham Raceway in Nth Carolina, I got my 6.90 AMRA drag licence and entered for the Jim McClure Nationals, also run at the same track that w/end. Ended up qualifying 3rd out of 20 of the top guys in the States for the class (Pro Fuel in the states, Nitro Bike here in Oz) and made it to the semi’s first time out on the bike!
After the meeting we crated the bike up and sent it back to Perth. Les Holden, who also has a carburetted bike like mine was the main guy to get a new class (Nitro bike) started here in Oz.
I ran the bike here in Oz under the Nitro Bike class, but the changed to Top Fuel Bike class to run against the bigger bikes.
2014, I took Gaz back to the States for his 50th. He had entered the Nitro bike school run by Johnny Vickers, there he qualified for his licence as well and completed in the same event I had the year before, for a brief moment he was the fastest Aussie in USA and run well in the event.
After he left the States, I went to Bristol Raceway in Tennessee, to race in the NRHA Bristol Nationals, which I ended up winning and setting a new track record. First Aussie to win a Wally (Highest award in USA drag racing) for Nitro Harleys.
6. Where do you want to go next and what are your future goals for nitro racing?
Well, now I am running a 2-bike team with Gaz riding one bike, we obviously want to win all the events and set new records in Oz, taking out an Australian Championship would be great! Even an event with Gaz and myself 1st and 2nd would be great!
7. Where do you race and what is your favourite track?
Usually race at Perth Motorplex, but also raced in Darwin, Hidden Valley. My favourite would have to be the Bristol track in Tennessee.
8. What would you say to people who think you are crazy?
Try it, you might like it. Peoples conception of Crazy differs!!!!!
9. What speeds do the bikes reach?
Bikes are capable of 230mph to 250mph.
10. You would go through a lot of tyres. How many races do you get before you have to change them?
Depends on how you treat them, but usually 25 runs out of a tyre.
11. Do you have a mechanic on standby?
Hah, yeah Me!!!!
12. Nitro racing isn’t that big in Australia, how big is it in US?
You’ll be amazed how big it is here in Oz, if we get everyone together for a major meeting, we are not that far behind the States, we roughly have 13 to 16 Top Fuel Bikes here, States approx 20 regular runners. It’s just so hard and expensive to run all the events and a lot of the guys only do certain events, and a lot have had to take time out from the sport lately. But it is on the increase again, despite the low numbers recently at events.
13. How often have you been to US?
I spent the past 5 years going back and forth, was trying to get a green card and move over there for the racing 2 years ago, but very hard with their economic state.
14. Have you raced in any other countries?
I raced in the States as mentioned and I have also completed in Skydiving and BASE-Jumping tournaments all around the world, USA, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, France, Malaysia.
15. Where are you situated?
I live in Perth, Western Australia.
16. What material is your outfit made out of?
Bikes frames are constructed of Chrome Moly, the engines are all Billet Aluminium, lots of Carbon Fibre stuff.
17. How many members of the team are there?
Usually 4, but with the new bike added, we are currently looking for new crew, could use at least 3 more on the team. Anyone interested, see me at the track in Perth, Blattt Racing.
18. How many awards have you won?
Lots over the years!
19. How many records have you broken?
1 Australian and 1 American.
20. What are the specs of the bikes you race?
1st Nitro bike is 120ci” carburettor, 2nd Nitro bike is 175ci” Injected, and the 3rd bike is 140ci” naturally aspirated bike with a spare 160ci” engine.
21. How safe is it and how does your family feel when you race?
Top Fuel Bike racing is as safe as you want it to be! If you don’t respect these machines they can, and will bite you!!! Hard. But saying that, if you obey all the rules with Nitromethane, they are a safe bike to race. Family loves it? Actually, I’ve never asked. LOL
22. What advice would you give to people who are interested in competing in nitro racing?
Obey the rules of Nitro, seek advice, and listen!!!!!!
23. Are there many women racers?
There are quite a few racing at the moment, The fastest woman on the planet over the quarter mile, is our own Sydney girl Niki Zakrzewski, she just recently ran a 6.409 @ 207.50mph in the States.
24. Do you have sponsors? Who are they? And are you looking for more?
I don’t actually have any sponsors as such. I have one of my good friends Clyde who does all my machining work, Bravo Resources is his business. Sponsors for me is very hard to obtain, the reason is that I have to work away to be able to afford to run these bikes, and as such I don’t like to take people’s money or products as I can’t always guarantee that I will make a race event to promote them.
Having said that, if a major sponsor, or sponsors would like to take on the role to support the team, I would gladly give up work and run every event on the Australian ANDRA and IHRA 400 Thunder series events.
24. What is your average reaction time when the light goes green?
That varies a little, but usually about 0.120th of a second, good days, 0.050th of a second.
25. Do you know what the G Force is when pulling away?
About 3 G’s
26. Is there anything else you would like to share or include that I have missed?
Can’t think of anything, apart from anyone welcome to come and join us in the pits and hangout, see how these monster machines operate. They’re a piece of angry fun machinery!!!
I can’t wait to see these monsters in action and to feel the passion leading up to the racing. I can picture the stress, sweat and smell the sweet smell of raging power. As I mentioned I will be heading over to Perth in July and I will bring you a video of the behind the scenes “stuff” that we normally don’t get to see. I AM excited!
Till next time. Stay upright.
LJ