He used a chain primary drive, with final drive also using a conventional chain. Hare fabricated a special frame so that his Triumph twin engine laid horizontally, its cylinders facing forward, with a special two-barrel downdraft carburetor up top and the exhaust ports facing downward. At the 1951 Bonneville speed meet he showed up with what Popular Science magazine described as a “belly whopper style” racer. It’s unclear today whether Hare joined the swimsuit sect, but there’s evidence that he clearly subscribed to the lay-down theory of streamlining, which led to a pair of his Triumph land speed record bikes. No doubt, Free’s performance validated the principles of streamlining, leading to what became known as land speed record racing’s swimsuit era, with countless other bike racers emulating Free’s antics at Bonneville. It was only when the suit’s seams ripped during the 20-minute turnaround period before his second back-up run to secure the record that Free replaced the cowhide with, of all things, a swimsuit. Edgar had reserved the Salt Flats exclusively for this private speed venture, and the Vincent was modified so Free could lay prone to minimize drag.Īccording to Louise Ann Noeth in her book Bonneville Salt Flats, Free wore the usual leather racing attire for his initial pass. No doubt, Hare was inspired by Rollie Free’s fabled 1948 land speed record at Bonneville, wearing only a swimsuit and helmet for the 150mph record run aboard John Edgar’s Vincent Black Shadow. Among his early endeavors were two bikes that allowed the rider to lay prone over the engine to minimize wind resistance. Hare was an innovative genius for his time, creating new and unique ways to squeeze top speed from his Triumph-powered motorcycles.
Motorcyclists weren’t part of the show until 1951, however, when the four-wheelers invited 10 select bikers, among them a young man from Westminster, California, named Bud Hare.
When hot rodders from the SCTA (Southern California Timing Association) organized the first Bonneville Nationals speed trials on Utah’s fabled Bonneville Salt Flats in August of 1949, a new era of speed racing was born.
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