Truly the Gods of speed demand those seeking their ardently wished for joys must pay a toll sooner or later. Nothing comes easy nor cheaply at this game even if at this very low level.

Right off the trailer Overtime Tina ran an easy 100 & change throttled back to 3/4 on its ” feeling out the surface ” initial run. Back in the pits I went up one size on the main jet (320 to a 330) from the plug color. Added 5 lbs to the tires as Aaron Frank said the handling was flawless in spite of the badly scarred concrete surface .

The speed went up to 105 and change – on a wider throttle setting.
Next Matt and I bumped up the ignition timing a bit by guess alone — was initally set at 35 BTDC , hoping for a 39 degree or near it. Done by rotating the Victor type breaker device . Too haphazard a system to trust Ill admit. We could tell that the 100 octane race fuel provided was burning slower as the idle speed had dropped way down and she responded  lazyly when gassed. The idle speed rose immediately suggesting we were correct.

The next or third run felt rougher as described by the rider and went through at 98 mph – but trouble was brewing all the while , probably had been there all there all along robbing power / speed.
We backed off the ignition advance to about half of the amt. we had moved it earlier hoping it would be better , and also fitted the 1 & 5/8s inch pipe for the earler 2 inch we had to this point been running hoping this pipe would pump up the jump off the line. This run repeated the earlier 98 plus change. Now the afternoon would change as the trouble would show itself at the end of this fourth and what would be our final pass.
I had remained back in the pits as Aaron came off the far end, and he burbled towards me , idling easily along to pass right in front of me. The bike suddenly went silent after making a sharp clicking sound several times – not 10 feet away . UP on the race stand she went. Plugs out showed a few shiney flecks on one of them . Off with the rocker caps revealed she had spit the front push rod which was jammed between the end of the rocker and the head casting – tight as a Witches maidenhead.
The motor would spin over so the lower end of the pushrod must also be out of the follower cup . And one could easily hear the rush of air out the end of the tailpipe as she was rotated . All are signs that the exhaust valve was not on its seat.
In fact all signs indicate that the exhaust valve – glowing with full heat at the end of that last pass – had stuck in its bottom guide and been clouted several times (the clicking sounds that were heard) by the piston , being bent in the process. Now the bent valve stem and head were holding it off its seat – explaining the whoosh of air out the pipe as the rising piston neared the top of the cylinder.
The entire extent of the damages remain to be seen upon head removal. The timing side cover will come off also to check for damages.
We did establish a new Record in our Vintage , 4 stroke , pushrod class with that initial 100 MPH run and then broke it ourselves with the 105 run ! So we entered the record books. I came away with a fine tee shirt so stating . A little joy anyway .
The same RACE God struck down the Vincati which we had taken along for shits and giggles. Frank was riding it along the pock marked return road and the heavy shaking caused a dead short in its wiring – blowing out all fuses – and the few spares on hand . Probably beneath the fuel tank where lots of wires run front to rear .
We did come home with lots of great photos including one of the jammed pushrod.
SO – TWO broken bikes for our racing efforts ! Whos next among you?
Aint life Grand !

Sid