Former Victorian tries for motorcycle land-speed record

October 31, 2006 - Posted at 12:00 a.m.

BY TIM DELANEY - VICTORIA ADVOCATE

This story has a beginning and a middle but no ending because "It ain't over yet."

That's the sentiment of Joey Willhite, who was trying Sunday to break the land-speed record for a motorcycle at the Texas Mile track near Berclair - 260.5 miles per hour, clocked during the course of a mile.

Things didn't work out the way he imagined.

Willhite, who moved from Victoria to San Antonio recently, decided a year ago to break the record. He started by purchasing a 2000 Suzuki motorcycle he could rebuild to his specifications.

He said racing has been in his family for a couple of generations. His grandfather and father rode and worked on motorcycles, and Willhite took to motorcycles like it was second nature.

Willhite said he bought the bike Nov. 15, 2005. "I tore it apart because it had a 1,397-cc nitrous motor in it. I wanted to run it turbo, so I needed to bring it down to 1,300 cc's."

With the size in cc's going down, "a smaller piston can handle more boost pressure," he said.

Initially, Willhite had a Florida company lined up to get the turbo he wanted. "I ended up not going to Florida to buy the turbo because they sold it out from under me.

"I started building at Terry's (Mr. Turbo's) in Houston. And I ended up rebuilding the motor twice."

All this rebuilding transpired during the course of a year. Willhite says every time he thought the bike was getting close to being finished something else would cause a problem. And so the story went.

Joey's bike was finally finished on Sept. 30, a little more than three weeks ago.

"Once I got it back, I took all the factory harness off. I rewired it to have a stand-alone wiring system. It has a stand-alone fuel and ignition system, too.

"Last weekend on Saturday was the first pass I made on it. So this is brand new," Willhite said. "I made three passes at the San Antonio Raceway, so I've had a total of six passes on this bike."

He found out soon that the bike was too powerful because Saturday's initial run was a little wild. The back end of the bike was swinging out at a 40-degree angle while Willhite was guiding the bike forward.

"The motor was too strong and was overpowering the track," he said.

Willhite and his pit crew made a lot of adjustments Saturday to drag the bike down, thereby giving it more stability on the track.

He made a successful and easy pass Sunday. He was timed at 172 mph. He said he was testing the motorcycle before he edged up higher in speed.

"I was just trying to feel it out, and get used to it."

He'd only pushed the rpm's up to 7,600. "The bike redlines at 12,500 rpm's. And the bike generates an easy 500 horsepower."

Other features of the 2000 Suzuki bike, 1,300 cc Hayabusa:

  Turbo ported head

  Prototype APE J-E pistons

  Carrillo rods

  Falcon crank

  Stock cams

  Heavy-duty, low-end parts

"There are a lot of custom-built features on it. The oil pan system Terry (Mr. Turbo's) made for me is one of a kind. Nobody else has one of them."

Willhite said he has invested more than $30,000 in the bike.

On Saturday, Carl Francis from Calgary, Alberta, made a pass clocked at 230 mph, the top speed made at the track this year. The Texas Mile track record is 257 mph. Francis said his goal was 240 mph, but he said he wasn't sure he'd try for that speed Sunday.

The track had a strong crosswind that made it dangerous to travel that fast.

"Any little wobble or something could make things go wrong," he said.

Francis' comment seemed to foretell of things to come for Willhite.

Everything was great after Willhite's 172-mph run, but when he was being towed after the run back to his pit, a sudden jerk by the electric cart towing him pulled him off the bike, and the bike skidded along the asphalt on its right side, injuring Willhite in the process.

Willhite's right hand was torn deeply by the asphalt, and even after it was cleaned and rinsed in rubbing alcohol, it began to swell. In addition, his helmet was ruined.

The bike's fairing was cracked, the exhaust was twisted so that it was aimed at the bike's motor, and the right handle bar was bent. And nobody was sure what else might have been damaged.

With a lot of reluctance Willhite and his team conceded the day. After all, it was just one day compared to the year he'd waited for his bike to be finished.

"I only had the bike for six passes. I am really disappointed," he said.

He still wants to break the land speed record, but he'll have to wait a little longer than he'd anticipated.

He said Monday that the Texas Mile races may be back in March, and he'll be back, too.

Tim Delaney is the Advocate Web editor. Contact him at 361-580-6313 or tdelaney@vicad.com, or comment on this story at www.VictoriaAdvocate.com.