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Posted October 6, 2008
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The 1948 record run
Excerpted from Flat Out! The Rollie Free Story
Free had one other new twist, one other way to improve the odds. A mile north of the course, he stopped the H.R.D., and turned the throttle over to De Mott. While Bill kept the engine running and the plugs clean, Rollie handed his helmet to Mel Held and accepted Margaret's bathing cap. The officials would be none the wiser when he screamed by the tower.
Rollie slipped the bathing cap on. He liked the tight fit, which meant the cap should stay in place. In a moment he was away. At 130, he stretched out. No bulky helmet now. His left cheek pressed against the tank. He wondered if the cap would give him an extra mile per hour. In twenty-something seconds it was over. But what was "it?" Had he finished just another half of a job done at 148 or 149? Or had he made the two trips in less than a combined 48 seconds? Either way, this campaign was over because he couldn't get any slicker and the bike couldn't push any harder. A mile south of the course, Free made the big u-turn, then accelerated north, then held the black beast at a steady rapid pace in third gear, then slowed, then turned into the pits and motored ahead.
He knew! Guys were yelling, and jumping up and down, and waving their arms. He had topped 150 miles an hour! Rollie climbed from the H.R.D. and started the bear hugging and hand shaking. He hadn't felt this good since 1938 at Daytona. He had kicked Harley-Davidson's American speed record around all day, then stomped all over it. 150! Hell, the average new motorcycle wouldn't top 90! Then came the official word, the round trip in 47.90 seconds, and the new American motorcycle record of 150.313 miles per hour. John Edgar grinned like who he was, a man who had spent a lot of money but had gotten his money's worth. He bought a lot of drinks that evening.
by James Holter
Few motorcyclists stir the soul like Rollie Free.
The land-speed racer whose name's synonymous with 150mph has an appeal that crosses generations. All of us, even self-indulgent teenage egos born generations later, are captivated by a personality that was flat-out, 24/7.
Penned by Indian expert Jerry Hatfield and published by Herb Harris, who owns the Vincent Black Lightning that Free immortalized in one of motorcyling's most famous photos, Flat Out! The Rollie Free Story chronicles the facts behind that personality with in-depth research, photos, interviews and period news reports.
We lean that Rollie (rhymes with "holy") Free was not just a land-speed record holder. He was an Indian Motorcycle dealer, a board racer, a street racer, a Daytona 200 veteran, an Air Force Major, a gas-station owner and even raced in the Indianapolis 500.
While it's Free's feats at the Bonneville Salt Flats on Vincent motorcycles that we remember, Hatfield resists the temptation to jump ahead, with Free's introduction to the iconic British motorcycles waiting until page 80 of the 179-page book. However, following a successful consummation of the relationship at the 1947 speed trials at Rosamond, the reader is swept into one of the most iconic pairings of man and machine that motorcycling has ever known.
Born as much from the wealthy John Edgar's lust to ride the fastest motorcycle in America--the actual motorcycle, not just the same model--as Free's skill and experience, the story about 1948's record run leaves few details uncovered. We're treated to mechanical facts, logistical minutiae and even the bureaucratic morass necessary to endorse an official world-record run.
However, the book doesn't end with the 1948 achievement. Free continued his speed-record runs, on Vincents in both streamlined and naked trim, edging the American record higher to 156.58 mph in 1950 and finally to 160.78 mph at Bonneville in 1953 before sunstroke ended his day. Free would never ride flat out again.
If there's a common theme throughout the book, it's Free's apparent dislike for Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and every milestone of success the Milwaukee brand had mustered, most notably the long-standing American motorcycle speed record of 136 mph, set by Joe Petrali. Born, no doubt, from his days as an Indian rider and dealer, Hatfield frequently cites Free's desire to beat Harleys--not aspirations for fame, money or even self-accomplishment--as the driving force behind his success.
Packed with photography, personal correspondence and diary entries, and Vincent H.R.D. lore, including the debate behind the actual model name of the record-breaking bike--the author identifies it as the "prototype Black Lightning"--there's plenty of information in Flat Out! for fans of Free, Vincent, land-speed racing or just motorcycling in general.
A highlight of Flat Out! is an audio CD that accompanies the book. It's the last recorded interview of Roland R. Free, conducted by Hatfield just four weeks before Free's death. Listen to an excerpt where Free talks about riding flat-out, and the unique way he modified his method of throttle application to make it work.
To purchase a copy of Flat Out! The Rollie Free Story, send a check for $54.96 (Texas residents: $58.95) to Jerry Hatfield, 605 Hinsdale Dr., Arlington, TX 76006. Hatfield can also be reached at beemer73@sbcglobal.net or (817) 861-2822.