Amongst the muscle cars, tuned-imports, and drag bikes Bob Laidlaw and Carburetor Carl rolled their antique motorcycles up to the line at Irwindale Drag Strip last night. This would mark the 3rd time these two rivals have squared off in a head-to-head battle of 100-year-old-motorcycle dominance.
There was no burn-out needed (the tires were already plenty warm). The two blasts from the past rolled up to the starting line, Bob riding his 1911 Harley-Davidson and Carl riding his 1912 Pierce. The light hit green and the two squealed from the line. With white knuckles and the wind in their face they both hit the finish line. Bob finished about 4 seconds ahead of Carl hitting 30 MPH and Carl hitting a top speed of 23 MPH. The final winning time for the 8th mile was 24.044 seconds. Second place Carl ran it in 28.250 seconds.
This marks the third straight win for Bob Laidlaw and the 1911 Harley-Davidson. Ironically after the race Carl mentioned that his bike didn’t run right because of a problem with the carburetor. Bob jokingly recommended he get someone to look at it, preferably someone who knew a thing or two about Carburetors.
-Matt Laidlaw
