World's Fastest Dragbike Run Recorded by Ten Time Top Fuel Motorcycle Champion

Ten Time Top Fuel AMA Motorcycle Drag Bike Champion Larry “Spiderman” McBride made it into the 2010 Guinness Book of Records. The U.S. drag racer went 245.36 mph for the official fastest quarter-mile on two wheels. McBride finished the 2009 campaign with four victories on the AMA Dragbike tour. "My highpoint took place at Atlanta Dragway in March," said McBride. "I lowered the AMA Dragbike elapsed-time record to 5.793."

Ten Time AMA Top Fuel Motorcycle Champion Larry Spiderman McBride
Ten Time AMA Top Fuel Motorcycle Champion Larry Spiderman McBride
McBride is the first AMA Dragbike professional racer to reach ten championships. McBride’s nickname came from a track announcer at Indy who called him Spiderman because of the way he looked when he rode his motorcycle on the track. “I’m tall and in the 80s fuel bikes were short, so I guess I looked like Spiderman,” he said. “The name just stuck after that.”

Motorcycles are McBride’s passion. His motorcycle machine shop in Newport News, Virginia occupies his time when he’s not breaking world records. “From the time I was a kid I knew I wanted to race motorcycles,” he said. “When I was 9-years-old I used to take my older brother's motorcycle after he would go to bed. We lived in a small town at the time and the cops would just bring me home. I’ve been racing for about 31 years.”

Larry McBride’s Top Fuel Motorcycle Specs are:

Chassis
1994 Race Visions
Wheelbase: 100 inch axle center to center
Weight: 1030 lbs
Fuel Usage: 4 gallons per run
Fuel Capacity: 6 gallon capacity
Carbon fiber body and body panels
Rear Tire Size: 14” x 31.5”
Performance Machine Brakes – 11” diameter rotors front and rear
Ohlins Forks

Engine
1511cc Puma/Kawasaki
1000 horsepower estimated
70mm stroke, 83 mm bore
59: 1 compression
BME Rods Bill Miller Engineering
Vance and Hines Cylinder Head
Puma crankshaft and case assembly
Dailey Engineering 3 stage dry sump oil system
Steve McBride engineered drive system
Belt Drives Ltd.
1 Gallon oil capacity

Supercharger:
Auto rotor
2.4 compression ratio

Transmission:
B&J Planetary Transmissions
2 speeds -1.43:1 under drive –4.50:1 overall gear ratio
Cycle Specialist’s Multiple Stage Clutch

“We also use K&N filters,” said McBride. “I’ve used K&N as long as I’ve been running motorcycles and I wouldn’t use anything else. K&N is dependable and cost effective. I use it on my personal vehicles and I am a life-long customer.”

McBride is hoping to unveil a new bike in the 2010 season. “It’s based on an inline 4 cylinder Suzuki with the same basic engine design as a Hayabusa,” he said. “It will have a 14 inch wide tire on the back and its 17 feet .5 inches from the tip of the front wheel to the tip of the wheelie bars. It features a stronger bottom end and a state of the art chassis built by Steve Phillips and Ben Phaup. We think the new bike will leave the starting line better.”

The ten-time class champion will be back in full swing with the 2010 AMA Dragbike Schedule. It kicks off March 5-7 with the B&B Promotions Bikeweek Nationals at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta, Georgia. He will also continue his work with motorcycle rides which benefit children with cancer.

“I broke the world record in 1999 and no one came close to it until 2005,” said McBride. “We’ve been blessed.”

Find K&N products for your vehicle using the K&N application search then use the K&N dealer search to find a K&N dealer in your part of the world.