Top Fuel Motorcycle racer David Vantine brought down the house at the Manufacturers Cup World Finals on Sunday afternoon at the South Georgia Motorsports Park, when he reeled off one of single most impressive runs in history on two wheels. Vantine, paired up with Sam Wills in the Top Fuel finale, recorded a stunning 5.778-second, 239 mph blast to seal the win. The run place Vantine third on the all-time elapsed time scorecard, joining an elite group of just two other riders to ever run in the 5.70s.
Video credit MotormaniaTV
What made Vantine’s run so impressive, however, wasn’t necessarily what showed up on the SGMP finish line board, but what those in the timing tower saw on the computer as the bike charged down the 1/4-mile. Vantine’s nitro-burning motorcycle had covered the first 1/8-mile in 3.78-seconds at 229 mph. With only 10 mph gained in the back half (other bikes have been in the upper 240s and even crested 250), it’s fair to say that Vantine and company gave up some elapsed time, as the motor possibly laid over as it neared the finish stripe. Might it have been on the war path to the first 5.6-second run by a wheel-driven motorcycle? We’ll never know, but a 5.77 timeslip is a prize to behold, regardless.
Video credit Dragbike.com
Vantine joined only Peter Svensson, a Swedish racer who holds the all-time standard at 5.70, and American star Larry McBride, with a 5.74 career best, as the only men crazy enough to ride a 1,000-pound, 1,000-plus horsepower motorcycle into the 5.70s.