We all know Top Fuel Motorcycle riders are a special breed – you have to be to staddle a nitro fuelled engine that could go nuclear at any moment. Well it seems Sydney’s newest nitro bike combatant was born from that unique casting if his debut is anything to go by.
Adam Layton of APL Performance Bikes recently purchased the former Gordon Crawford Top Fuel Motorcycle and rolled the bike out for licensing last week at Sydney Dragway.
It has been said before that sometimes no experience is benefical in learning to ride these nitro machines – there are no bad habits. Well if that’s the case then Layton is in good stead with having never twisted the throttle on a drag bike – ever.
Instead he called on 35 years of motorcross skills to tame the beast.
With the bikes previous owner Crawford and Nitro Harley veteran Chris Porter in his corner for the test session, the experience was there to set the bike up for its first laps.
After a brutal first burnout sent plumes of smoke high into the sky, Layton let go of the clutch at let it rip off the line at full noise – no soft practice launches here. The bike carried the wheel off the line and quickly headed for the wall, Layton killed the noise and expertly, but narrowly kept the bike off the concrete.
A second pass saw nitro flames belch from the exhaust with the front wheel way in the air again as Layton shut it off at 300ft.
The debut impressed everyone, remembering this is the guy’s first time on the quarter – it looks like Top Fuel Motorcycle will have another serious contender.
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