E. J. Potter

Last updated

E. J. Potter
Born(1941-04-24)April 24, 1941
Died30 April 2012(2012-04-30) (aged 71)
Ithaca, Michigan, U.S.
OccupationStunt performer
Known forMotorcycle stunts

E. J. Potter (April 24, 1941 - April 30, 2012 [1] ), a.k.a. the Michigan Madman, [1] [2] was an American dragstrip exhibition proponent. Writing his obituary in 2012, Paul Vitello of the New York Times described him as a "legend". [1]

Contents

Life

Born in Ithaca, Michigan, Elon Jack Potter grew up on a farm repairing tractor engines, [1] which led to building motorcycles. In high school, he wondered if he could build a bike with a V8 engine. [2] The bike he built, named "Bloody Mary", [2] was tested at a local strip and reached 130 mph (210 km/h). [1]

He later built a three-wheeled motorcycle with a United States military surplus rocket engine. [1] "The Widowmaker" set three world land speed records. [2] Potter's other creations include putting a jet engine in a Motorized tricycle and putting WWII airplane engines into tractors for tractor pull competitions. [3]

Beginning soon after his high school graduation, Potter toured the drag racing circuit for 13 years with his creations. [1]

He died in Ithaca, Michigan, aged 71 from complications of Alzheimer's Disease. [4]

Legacy

In 2017, Potter's 1971 Widowmaker 7 went up for auction in Las Vegas. [5] [6] Potter's motorcycles were featured on an episode of American Pickers in 2019. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drag racing</span> Type of motor racing

Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most commonly 14 mi, with a shorter, 1,000 ft distance becoming increasingly popular, as it has become the standard for Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars, where some major bracket races and other sanctioning bodies have adopted it as the standard. The 18 mi is also popular in some circles. Electronic timing and speed sensing systems have been used to record race results since the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moto Guzzi</span> Italian motorcycle manufacturer

Moto Guzzi is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer and the oldest European manufacturer in continuous motorcycle production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Straight-three engine</span> Type of engine

A straight-three engine is a three-cylinder piston engine where cylinders are arranged in a line along a common crankshaft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzuki Hayabusa</span> Sports motorcycle

The Suzuki GSX1300R Hayabusa is a sports motorcycle made by Suzuki since 1999. It immediately won acclaim as the world's fastest production motorcycle, with a top speed of 303 to 312 km/h.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ilmor</span> Engineering company

Ilmor is a British independent high-performance motor racing engineering company. It was founded by Mario Illien and Paul Morgan in November 1983. With manufacturing based in Brixworth, Northamptonshire, and maintenance offices in Plymouth, Michigan, the company supplies engines and consultancy to the IndyCar Series and MotoGP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sydney Allard</span> British founder of the Allard car company & rally driver (1910-1966)

Sydney Herbert Allard was the founder of the Allard car company and a successful rally driver and hillclimb driver in cars of his own manufacture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kawasaki triple</span> Type of motorcycle

The Kawasaki triples were a range of 250 to 750 cc motorcycles made by Kawasaki from 1968 to 1980. The engines were air-cooled, three-cylinder, piston-controlled inlet port two-strokes with two exhaust pipes exiting on the right side of the bike, and one on the left. It was the first production street motorcycle with capacitor discharge ignition (CDI). Right from the first triple model, the 1968 Mach III H1 500 cc, it was a sales success that gained a reputation for almost unmatched acceleration as well as an air of danger for inexperienced riders trying to cope with the bike's increased power to weight ratio over any previously available stock motorcycles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motorcycle racing</span> Racing sport using motorcycles

The motorcycle sport of racing includes motorcycle road racing and off-road racing, both either on circuits or open courses, and track racing. Other categories include hill climbs, drag racing and land speed record trials.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moto Guzzi V8</span> Type of motorcycle

The Moto Guzzi V8, or the Otto motorcycle was designed by Giulio Cesare Carcano specifically for the Moto Guzzi Grand Prix racing team for the 1955 to 1957 seasons. Though following the two-stroke Galbusera V8 of 1938, the Moto Guzzi Otto motorcycle and its engine represent a unique and historically significant engineering milestone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bike-engined car</span> Type of modified car

A bike-engined car is a small or light weight car that is powered by an engine that was designed for use in a motorcycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Honda NR500</span> Type of motorcycle

NR500 was a racing motorcycle developed by Honda HRC in 1979 to compete in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. "NR" stands for "New Racing".

MBP Morbidelli was an Italian motorcycle manufacturer now is mbp morbidelli founded by Giancarlo Morbidelli in Pesaro. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the company was particularly successful in Grand Prix motorcycle racing. The team won the 125 cc world championship in 1975, 1976 and 1977, and won the 250 cc championship in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yamaha YZ450F</span> Type of motorcycle

The Yamaha YZ450F is a four-stroke racing motocross bike built by Yamaha Motor Corporation. It was the successor to the previous YZ426F which was discontinued in 2003. It is credited by Cycle World and Dirt Rider magazines as the bike that started the four-stroke dirt bike revolution. The 2006 YZ250F and YZ450F were the first production motorcycles equipped with titanium suspension springs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V8 engine</span> Piston engine with eight cylinders in V-configuration

A V8 engine is an eight-cylinder piston engine in which two banks of four cylinders share a common crankshaft and are arranged in a V configuration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motorcycle fairing</span> Motorcycle shell

A motorcycle fairing is a shell placed over the frame of a motorcycle, especially racing motorcycles and sport bikes, to deflect wind and reduce air drag. The secondary functions are the protection of the rider from airborne hazards and wind-induced hypothermia and of the engine components in the case of an accident. A motorcycle windshield will usually be integrated into the design of the fairing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Irving</span>

Philip Edward Irving MBE, CEng., FIMechE., MSAE. (1903–1992) was an Australian engineer and author, most famous for the Repco-Brabham Formula One and Vincent motorcycle engines. He also worked at Velocette motorcycles, twice, and drew the engine of the 1960 EMC 125cc racer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincent Black Lightning</span> Type of motorcycle

The Vincent Black Lightning was a Vincent-HRD motorcycle first built in September 1948 at the Vincent works in Great North Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, UK, and produced from 1948 to 1952. The bike was a purpose-built factory modified Black Shadow that was then named and produced as the Black Lightning. At the time the Black Lightning was the fastest production motorcycle in the world.

Forced induction in motorcycles is the application of forced induction to a motorcycle engine. Special automotive engineering and human factor considerations exist for the application of forced induction with motorcycles compared to other forms of motorized transportation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BMW Type 255</span> Type of motorcycle

BMW Type 255 Kompressor was a supercharged boxer twin race motorcycle from the 1930s. A BMW 255 Kompressor was ridden to victory by Georg Meier in the 1939 Isle of Man TT and the first win by a non-British competitor in the premier 500cc Senior TT class. A similar BMW 255 Kompressor machine was auctioned in 2013 for US$480,000, the second-highest price ever paid at auction for a motorcycle.

Ze'ev "Zef" Eisenberg was the British founder of sports nutrition brand Maximuscle, an ultra-speed motorbike racer and television presenter.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Vitello, Paul (May 12, 2012). "E. J. Potter, 'Michigan Madman' of Motorcycle Racing, Dies at 71". The New York Times . Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Peek, Jeff (May 22, 2019). "Before Knievel was Evel, E.J. Potter was The Michigan Madman". Hagerty Insurance Agency . Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  3. Kimball, Steve (June 2000). "Michigan Madman". Cycle World . 39 (1): 48–53.
  4. Vitello, Paul (May 12, 2012). "E. J. Potter, 'Michigan Madman' of Motorcycle Racing, Dies at 71". The New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  5. Ernst, Kurt (January 24, 2017). ""The world's fastest motorcycle," E.J. Potter's 1971 Widowmaker 7, heads to auction in Las Vegas". Hemmings Motor News . Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  6. "1971 EJ Potter Chevrolet V8 "Widowmaker 7" Dragbike". Bonhams . January 26, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2019.
  7. Siacon, Aleanna (May 20, 2019). "American Pickers explores 'Michigan Madman' collection in new episode Monday". Detroit Free Press . Retrieved October 12, 2019.