The Throwdown in T-Town

well, for the three of you that pop-in around here...I had another opportunity to be on Sam's Nitro Conspiracy crew last month and it was a helluva experience. It was a challenge for the team to get that machine to make a full pull, but we kept at it and I finally got to experience seeing that rig go clean down the track in anger. I met a few different folks on this crew, who are long-time members of Sam's crew. It was a great time.

Mitch Brown's TFMC ate thru a piston in Thursdays practice.

Here, Mitch Brown's rig is undergoing an engine swap due to the eaten piston. TFMC don't rebuild the engines between rounds, if there are any wounds, the whole mill is R&R'd.

Clutch deatils on Mitch's rig. This bike is a younger sibling to Nitro Conspiracy, both made by Sam.

Carbon rear brake. Note the pattern of pins inside the rotor, they are rear wheel speed triggers for the sensor, pictured above the caliper. These machines have loads of information that is monitored and affects the tune-up.

This is one of my jobs; Fuel lackey. I strive to make it as clean of a fuel / defuel as I can. Its still a mess tho, especially the defuel.

Here, the batch of nitro is getting air agitiated. This incorporates the alky to blend in with the nitro, the bike runs a 90% nitro/10% methanol (alky) fuel.

Atmospheric conditions and temperature affect the blend, and must be carefully controlled.
 Science!

Note the cut-back electrodes, these plugs are specific to nitro. This is a warm-up set and are changed out with new for the run.

630 chain, double / double.

Nylotron sliders, made by Sam. This assembly has been onboard since the inception and shows little to no wear. Astounding considering it is on the tension side of the chain string.

Mitch's and Sam's rigs waiting for Fridays qualifier

Details of the hat in Mitch's rig.

A noteworthy difference on Mitch's bike is the ignition system. He runs sequential battery-fired coils in lieu of a magneto.

Whereas Sam uses conventional magneto ignition. This is the secondary transformer, and this is the high-voltage side of the system the ends at the plugs.

This is the third MC that was present, 186 cubic inches of nitro burning twin.
Piloted by Dave Larson, who places a ballistic plate inside his jacket to mitigate his ribcage disintegrating *when* (not if) the whole thing pops. Note the straps over the jugs.

No supercharger here, just a godawful amount of displacement.

Same style clutch here on these TF twins, a lot easier to get access to!

Crew Todd on the left, Bruno right.

Air in / air out

9 stages of weight, each a tunable detail

These standoffs are set to control the distance from the hat to stack.

Clutch plates by Boninfante

Cannon actuator 

Easy access to service the clutch, all things considered.

Here Ed speaks with Terry Kizer (funnybike champ / Mr. Turbo) on the right.

Sam on left setting the barrel valve with Jay Upton (of Nitro Knight fame)

Sam not only won that race, but won the MWDRS championship in 2022.

Breathing The Rare Air of Top Fuel Motorcycle

This is Sam Wills, as pictured, sitting atop "The Nitro Conspiracy" Top Fuel Motorcycle. 

The machine is devastatingly fast and posesses an incomprehensible level of raw power and craftsmanship. Sam's work speaks for itself.

 Sam's creations are an evolution of design and enhancements made over the decades he has doing this. Nearly 50 years of nitro knowledge. 

"Nitro does not respond to prayers, Nitro responds to PARTS!" 

Left, is the man who was responsible for me being in this picture; Dos Pistons Rojo original and nitro savant, Patrick. Then Keri, Sam and me, on the right. The Nitro Conspiracy machine in foreground. Not all of it, 'cuz it's 18-feet long with the 'bar! But you get the idea.

A fringe benefit of getting to crew was meeting the other legends still doing this, like Larry 'Spiderman' McBride.

  Some moments cannot be captured, but I was enthralled listening to Larry and Sam tell stories of how it really was. 

Right side drives. I would call this the accessory drive side.  This is all Sam.

Everything has a purpose,and is well thought out and the execution thereof is masterful, there is not one "just for kicks/fashion/looks" component to be had.

 Elegance.

Patrick's duties also include the challenge of low-speed pilot to retrieve the bike... . 14 inches of rear slick go where the pit asphalt dips 'n ripples at towing speeds. Ya just aren't sittin' there, thats for sure!!!! 

Riding this machine at towing speed takes major effort. Shit, just getting comfortable in position is a big ask.

The sticker stays on the new slick 'til the burnout removes it.

Even crazier fringe benefits!!! (Look up John Force if you don't recognize him)

Me, realizing that I am a very lucky, blessed and happy man. Thank you for the invite Patrick!

Sam's crew entails of volunteers, all with the skills and know-how to both help teach the dance moves needed to the new guy AND get business taken care of. Pit jobs and lane jobs, for each crew member. 

I think we clicked our show off. And SHOW it was.. At least 30k people, if not 50k, would attend the Night Under Fire show. It was spectacular displays of Power and all things United States! (Only thing every ticketholder didnt receive was a firearm!) 

Back to camera is Ed, clutchman and starter.

Side is Ron, all-arounder and sighting man for the pushback.

Self-contained life support. 

Here Noel is preloading the 'bar to take the slack out of the capscrews that hold it all together. More Dance moves.

This bike launches with centrifugal force and mass driving the clutch plates together. No clutch lever, just give it throttle. Pictured is the special tool setting the clutch initiator in thousandths of an inch....the dance move to use it is aproppriately named "Setting The Canon"...

Under the lights, rollin' to the show. She just balances on that rear slick, no kickstand or popup deal...  Two point contact works for balance if one of those is a bigassed contact patch!

Reverse head, based on Suzuki GS architecture. 1550 cc. 

That's where what you might recognize ends, kids... 'cuz everything else to pull this off is either handmade or so specially prepared the manufacturers you may recognize don't even advertise it.  

That cam chain has a tough life but it is up to the task. Hex nuts welded to the cams to allow the lash to be checked with a wrench. Too much chain tension, BOOM!! Too little chain tension, BOOM!

Note the 3 tube backbone is removed. The level of ingenuity in this machine is something to behold. Ward performance/ Vortex head and rocker cover, unobtainium these days.... 

Clutch lives inboard to the primary plate and drives a B&J 2 speed trans.

Me, walking a good ways out to catch Sam after the burnout. Takes two people to push back and just look at that turnout. Lace up your shoes. Noel was the other pusher.

Captured frame from a vid I took on the back of the golfcart on the return road to pick Sam up. Far lane Dave Vantine on Yellow Bullet, close lane McBride. Both well over 200 mph in this shot.

Moments later the redlights would pop, as both riders wound up in the beach. Neither was hurt, but the machines will be fully torndown and inspected. Dave's bike appered more wounded than Larry's.

💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰

The sums of money required to compete at this level is staggering. And nitro motorcycles are cheap compared to nitro cars!

💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰

For that reason, the opportunity for me to crew on a TopFuel Motorcycle is the stuff of dreams!!

...My little dragbike is cute, comparatively.

Larrys bike, pre beaching. Note the frame tubes on these machines are all bare chromoly, metalfinished (rubbed with scotchbrite) and oiled

Frame grab from a video I took from my position on the line at the hit. Sam spun well before 60ft but this moment here before that tirespin demonstrates the awesome level of power these machines put out.