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Joe Ruggiero on his nitro-HD running 7.437et. |
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Rickey Gadson: 750 Pro-Street, 9.4et. |
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Pete Steuri's Funny-Bike |
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Steve Inoye: 7.79et, 165mph |
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Steve Rice (near lane) vs. Larry Laye |
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Larry Laye |
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Tony Lang: 6.46et, 226mph. |
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Tony Lang running Top-Fuel |
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The Gordon-Lynn-Schnitz Funny-Bike |
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Chad Compton running Top-Gas: 8.34et. |
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Augustine Herrerra running Street Bike: 9.56 |
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Elmer Tret's 1996 World Record run. |
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This is the eulogy for Elmer Trett. It was written by Mike Lewis, manager of Indianapolis Raceway Park where Elmer had recently set the worlds record for a quarter mile motorcycle with an elapsed time of 6.06 seconds and a top speed of 235.10 MPH, and the track where he lost his life. It was delivered by Mr. Lewis at the memorial service, at the event where he died. It was also read by personal friends Jay Eshbach at his funeral, and Dave Hershberger at his memorial service at the AMA/Prostar nationals in Atco, N.J.......
Elmer Trett was on of the most fascinating men I've ever met. I'd like you to know him as I did. Like Scott Brayton and Blaine Johnson, he died in Indianapolis at the pinnacle of his profession and his career. He dedicated his life to a brand of motorsports which seldom attracted television cameras and front page coverage. Some of his finest performances came before crowds counted in the hundreds and he worked anxiously with anyone who gave him the opportunity to showcase Top Fuel motorcycles to crowds of thousands. Uneducated fans saw him as crazy for riding a 230 mph motorcycle, but Elmer Trett was a highly skilled family man who dedicated 20 years of his life to Top Fuel Motorcycle Drag Racing for very little in return. He first raced Harleys, and then Kawasakis, and more recently raced a bike powered by an engine best known as a "Trett". His newest creation utilized all the available technological advancements - screw supercharger, a clutch management system, a data recorder and a fuel system which produced huge upward flames on his 235 mph night runs. His first name, "Elmer", was befitting a man who, at 53, toured the country with his wife Jackie and daughter Gina in a tan motorhome towing a tan, unlettered trailer. They looked like a typical southern family on their way to a flea market. Few passersby would ever know what resided in Elmer Trett's heart, nor the brilliant red and yellow missile that lurked inside the unmarked trailer. He spoke kindly to his neighbors who walked by his wooded Georgia home each morning and waved. They had no idea what the Trett family did when they loaded the motorhome and trailer, except that something in the Trett garage made a heck of a racket when Elmer started it up. Those same neighbors surprised Elmer when they heard his name on a radio ad and decided to attend the Atlanta Dragway event which featured Elmer's Top Fuel Motorcycle. If the name "Elmer" described his family side, the name "Trett" came to mean something altogether different to motorsports enthusiasts worldwide. The name "Trett" means to motorcycle drag racing what "Garlits" means to top fuel racing and "Yeager" means to jet aircraft. The name "Trett" has become synonymous with otherworldy performance on two wheels. Elmer Trett came to the US Nationals on a two-pronged mission. One was to promote the acceptance of Top Fuel Motorcycles before the sport's largest audience and the NHRA decision makers. The second mission was personal - to improve on his 6.06 second, 235 MPH runs two weeks prior to the U.S. Nationals, with the first ever five second run by a motorcycle. Jackie and Gina speak best for Elmer. They hope this accident will not result in the end of Top Fuel Motorcycle drag racing. They hope someone, someday will make that five second run. I am sure that if Jackie and Gina were standing here, they would want to say thanks to all of the racers and fans, and especially their fellow top fuel motorcycle racers for their support. They would thank Jim and Tammy Head for their special friendship and their assistance. They would thank NHRA Chaplain Ken Owens, Bobby Masten, the NHRA Safety Safari, and IRP medical crews. I'm proud to saw that I knew Elmer Trett and I'll never forget Elmer Trett, the family man, nor Elmer Trett, the motorcycle drag racing pioneer, who devoted his life to two wheeled Top Fuel drag racing and it's universal acceptance. I hope you will always remember the name Elmer Trett. Copyright 1996 Trett Speed & Custom |
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