By Dave Perewitz
On Wednesday, September 1, 2011, with only four days experience riding Utah's famous Bonneville Salt Flats, my daughter, Jody, along with Team J'Witz, stunned land-speed enthusiasts and teams from around the globe with a record-setting ride at this year’s prestigious Bub Motorcycle Speed Trials.
Jody clocked a 203.111-mph average that day, easily eclipsing the record 164-mph mark she'd set just over a month earlier at the Loring Timing Association event in Maine.
The record-setting motorcycle is a ground-up custom, built by Team J'Witz around a Daytec chassis using Performance Machine wheels and brakes. The bikes's engine is a 100 ci American V-Twin R&R Cycles engine based on the Jim's cases, cylinders and crank. The engine was designed and assembled at R&R using their heads, cams and pistons etc. The Jim's crank was highly modified by R&R to run on the salt flats and tuned by Dan Thayer. Other components include a ProCharger, Daytona Twin Tec ignition system, Baker five-speed transmission and, of course, a rockin' purple, pink and black Perewitz/PPG paint job.
After the Loring run, the team added a partial streamline body to the bike in preparation for the trip to the salt, and Jody's attempt at breaking the 200-mph barrier.
The way things work at Bonneville is, the course is 5.5 miles in length and riders have 2.5 miles to get up to speed. At the 2.5-mile mark, the American Motorcycle Association (AMA) clocks your speed for a mile, leaving the remaining 1.5 miles to slow down. Jody entered the timed mile doing 199 mph and exited at 205, for an official average speed of 203.111 mph. So, not only is she the first woman in history to go over 200 mph on an American V-Twin, she's also the land-speed record holder in that category — male or female — and that makes me one proud dad!
American pride drives Team J’Witz, just as my business, Perewitz Cycle Fabrications, has been based on American motorcycles for almost 40 years. So it goes without saying that Jody's record-setting machine was built with American power and products throughout. Given the level of sophistication and competition at Bonneville, the team's success is a tribute to American ingenuity, quality and a “can do” attitude.
For more on this record-setting run, follow Jody and Team J'Witz on Facebook, at facebook.com/teamjwitz
Allstate Insurance Company is not affiliated with Dave Perewitz, Jody Perewitz, Team J'witz, Daytec, Performance Machine, R&R Cycle, ProCharger, Daytona Twin Tec, Baker, PPG or Perewitz Cycle Fabrications. Allstate makes no warranties or representations and is not liable for any goods or services provided by these individuals or organizations. The views presented here do not necessarily represent the views of Allstate.