Full Force
by Court Canfield, 09.20.2000

The word today was “be on the salt by 8:00am” and true to form TEAM ELVES was there in full force.  The 9:00am rider’s meeting revealed that the officials were as enthusiastic about the event as the participants.  The local BLM (Bureau of Land Management) director joined us to let us know that BLM Washington Director Tom Frye would be in tomorrow to witness the happenings and to share that the 5 year program to replenish and preserve “the salt” was going well.

The next item on the agenda was one that, just as Record Holder Roger Roeszler had predicted, would evoke deep emotion and that was the en masse sighting ride down the course.  To those of us in our 40’s names like Craig Breedlove in his Spirit of America and Art Arfons in his Green Monster were legends.  There is an eerie feeling….those legends can be felt in the wind as you look across the salt.

Now it was Buell Owners, collectively known as TEAM ELVES, time to shine. 

The wind had calmed and the cool of the morning was gone.  As Big Hairy Ralph served in his capacity as umbrella holder, Richard sat on the bike, shield down, deeply focused.  Aaron was nearby, his mind going a mile a minute searching for that one detail he might have missed.  The ensuing run would prove he’d missed nothing.

The first run needed to be “over 125, but under 150” for Richard to earn a Class “D” Bonneville license.   This may have been the toughest run of the day “having” to hit a target envelope.  The bike was breathing easy at 12:28pm as he rolled a 146.240 on the first run, went to registration and collected his license.

Things were good and Aaron made the “straight back to staging” call and at 1:38pm the Buell RR-1000 tripped the timing clocks with a 152.178.  Richard heard a roar of applause from the crowd of Buell owners in the Team Elves pits over the radio as he climbed in the chase vehicle.  This run sent him back to registration to collect a Class “C” (over 150) license.  Two runs, two licenses.

The bike was taken back to the pits where Aaron and Brian Nallin made a few minor modifications while Richard rested and cooled down.

As the bike was being readied, who rolls in, but legendary Buell guy Dave Gess in a huge Ford E-350 van.  The moment he arrived I proposed “all Elves to the finish line” just as the radio crackled.  Mikayla Wilson was calling to say “there’s nobody in line and we’re next to go”.  I seized the opportunity, with 8 Buell owners on board, to take an “ex officio” crack at the “fully loaded passenger van” class.  No sooner had we all arrived at the 3-mile marker than we heard “he’s off”.

Moments later, the black speck on the horizon came into view with the salt rooster tail in evidence.  The sight was absolutely awesome.  We stood silent and listened for the news on the radio.  Wait….wait….wait…..it seemed like an eternity.  Finally the voice came from timing…..”This can’t be right.  The old record is 124 and that bike just went 156.865”.  After a bit of discussion, it was final.  Indeed, at 3:01pm Richard Nallin aboard a 1987 Buell RR-1000 had recorded an official time of 156.865mph.

So, tonight as you read this, a 60’ tall neon cowboy is waving to me from outside my window and the Buell RR-1000 sits in impound waiting for TEAM ELVES to return and back the run up at 8:00am Thursday.

This is happening because you, the Buell owners around the world, made it happen.  Thank you.
Court

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