PILOT PROFILE

Steadily and without a lot of fanfare, Roland Gibson and his Tupelo Tornado Race Team have been moving up the Pro Dragster ranks. With every step, setback and milestone they took the time to learn. And that deliberate, methodical patience has earned them the Pro Dragster National Championship.

Gibson, who has been riding Harleys for the last two decades, began drag racing to have something to do. "I built several street bikes in the seventies and eighties and when we'd go riding we were always looking for somewhere to go. When we started going to the drag races in Carksville, TN and Gulfport, MS we decided that racing looked like fun. In 1991 we started running a little 93 cubic inch gas Sportster which we raced until 1994. Looking back on it, it seems we kept the transmission torn out of it more than we raced it."

When running the Sportster wasn't enough challenge, Gibson started looking at the other classes. "I had a friend who was selling a 96 cubic inch Pro Dragster in a Truett chassis with an 8 inch tire. I figured I could use the motor and chassis and run a gas class. When I picked it up it came with everything including 5 gallons of nitro. So we put it together and put the nitro in it, because it was there, and we've been running nitro ever since. It was a high gear bike so we didn't have transmission problems anymore, just the expense of the nitro." His fuel career began in 1994 and he dept that motorcycle until the end of 1995. "In 1996 I built a 114 cubic inch Sportster in another Truett chassis. We finished in AMRA's Region 2 in the 3rd spot. A big highlight of riding that bike was winning Ennis, Texas over Bob Totty with a 7.82." With bigger dreams in mind, Gibson only raced that bike for one year before building his current machine. "In 1997 we built this bike using a Weekend Frame with a 120 cubic inch Fastcat Billet motor.

With a new motorcycle, the team was focused on winning. "We knew we were headed in the right direction when we set the 1/8 mile record at 154.47 mph in 4.83 seconds at the opener in Hallsville, TX on the new bike. Interestingly enough we never won a race in 1997 and still finished with the Number Two plate."

1998 brought the wins that the Tupelo Tornado Team had been striving for. The first win came at the first race in Hallsville, TX. The second came mid-season in Richmond, VA. Strong finishes in Lena, MS, Darlington, SC, and the final Bowling Green, KY event guaranteed the team with the Number One plate. "Bowling Green was really exciting for us because we finally got the bike to run a 7.55 ET. That was a highlight, getting it to actually go quicker than the bike it replaced."

The team really showed its spirit at the non-points event in Houston. "We blew the heads off of it in Houston and weren't able to qualify. After changing the motor and finding the problem we had a great test-and-tune pass with a 7.57 ET. We went in as an alternate and made it all the way to the semi-final round."

In addition to Gibson, the Tupelo Tornado Team is made up of five principal crew members. "Phillip Rowell and I have been together since 1980 when we started riding motorcycles together. Phillip takes care of the clutch work and the two of us do the tuning. Ron Bunnell has his hands full trying to keep all the paperwork. He keeps logs on each tune-up and how we did. He also mixes the fuel. Jamie Bouchillon is in charge of the general maintenance, like changing the oil. Lamar Benjamin drives the tow bike. And David Grimes films the team. Withoug David we would have a hard time tuning. Video gives you the ability to go back and tell us about each pass. It can tell exactly where a bike is going fat. Sound travels slower than sight. It may sound like something is happening past the finish when really it's at the 1000-foot mark. This is especially important since we don't run a computer."

Roland has many people to thank for his success including his wife and daughter. "My wife Judy doesn't get included in any of the glory but she puts up with a lot of stuff. And Kari, our 12 year old, is totally into the racing. They both come to the close events." As for those who have lent a helping hand, "I want to say thanks to Johnny Vickers, Dale Nungesser, Jeff Flora and John Storace for all of their help and guidance. And also to all the Harley riders around Tupelo who come support us in anyway they can." The Tupelo Tornado Team says special thanks to their company sponsors, Vanelli's Pizza, AMWAY, Hickman Motorsports, Happy's Tattoos, Easyrider of Memphis, Foam Craft, Weekend Frame, Motorcycle Machines, Heavy-Duty Cycles, S&S, VP Fuel, PM, RC Components, Hawaya Racing, Delkron, Bob Dingler, Aberdeen Engine Rebuilders, Jim Knight, Camper City, and MidAmerican Sewing Center. These sponsors have been so helpful that the Tupelo Tornado Team will be traveling in style in 1999 in a new 38-foot trailer with 20 feet of living space.

Gibson has thought a lot about next season. "In 1999 we'll be staying with the same motorcycle. It's running good but we haven't got all the bugs out. It doesn't want to run past 1000 foot mark without shutting down. Our goal is to get it to run the whole quarter mile because I don't beleive they're not going to make the tracks any shorter".

This is an article written by Martha Delaney that appeared in the February 1999 issue of Motorcycle Performance.