I met Stu several years ago when he rode the twin engine liner for Max Lambky . Didn't do too well in this very difficult machine , didn't please Max . Soon left . But no one really had much luck with it as it was constantly under development mechanically allowing for very limited riding time to learn the beasts characteristics . Hartmut has handled those chores recently , very sharp guy .
Stu was a nice fellow , seemed friendly and knowledgeable to me . Sid .
Max replies :-
Sid has more tails then a tuxedo factory. It's astonishing how detailed his assertions of events are, without any first hand knowledge of the events whatsoever..
There's never been a mechanical problem that had anything to do with the handling characteristics of the Black Lightning streamliner. Everyone who has ridden the streamliner with prior experience in streamliner piloting praised it's handling and made statements that they had never ridden one that handled any better. This came from Don Vesco. When the liner was leased to the Vibrac team, Robert Watson wrote an article in MPH quoting Dave Campos praising the liner's handling and the pit crew's attention to detail.
Nothing mechanical caused Stu Rogers to crash the streamliner one mile after the zero, and the lifting the skids. The crash was due to rider error. This was the one and only time Stu ever rode the Vincent streamliner, and it was for a duration of 10 seconds or less. So for Sid to imply that my riders' have been unable over the years to master the art of piloting Black Lightning due to few runs being made is hog wash. Both of the current riders have had more than ample time in the saddle to become quite proficient in the art of piloting a streamliner.
Sid's comment that "no one had much luck with it" is disputable, as the Vincent streamliner known as Black Lightning holds an AMA record and an SCTA record. It is also the second fastest Vincent. Only two Vincents have ever exceeded 200 mph, and Black Lighting is one of them.
To use the past tense word "was" in the context of Black Lightning might be a bit premature, as she will be returning to Bonneville in 2013, God willing.
Max
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