RC As In Russ Collins

Last week I posted links to a shitload of Ebay auctions for RC drag racing parts [http://clingonforlife.blogspot.com/2011/07/cr750-drag-bike-parts-on-ebay.html]. After having posted this some of you have send e-mails asking “What is the big deal??? Why is this special?”. And I am going to tell you….

First thinks first… RC stands for Russ Collins, and he was the  founder of RC Engineering [http://www.rceng.com/]. RC Engineering started out as a header manufacturer for Honda motorcycles in 1969, and Russ Collins himself also raced Honda CB750s at the drag strip. Up until the formation of RC Engineering Russ Collins had been an authority on high performance motorcycle engines, and after Collins started RC, he began breaking records that were previously held by Harly-Davidson and Triumph. Collins was not the only one breaking records though. His customers were also breaking records using his parts. Russ' motto holds true to this day. "We prove our products in the face of our competitors." 

Russ Collins started his motorcycle drag racing career in the 1950′s. In 1973 Collins built the revolutionary, triple Honda CB750 engine powered drag bike named The Atchison. The huge triple engine Honda Top Fuel bike was featured in numerous motorcycle and drag racing magazines, back in the 70′s and was probably one of the most famous drag bike of the decade. Russ Collins' three-motor monster ran a best of 7.80 sec./179.5 mph but, proved a death-defying ride.

In 1976, The Atchison was destroyed in a horrendous crash at Akron, Ohio that nearly killed Russ, and put him in hospital for several weeks and kept him in a wheelchair for several more. But you can't keep a wild man down, though. While recuperating from the accident, Collins designed The Sorcerer, his final Top Fuel bike creation. Built in early-1977 and later billed as the World's Greatest Drag Bike, Sorcerer was powered by a pair of 1000cc. Honda fours. 

After many years of motorcycle racing domination, RC Engineering turned it's interests towards automobile racing. Particularly Hondas with similar Japanese four cylinder engines as the motorcycles they were so used to building.