Vintage Racer Just Misses First Place, Straddling a 1936 Harley-Davidson, Wayne Stanfield came within a second of winning the 13-day, 4,000-mile Corel Great Race this summer. He finished behind a 1927 Ford Model A Racer at the finish line On Nov. 1, Stanfield hoped to ride the classic Harley motorcycle to victory at the Egge Desert Run '96, a three-day, 800-mile event starting in Palm Springs, Calif. The vintage vehicle events include both cars and motorcycles competing in controlled-speed endurance races. Most entries are two-man teams. But Stanfield has, ventured out alone on, the 1936 Flathead for the past two Great Races and gained distinction as the first solo motorcycle rider to finish the grueling race. Only one other entrant has done it. Stanfield's bike, one of the first oil-recirculating engines Harley produced, is owned by Dale Walksler of Dale's Harley-Davidson in Mt. Vernon, Ill., a Top l00 Dealer for four years. Walksler is team owner and crew chief of the wheels Through Time racing team. He's been restoring vintage bikes for at least 20 years. The '36 Harley raced by Stanfield is displayed at the Wheels Through Time Museum behind Walksler's dealership. The museum houses 132 rare motorcycles, including a 1910 Silent Grey Fellow, the oldest Harley in the collection. Stanfield finished sixth in last year's race but won the Great Race's Doc Fuson Spirit of the Event trophy for being the only solo rider to finish on a bike. He's competed in all 13 Great Races and reached the winner's circle in 1994 navigating a 1911 Oldsmobile Autocrat. From Harley-Davidson Enthusiast |
in Toronto. The race started in Tacoma, Washington.