Stories - Spectacle that was EJ Potter

I was a witness to the spectacle that was EJ Potter in about 1965. It was raining at Biloxi Dragway, and it was pretty apparent, even from a distance, that the promoter did not intend to pay EJ unless he ran the Widowmaker at least once. After some spirited armwaving, EJ hooked up the Widowmaker and towed it down the strip to bump-start. Returning to the line, he calmly set the centerstand, grabbed a handful of throttle and let her go.

EJ was immediately surrounded by a cloud of steam and tire smoke. Things kind of happened in slow motion and the bike, barely moving, was completely obscured. Suddenly EJ appeared from the cloud, completely sideways and still wide open. He never straightened up and never let off the throttle. Amazing!

I just realized that was over 40 years ago and is still a vivid memory. I'm betting everybody who saw him perform has a similar story.

- John Abney