1982 Craig Vetter Fuel Economy Run Gallery of Winners
The winners' pictures with my personal observations
#1 Charly Perethian: Cutting edge technology. Charly had the formula of the right sized engine and good streamlining #2 Debbie Evans: Debbie is and was a professional rider. She does movie stunts but she could not keep this thing upright. The Honda Team machine had too much flat side surface and blew over easily in the fierce Pacific Ocean winds. Also, it took assistence to get in and out which is impractical. The whole point of my contests was to improve real motorcycling
#3 Dan Hanebrink: Dan is an imaginative inventor. You may remember him as the inventor of the Monotrack, CVT monocoque machine of 1973. Dan was a great and consistant supporter of the contests. Dan was always at the top in achievement.

The Hanebrink entries always seemed a little fragile to me. Dan liked to use bicycle components. I never saw the engine in this thing or how it drove the wheel.

#4 Doug Malewickie: Doug is another inventor of great fame.
Doug Malewickie's best known design is the car and airplane-eating "Robosaurus"

Doug used a shakey, single cylinder industrial Diesel in his California Commuter. He still sells plans for.this machine. Doug's web page. Personally, I have always been concerned that the Commuter was too low to the ground to be visible to other traffic. A big Pete would never see him. Maybe the nifty pylon lamp assembly could be run up 3 or 4 more feet...

#5 Matt Guzzetta: Matt began his carreer as a motorcycle designer in England working on Triumph projects. He learned how to get streamlined working with LSR record holder, Don Vesco.

Matt's bike wonderfully fit the spirit of the Craig Vetter Fuel Economy contests being a rideable machine that fit right on American highways.

#6 Brenda and Hurley Wilvert's Kawasaki: 80cc two stroke. 112 mpg and I don't think thay changed anything. We all realize that a hot little 80 has enough power. The Wilverts proved it. The fact is, however, this was the last year that a stock machine could compete. The contest was becoming sophisticated.
#7 Craig Vetter's Streamliner: Resurrected from its devastating 1981 crash in the hands Joe Minton, this was the last year for my Streamliner. I had guessed that 250cc would be needed but I was wrong. Contestants with much smaller engines were getting the job done with much less fuel.

This machine is now a permanent part of the Hall of Fame Museum in Ohio.

#8: Sorry I don't have a pic of Dan Wilson's 1982 bike
Page updated May 24, 2006
HOME