The Red Baron has earned records in several land speed racing competition classes, depending on the aerodynamic package. The Red Baron now has a custom racing fairing, several tail options, and several front fender options. Scroll through the evolution below.
On the Showroom Floor
Found in 2011 with low miles in Dallas, Texas, the 1985 Moto Morini K2 was shipped to its new home in Southern California where Smitty rode it around the streets for a while to get to know the bike. All of the original fairings and panels were then stripped and sold, except for the front and rear wheel fenders.
Fiberglass Racing Fairing
The primary aerodynamic feature on The Red Baron is now fiberglass fairing. It is based on a 1970’s Harley Davidson XR-750 design which was cutting edge at the time, having been shaped in a wind tunnel. The fairing was trimmed along the belly seam to reduce the overall width and a custom windscreen was made to fit The Red Baron.
Smitty spent countless hours crafting the new fuel tank and carefully painting everything to match. The Red Baron’s racing fairing has been used for most races since the 2013 season which classifies the motorcycle as partially-streamlined (PS).
2015: Little Changes & Aerodynamic Testing
After a few seasons, we removed the lower chain guard and centerstand, trimmed the rear fender, and lowered the motorcycle overall to reduced the frontal area and improved flow under the bike. We also started testing new tail configurations within the regulations of the partially-streamlined class.
2016: Adjusting to the new airflow
We spent most of the 2016 race season focused on engine performance rather than aerodynamics. While the aerodynamics had been improved by lowering The Red Baron, the engine thermal management became a bigger issue because there was less airflow going over the cylinder fins, particularly for the rear cylinder.
2017: Big Aerodynamic Changes
The Red Baron had an aerodynamic “makeover” for the 2017 race season, which included a new tail with multiple trailing edge options aimed at controlling vortex shedding. This tail stays withing the partially-streamlined regulations (less than 10″ rearward of the tire, less than 40″ tall). At the same time, a new front fender was used that extends down over the wheel to the front axle and rearward to cover the suspension fork tubes. This aerodynamic package takes The Red Baron from the Modified class (MPS) to the Altered class (APS).
The “big tail” showed promise; however, it was very sensitive to the slightest cross-wind which induced a weave and dropped the top speed considerably. While we still like the idea, the “big tail” still needed refinement before it would be an advantage in the race.
Record Winner
Back to the original racing tail, The Red Baron won its first record at El Mirage Dry Lakebed in the configuration shown below. The front fender was new, having been modified from a Yamaha R6 to cover the suspension forks and mounted to hug the tire closely. Forearm covers were also made within the partial-streamlined regulations. This run, in July 2017, is The Red Baron’s fastest to date at 123.310 MPH.
2018: Naked
Having set a record in the 350cc MPS-PBG class, The Red Baron next moved to the M-PBG class by shedding the fairing (no longer partially streamlined, PS). Without the fairing, you can clearly see the aluminum panels around the engine that split and direct ram air flow tightly through the cooling fins on each cylinder. This was added in 2016 to aid thermal management.
Typically, The Red Baron runs with many instrument gauges all tucked inside the fairing. When running open, without the fairing, the instrument panel is reduced to the essentials only.
2019: Bonneville Salt vs. The Fenders
The Red Baron arrived at Bonneville Speed Week with the plastic Yamaha R6 front fender and the original racing tail. However, when we saw the wet salt sticking to trailer tires and heard of other motorcycles going down after the salt jamming their front tires, we decided to pull off the front fender.
Look at the build-up! Smitty described it as off-roading. With minimal fender coverage, salt was flung everywhere. Smitty’s back had a vertical salt stripe, and salt was dripping from every exposed surface of The Red Baron.
2020: Aerodynamics of the Rider
The current aerodynamic configuration is my favorite – with me! Hopefully we will race in 2020.
Read more about getting the fit just right for the new rider.