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Husky
Sat Sep 17th, 2011, 06:36 PM
Colorado racer Korry Hogan crashed his top fuel bike for the second time in his career at over 246mph and walked away. That is absolutely amazing to me, as I recenlty had a friend go down at the drag strip at just over 100mph and he's still in the hospital. Below a copy of the article


Korry Hogan Crashes at 246 mph
Monday, September 12, 2011 Korry Hogan / Dave Alwine

By Matt Polito

Korry Hogan is back to his day job less than two days after crashing Mike Dryden’s Top Fuel bike at over 246 mph during a test session at US 131 Raceway in Martin, MI.

Hogan, who is the fastest man in the sport with a run of 255 mph, came off the bike after a run of 5.78 seconds 246 when he was reaching for the parachute button. He was taken to the hospital but released less than two hours later suffering only minor road rash.

The 5.78 was the second quickest Top Fuel Motorcycle run of all time. 10-time champ Larry “Spiderman” McBride has run has the quickest run of all time at 5.74 seconds.

This is the second time Hogan came off a Top Fuel bike at speed. At Gainesville in 2008 he was blown off his bike after a loose wire shorted out the ignition system, essentially electrocuting Hogan, forcing him to release the handlebars.

“I am never getting back on that *$&#^% motorcycle again!” he declared.

Hogan was testing the bike in conjunction with US 131’s Funny Car event. He was accompanied by crew chief John Alwine and Alwine’s family. Bike owner Mike Dryden and Hogan’s parents, who typically travel with Korry to the races, were not in attendance.

“We were testing the bike trying to find our 60 foot,” said Hogan. “We were running 6.20s and 6.40s shutting off early. After running a 6.20 on three holes on Saturday the bike wouldn’t fire in the pits. John replaces an ignition box and the kill switch wire and we think we might have solved a problem, so we go out to make a run.”

“We ran a 1.04 60 foot – the best we had in a year,” he continued. “It went 3.82 at 205 in the eighth. It was on a tightrope. It’s a smooth, smooth pass.”

“Martin is short I know not to run it fast there but I didn’t realize how fast it was going. It ran 5.78 at 246 and I shut it off early. I reached for the parachute button with my left and the wind got under it and ripped it away from the bike. Almost instantly my right hand was off. The wind grabbed my chest and blew me right off the bike. I remember seeing my left hand and my right hand fluttering in the wind. I closed my eyes and said, ‘I’m falling off the bike again.’ Then I don’t remember anything.”



“People at the finish line said I flew about a hundred yards but at that speed it is only a second. I slid about a quarter mile”


“I woke up and I remember my back being really hot. Mike Lewis [from Don Schumacher Racing, who was running a nostalgia Funny Car at the event] was the first over to me. I remember looking up at him and saying, ‘You’re a really hansom man.’”

Only Korry Hogan.

He was put on a body board and taken to the hospital where body scans were negative. He suffered a concussion and minor road rash.

“I am not even sore,” he said on Monday morning, less than 48 hours after the accident. “The road rash is like what you would get falling off a bicycle at 20 mph. I got a burn on my lower back from where the neoprene melted to my underwear. It’s like a ‘tramp stamp’. Hopefully it makes a scar in the shape of a butterfly.”

Only Korry Hogan.

He flew back to Colorado on Sunday morning and spent the day with his daughter, London.

“I am never getting on that bike again, I am done with it,” he reiterated.

McBride, who suffered his own crash at 205 mph in Gainesville in 1992, viewed the videotape of the crash and offered his own comments.

“I don’t see anything that Korry or his crew did wrong,” said McBride. “The run looked smooth and straight. This was an accident pure and simple. This is an experienced rider and an experienced crew and I have the utmost respect for them. I hope to see them back.”

Hogan hopes something can be learned from his crash.

“We have to let people know that are getting into dangerous territory,” he said. “Getting up to speed has never been the problem and we have so much power the bike are going to go faster and faster. Stopping is the problem. That’s that dangerous part.”

“250 mph is much different that 220 mph,” he continued. “Our hands are exposed to the wind and that has to change. Sam Wills is building a fairing that protects your hands from the wind and I think that needs to be implemented. People need to get their hands out of the wind.”

“It’s dangerous, man. I wasn’t doing anything stupid. I was just trying to hit the parachute to stop the bike.”

“It’s astounding how fast that bike is,” he added. “It’s a sin that it crashed.”

“You won’t see me on that bike ever again,” he said, yet again. “You don’t walk away from this twice. I’ve learned my lesson. At this moment I am the fastest man in the world. That is good enough for me.”

Still, after getting that all off his chest, Hogan, who “retired” after his 2008 crash only to return to become the fastest man in the sport, left the slightest opening to his possible future.

“At this time I am done riding Top Fuel bikes right now,” he said.

Only Korry Hogan.

Wrider
Sat Sep 17th, 2011, 10:03 PM
Lucky guy, and holy hell his comments are hilarious! I literally LOL'd at the "handsome man" and "tramp stamp" comments he made.

Husky
Sun Sep 18th, 2011, 05:42 AM
Yeah, he's quiet the character and for being the fastest man on two wheels pretty humble.