Scott Guthrie: More Than The Sultan Of Speed

You will find the name Scott Guthrie in the Bonneville Salt Flats record books almost 100 times, as a rider aboard Harley-Davidsons, Suzuki Hayabusas, Yamaha TZ-based machines, and as a team owner. He’s been over 200 mph more than 200 times and has the time slips to prove it. He has teamed with John Levie to slaughter the streamliner sidecar record to the tune of 320 mph. This same man appears in the Masters Swimming record book too, from 1980 to 2005, as a many-times national and world champion.

Someone dubbed Guthrie the “Sultan of Speed” whether on the salt or in the pool, but this week’s article isn’t a rehash of this guy’s speed, it’s a celebration of his humanity from a few of the riders he has helped.

My Scott Story: Daytona 250GP

I will start with my own Guthrie story. Daytona 1991. My tuner Steve Biganski and I were there for our first race on the new V-twin Yamaha and it wouldn’t rev over 12,000 rpm. Guthrie and Biganski had raced TZ750s against each other. When Scott wandered into our garage, Steve mentioned our problem.

If there’s a Mr. TZ, it’s Scott Guthrie. He told Steve to check the spark-plug caps, and sure enough, one had too much resistance. Presto, the bike revved like it should in the next practice and we had to lengthen the gearing! But there’s more—because Guthrie worked with windscreen maker Leif Gustafsson (who we were sharing a garage with) to revise our bubble and had reworked our fairings based on his top-speed expertise, and he worked with me on my tuck. This all came together to put me on the podium. Guthrie’s hard-earned awareness of engines and aerodynamics had just given me a lifelong memory—and education.

After Scott helped John Levie to the sidecar record, a bunch of fun stories came out of the woodwork regarding Scott’s quiet help over the years. Here are a few.

Wayne Pollack:

I can say without Scott’s help and mentoring, I would not have gone over 250 mph. I am truly grateful for all of the time I got to spend with Scott and look forward to our future times together.

Walt Kudron:

My second visit to the Maxton Mile [a World War II air base runway in North Carolina] was in September 2006. I wanted to get in the 2 Club (200-mph club). After diligently studying the records, I figured running naked was my only shot. There was a 204 record.

I tried and tried, and was one mph short. By this time, Dave and Scott had been helping me quite a bit. I conferred with Scott, seeking advice.

He took a look at everything, and said, “Let me see your tuck.” I showed him what passed for my tuck. It looked like s—t. Scott expressed dismay at my riding gear. It was a leather First Gear zip-together road suit. And it was way too baggy. Scott said, “You have stuff hanging out all over. Get some duct tape and streamline yourself.”

My “crew” then proceeded to have a grand old time taping the hell out of me. They were taping away, with Scott going, “Put some there, and there, etc.” It was so tight around my stomach I could barely breathe, and he said, “Now tuck.” He walked around, said, “Good, good, some here, some there…” When he got to my rear end, he waved his hand back and forth and said, “And do something with that whole mess!” and turned and walked away. Well, after the laughter subsided, the guys went to vigorously taping and the comments flew.

I went 204 mph on the next run and got in the 2 Club. Scott presented me with my hat, which was one of DaveO’s very own that he gave to me.

Of all the crazy things I have done in my life, that ranks right up there as one of the biggest rushes I have ever experienced. I was on Cloud 10. Scott and DaveO went on to help me achieve many other goals in racing that I would have never done without their help. Truly. I still have the champagne cork from the bottle Scott and [his wife] Ellen opened with me to celebrate.

Jason McVicar:

My Scott story started in 1996 when I brought a nice little two-stroke RG500 to Bonneville. I figured I was going to set the world on fire. During the week, a man in a funny hat kept poking his head into our pits and making strange comments. I wasn’t sure how to respond, so I ignored him.

Later I learned that was the Scott Guthrie! He had more lines in the record book than anyone else by far and I figured he could probably teach me a thing or two.

A couple years passed, and I showed up with my Yamaha R1. I ran 206 mph on fuel and received my red hat from none other than Scott Guthrie and the 2 Club crew (200-mph club). We set five records at Speed Week the next year. I would have set seven if I had listened to Scott!

I got a call from Scott to come to Maxton [North Carolina] the following spring. I threw my leg over Scott’s nitrous ’Busa (cleanest bike I had ever ridden) and got into the Maxton 2 Club. Scott also invited me to Texas where I met Terry Kizer and Shane Stubbs. These were great times! Fast company and great racing!

With Scott’s guidance and sponsorship, we ran a turbo ’Busa in 2005–2008. The bike went 235 mph naked one way and also set the first SCTA (Southern California Timing Association) sit-on-bike record over 250 mph.

After my crash in 2008, I was pretty down and Scott’s calls were a nice escape from my workday. I ended up selling Scott my bikes and a few spares I had left and went to playing with cars. Fast-forward a few years and Scott called to offer my bike back. I thanked him for the offer but, unfortunately, I wasn’t in a financial position to buy it back. In typical Scott-speak, he said, “There is no money involved, I would like you to have the bike.”

The older I get, the more I realize that racing is secondary, and it’s the relationships formed by a common interest that are the most important part of our passion. I’m truly thankful that many years ago a guy in a funny hat stuck his head into my pit. We have become great friends and he has been a great life mentor to me—and we aren’t done yet!

Paul Verizo:

Scott and I went to the same high school in Sarasota, Florida; he was two years ahead of me. We were also on the swim team. Although, he was a contender and I was second string. He lived a few blocks away; I remember hanging in his room looking at the J.C. Whitney catalog and teen-macho’ing about what we could buy to make his mother’s 1950 Mercury flat-head coupe V-8 a hot rod.

About a dozen years ago, my brother David alerted me to Scott’s successes at Bonneville and of his nickname: “God.” (His bikes go the fastest and they never break down.) We reconnected and the connection has ramped up significantly in the last few years. I have spent many hours with Scott and his wonderful wife Ellen in Tallahassee; a lot of memories, catching up, and a lot of “Jeez, this getting old stuff is a whole new ball game.” Like his leathers don’t fit so well anymore!

There is a common denominator in all these Scott Guthrie stories: Scott excelled, but he shared what he knew and always wants others to do well. That is the hallmark of a true champion, not just on the salt flats but in life.

Getting older has both advantages and disadvantages. The latter tend to be what most people focus on. If there is one advantage that I can embrace, it is being able to see the big picture. Life stories, values, lessons learned. Scott Guthrie was a vague friend a half century ago, now a man I embrace late in my life.

Joe Timney:

I was struggling to get over 200 mph at Loring [Maine]—197, 198, 199—when Scott said, “Tuck your wings in, what size shoe are you hanging out in the wind?”

[I got] 200-plus and a 2 Club hat the next run…all one needs to do is “listen” to Scott. Thank you, Scott, for all you have done through the years.

John Levie:

Reminds me of the day that I was sitting in impound and some jerk asked me if the bike I qualified was a racebike or a showpiece. He explained that the handlebars, seat, number plates, and just about every other small detail that I had worked on so diligently to be aesthetically pleasing was nothing but drag. Honda 50s have no room for drag, come to find out.

After he said, “I’m Scott Guthrie,” I quickly changed my outlook on the guy telling me what was wrong; he went from jerk to “Sultan of Speed.” I knew we would be great friends, once I learned how to decode Guthrie-talk.

After a five-mph improvement on what was a 50-mph record, I found myself looking for 10-percent speed improvements in every aspect of the 10-year-strong partnership with my land speed mentor.

He has become more eloquent with age.

Tim Holder:

E. Don Smith took me to my first land speed event in 2003. I knew no one except for him. There was an older guy pitted behind us. The guy came and spoke to me a few times and checked out my bike and setup. After three licensing passes, I was ready for my 200 Club hat.

Run after run—179 mph. I was stumped. I knew my setup should go 200. That older guy walked over again and asked how my runs were going. I explained my disappointment. He started to educate me on motor oil and made a suggestion and walked away.

Don walked up and asked what we had just talked about. I told Don that the man was crazy and said I should dump my expensive oil, go to Wal-Mart and buy some GTX Castrol for tomorrow’s runs.

Don looked at me and said, “That’s Scott Guthrie. If he says to run chicken s—t, you better look for a chicken coop!” I followed Scott’s instructions and my first pass the following morning was 12-mph faster and we improved from there.

Any rider who has succeeded in competition has stories similar to these. Somebody helped them with the right information at the right time. Every one of my instructors at Champ School can remember back to the exact moment, the precise information, and the singular person who contributed help to get them to the next step.

As I heard more and more stories about Scott Guthrie, I started to think about this column. Guthrie’s expertise is one thing, his success another, but it is his humility and openness to share his knowledge to allow others to prosper that makes him the real deal to me and so many land speed competitors.

And this is what Scott Guthrie is establishing: a pay-it-forward community in the two-wheeled land speed world. The men and women Scott has helped have been taught a valuable lesson: How to live like a true champion. The Sultan of Speed’s legacy will never end.

More next Tuesday!