Korry Hogan’s 255-mph run.

When I asked Korry Hogan of the famous Hogan, Dryden, Alwine Top Fuel bike effort what it took to drive a TF bike into the fives, Korry replied, “The willingness to override your right wrist around the 1000’ mark when common sense has to be told to take a back seat for one more second!” This statement is very telling coming from the world’s fastest man piloting a TF bike, who has a 255-mph time-slip to prove his mettle. That’s good advice coming from Korry: stay alert, stay frosty.

Sam Wills

During the summer of 2014, when this story came together, there are currently only eight Top Fuel bike pilots in the world who have entered the sub-six-second zone. One dedicated Top Fuel veteran who is knocking on the 6.0 door and will not rest till he’s into the fives, has what it takes to enter the fives. He knows a lot about what it takes to build and pilot Top Fuel bikes seeing as how he’s been at it almost longer than any other active TF bike racer. After all, Sam Wills, of Oklahoma, built his first nitro injected fuel bike in 1975.

At a recent MANCUP race at Virginia Motorsports Park, Sam carded a 6.06 elapsed time while racing with Mike Dryden for their Nitro Conspiracy team.

When asked what it takes to run a five second Top Fuel bike Sam replied, “Time, money, effort, skill, luck (lots of luck), and lots, and lots of hard work! Did I say work? Everything has to work together as a team, no one person can do this alone. And the closer you get to running a five, the harder it gets. Larry and Steve make it look easy. I know different. Not only do you have to out run them, but you have to out work them and that’s a tall order. But we are on a mission and we are willing to pay our dues; five second pass, here we come!”

McBride in his most recent win at the East Coast Manufacturers Cup race laid down a five-second run that on paper looked like this: a .100 sixty-foot time launched the missile to start the run. By half track, Larry was traveling at 202 miles per hour just 3.77 seconds into the run. Moments later the bike dropped a cylinder five seconds into the pass but it still recorded an elapsed time of 5.84 seconds to win that race.