Roland R. Free

(November 11, 1900 – October 11, 1984)

Rollie Free made made history aboard a 1948 Vincent HRD V-Twin motorcycle, often referred to as the “Bathing Suit Bike” due to the scant attire of its rider, Roland “Rollie” Free.  John Edgar hired Free to make the attempt at the Bonneville Salt Flats on Sept. 13, 1948. Free initially removed the bike seat and laid flat out on his stomach to minimize wind resistance, and when the stitching on his leathers failed and they began flapping in the breeze, he discarded them too, opting instead for a simple pair of tight bathing trunks, a swim cap, and a pair of tennis shoes. Tragedy could have been the result, but Free averaged a smoldering 150.313 mph, smashing the previous American speed record and establishing a new world record for unstreamlined and unsupercharged bikes.

Rollie Free was a racer during the 1920s and '30s, but is best known for setting the American motorcycle one-mile speed record in 1948, when he rode a British-made Vincent HRD Black Shadow to a speed of 150.313 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. To make that record run, Free stripped down to tight-fitting swimming shorts and laid flat on the Vincent to cut down on every last bit of wind resistance. A photo of the swinsuit-clad Free racing across the salt flats at 150 mph became one of the most famous photos in the history of the sport.

Free straddled his first motorcycle at the age of 12, when his father gave him a secondhand NSU. In the early 1920s, he became a salesman first at O.K. Newby's Ace agency, then at Al Croker's Indian dealership, both in Kansas City. Free began record-setting attempts during this time period on the Ace four-cylinder touring machines. Later, while working for Crocker, Free earned a reputation as the fastest street racer in the Kansas City area, much to the chagrin of the local Harley-Davidson camp.

In 1923, Free competed in his first national, the 100-Mile National Championships on the board track in Kansas City. He qualified impressively, but finished out of the money. He continued to race through the late 1930s, specializing in long-distance road races such as the 200-mile events at Jacksonville, Florida, and Savannah, Georgia. Free was one of the riders who raced in the inaugural Daytona 200 on the beach course in 1937.

Free became an Indian dealer in Indianapolis in 1927. While living in Indianapolis, his reputation as an top-notch racer earned him a ride in the 1930 Indianapolis 500. His car blew a motor after 172 miles of racing. Free raced one more time in the May classic, again ending the race early with mechanical problems.

In the late 1930s, Free set several AMA Class C speed marks riding an Indian on Daytona Beach.

During World War II, Free entered the Air Force and was stationed at Hill Field in Utah. While in Utah, Free got his first chance to see the famous Bonneville Salt Flats. A few years after the war, a Hollywood sportsman named John Edgar asked Free to come to the Bonneville to make a motorcycle speed record attempt on a Vincent. The team was sponsored by Mobil Oil.

During the speed trials, Free was able to push the Vincent to an average of 148.6 mph. He decided to go for the 150 mph mark. Thinking that his racing leathers may be causing drag, Free decided to strip down to swimming shorts for the final run. He made the run lying flat, legs outstretched behind the Vincent, keeping his head low and guiding the bike by looking down and following a black stripe painted on the salt bed. The striptease act paid off for Free and he was able to cover the mile in 23.9 seconds, cracking the 150 mph barrier. On the return run, he went even faster, ending the day with an average speed of 150.313 mph. The mark broke an 11-year-old record (136.18 mph) held by Joe Petrali.

After the record run, Free joked about making the run in his swimming trunks.

"I stole the swimming trunks idea from Ed Kretz, who used to do the same on Southern California dry lakes. Incidentally, Ed looks much nicer in a swim suit than I do."

Free returned to the salt flats in 1950 and broke his own records, averaging 156.58 mph on the Vincent despite suffering a high-speed crash during that year's speed trials.

Free later moved to California and owned and operated an auto service station. He was a leading authority on the history of motorcycle racing and spoke frequently on the early days of racing at motorcycle gatherings. Free died in 1984.

Best known for breaking the American motorcycle land speed record in 1948 on the Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah. The picture of Free, prone and wearing a bathing suit, has been described as the most famous picture in motorcycling.[1]

After an early career in motorcycle retail, Free became a regional racer of the 1920’s and 30’s on Indian Motorcycles. In 1923, Free tried out for his first national motorcycle race, the 100-Mile National Championships on the board track in Kansas City, but did not qualify. He developed his career in longer-distance events, and raced in the very first Daytona 200 on the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1937.

He joined the Army Air Force as an aircraft maintenance officer during the Second World War; during this time, he was stationed at Hill Field in Utah, where he first saw the Bonneville Salt Flats. In 1945, Free left the Air Force, and resumed racing the soon-to-be defunct Indian motorcycles in long-distance and sprint record attempts, as well as dirt track racing on Triumphs.

On the morning of September 13, 1948, Free raised the American motorcycle speed record by riding the very first Vincent HRD (it is debated as to whether it was a Black Lightning or Black Shadow), owned by the California sportsman John Edgar and sponsored by Mobil Oil, to a speed of 150.313 mph (241.905 km/h). Special features included the first-ever Vincent use of a rear shock absorber, the first Mk II racing cams, and horizontally-mounted racing carbs. Free had already developed a style of removing the seat from his mount, and lying flat prone along the back spine – thereby minimizing wind resistance, and placing most weight over the rear wheel. It is generally believed that this bike is The Black Lightning though, a custom order from the factory and was some 100 pounds lighter and 25 hp more powerful than the stock Black Shadow. In one of his books, Phil Irving (one of the designers) said that there were only about 16 of the model produced. The Black Lightning is the fastest Vincent ever produced.

To protect himself and allow comfort when in such a position, Free had developed special protective clothing. However, when his leathers tore from early runs at 147 mph (237 km/h), he discarded them and made a final attempt without jacket, pants, gloves, boots or helmet. Free lay flat on the motorcycle wearing only a Speedo bathing suit, a shower cap, and a pair of borrowed sneakers – inspired by friend Ed Kretz. This resulted not only in the record, but also one of the most famous photographs in motorcycling history, the "bathing suit bike" shot taken from a speeding car alongside his run on the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.

The Vincent used is sometimes mistaken for a SeriesB machine, having the stamp BB on its engine casing – but is actually a works modified machine, and recognized as the first, or prototype of 30 Lightnings. The bike remained racing in the United States until the mid 1960s, and now resides virtually intact in the private collection of Herb Harris of Austin, Texas.

Free later moved to California and, after his racing career faded, worked in the auto servicing industry. He died in 1984 and was posthumously inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.