1967 Triumph T100/R

Photo by Preston Ray (www.PrestonRay.com)

Triumph thoroughly re-designed its roadracers for its assault on the prestigious Daytona 200 motorcycle race in 1967. The result was this motorcycle—one of six factory racers that were about the size of a 250cc bike with 500cc power.

At Daytona, Triumph rider Dick Hammer and teammate Gary Nixon quickly pulled away from the field and staged an epic battle, swapping the lead 29 times before the halfway point in the race. Hammer pitted for fuel, then rejoined the fray—and his machine suddenly stopped running on one cylinder. Nixon pulled away.

The problem? Hammer had stuffed a shop rag under the front of his seat to use to wipe his face shield, and that rag got sucked into the velocity stack of one of his carburetors. He dislodged the rag but later crashed, breaking his collarbone. He remounted and finished 7th. Nixon won the race.

The bike saw action for two more seasons, with AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Skip Van Leeuwen fielding it at the Daytona 200 in 1968 and ’69. The bike was tuned by Woodrow “Woody” Leone Sr., AMA Charter Life Member No. 999 and owner of Triumph dealership Leone’s Cycle Shop in Beaumont, Texas.

Leone Sr. donated the motorcycle to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1995.