Not A Dragster: The Real Story Behind The Internet's Most Misidentified Car - Motion 1 

So far, this might not be the most profitable RU-vid channel, but I will say it is the richest in old school racing info and content. This channel is a jewel and I hope more people get hip to it.

Hey Brian! Thank you for recognizing these two old school racers. This probably means more to me than anyone who has watched this video. You see I was Noels brother-in-law and am the chubby kid in the plaid shirt with the sun glasses in 1969 during the testing year. I sat in the car and fired it up when they did some fire ups at the shop in Sacramento. I was supposed to be there in 1970 when they were going to attempt the land speed record but he came a day early and I missed him. Noel grew up with us in Medford and dated my sister and hung out with my brother. I saw Noel build many a car and dragster way before he met Burt. I was 12 years younger so I was the kid who always got picked on LOL. Noel was my childhood hero and then my mentor. He taught me about welding and cars in general. I am now 73 yrs old and I still think of him today.I remember the day he worked on Chuck Pooles Chuckwagon. The wheel stander and Chuck took me for a ride on the frontage road in front of B&N. What an experience. This video has brought back so many memories. When this came on my youtube channel I was really shocked. Anyway just want to say you did a fantastic job with this video.👍💯💯💯💯💯😎😀

As a racer who has lost people to racing and had some close calls myself...."They knew, understood, and accepted" feels much more appropriate and respectful to our mindset than "they died doing what they loved". I never really liked that. Thanks for penning it the way we feel it

Wow, what a story! I'm over 65 and I never heard of this car or these guys until today. You have a gift in narrating these episodes. Thank you.

I can't believe the incredible amount of research that goes into this channel's videos, and how well it is presented.

That was a very fitting way to tell this tragic story. I have been mesmerized by it since seeing a picture of the streamliner as a kid in the '70's. And since the Bonneville bunch were never too far outside the drag racing orbit there were a lot of those guys that were in and out of my dad's chassis shop at that time. I have gotten to know some of those "old timers'. Guys like Pisano. Noice. Leggitt. Langlo. Funny thing is in the clipping you put about 11:35 in from 1965. Down in the motorcycles there is Ralph LeClerq who went 101.617 on a 175cc Ducati to set a record. He's a current member of the SCTA Gear Grinders AND STILL actively racing small displacement motorcycles. Considering I just turned 60 a couple days ago, Ralph has been setting records about as long as I've been alive. I have a new respect for the guy now.

Thank you, Brian, for all the work and effort you put into doing these videos.

9:41 - "Spidy Sense" 👍👍 So sad the story of Motion 1 did not have a happier ending. Thanks for sharing it.

Thank you Brian for another great story. Those who came before us deserve respect and you do a great job at providing that. As the years go by and we lose more iconic racers and racetracks it's nice to see their real stories kept alive.

Wow ! Just when I thought your episodes ( lectures ? ) couldn't get any better. This one does Motion 1 and it builders true justice and recognition. It also exemplefies the tenacity and courage of these men and their high speed machines. Greatly appreciated. Many thanks Brian.

I wish Mr. Brian would get the recognition he deserves.... these videos need to be cataloged and put in the Smithsonian...the one museum that I know well not got anywhere or be closed..👍👍👍 great video as always 👍👍👍👍

Dude I can tell you know you’re stuff man! I want you to know I appreciate all the time and effort you put into the videos. This video in particular has peaked my interest and helped me learn at the same time!!!! I’m thankful for guys like you as I’m young and my dad and I race together as a father son crew not drag racing but one day I do hope to have my drag car done ✅ all these guys from back in the day were the real genius.

I just "found" this channel, Jan 2024, after watching only two videos I have nothing but good things to say about this channel. My love of motorsports began at an early age after hearing a recording of a 289 FIA Cobra going around the track at Daytona. The recording was a very flimsy "record" that came in a model kit for of course the same car. The body lines of the car had me at first glance. I am a fan of many forms of auto racing, with drag racing capturing the majority of my attention. It is such a joy to hear names, a recounting of events, and the history associated with those people, cars and races. It does this body good to know that this rich history is being preserved and shared so respectfully and accurately. My thanks to Brian and his team for sharing this history with us.

Great history lesson, thanks for sharing! Fun fact, Bert Peterson's son Steve is still racing at Bonneville and tunes the current fastest Blown Fuel Lakester of Frank Silva Jr., running an exit speed of 363.9 in 2020. That whole B&N family of racers are still out there kicking ass and setting records, and you'd be hard pressed to find a greater group of guys.

awe inspiring and excellent hot rodding history, brian. you are possibly the best hot rodding journalist in the history of hot rodding! i've known of this car since it's inception, but 90% of what i know about it is directly from this video.

Great job sharing this, Brian. Your genuine enthusiasm for the sport we all love comes through with every word and image.

Those stacked slingshots on that open trailer! 🤯❤️

Wow. Thank you Mr Lohnes, for this great, if ultimately tragic, story. Your content is really great. I grew up during the 1960s, reading HR (and many of the other car mags of the period, and your historical videos only deepen my understanding of the times. Thanks again!

Thank you for an excellent video on the history of this Bonneville Salt Flat racer and the two men who did it. We often hear of Mickey Thompson and Craig Breedlove and some others, but many never get the coverage they deserve. While watching this, and writing this, I have watched your thumbs up go from 835 to 973, which includes mine.

Excellent perspective Brian. Very respectful of the people and families involved.

another GREAT story Brian with a WAY TOO SAD ending, thanks again (miss the true innovators of that time)

Thank you Brian! I remember this car in my magazines! such great history! Keep doing what you do!

Wow. Your telling of this event actually made hairs stand up on the back of my neck. You are 100% correct: Spreading real information to the masses to keep the work these guys did relevant is absolutely a huge contribution to history and knowledge of our sports. Great work, Sir.

As an Australian that has a passion for Nostalgia Drag Racing, especially AA/FA cars, I can't thank you enough for the effort and knowledge you share with us all. So far i've only managed to get to Bakersfield for the 2019 March Meet, but definitely plan on making it to more historic tracks in the USA in the future.

This is by far My favorite source of historical racing knowledge.. Thanks for all You're doing to keep the history straight about so many of racings legends.

Back in the 90's I met C J Batten that had a shop (Batten Engineering) in the Detroit area. His big claim to fame was building the highest flowing heads made from factory parts for guys running stock class. He had a production machine shop maching head castings for OEMs. He also did custom one-off machining for performance applications. Things like billet cranks and tricked out heads. At one time he was part of an effort to build a two engine land speed car similar to this one, except powered by two ground up designed straight 6 engines. That project fell through but the straight 6 design was rolled into a magnesium block V12. It was a beast. I don't know what the bore size was but you could easily fit your fist in it. The cams were the longest I'd ever seen that didn't come out of a big diesel.

Time 1735 " Center of gravity 36 inches behind the front wheels " Super Fast Matt just did a piece on aero and CG for a land speed car using a scan of the car and aero calc SW that is actually attainable by someone other than NASA. In order to maintain directional stability, the CG needs to be ahead of the the center of aero. " It's Time To Make A Body For The Land Speed Car " This would explain a lot about unstable drag cars. Also note that the calculated drag coefficient of his land speed car less body is the same as a semi truck.. ( Not total drag mind you because the LS car is smaller )

Hope there will be more Bonneville salt flats story in the future 😊. Love the story

What an awesome story about two incredible men and there machines. You did an awesome job bringing it to us. The comments from Noels brother in law and him being in the video makes even greater.

you make the kinda videos thatd be playing on the pedestal next to the pedestal with all the info on said exhibit. i feel like im standing in front of the car (or what it became, or pieces of it) when i watch your videos. like im at a le mays or don garlits museum. Absolute gold im here for all of it

Just about every video on RU-vid asks you to “like and subscribe.” I have to admit, I never do. But after watching this video, I just subscribed to this channel. Brian’s narration is excellent. Thanks for the great job researching, summarizing, and presenting this fascinating piece of history!

From my 50-plus years of reading Hot Rod, and others, I knew some of this story. But, not nearly as mush as you do. Thank you immensely for sharing the details.

Those Hemi engines from that time period always impressive. Like button energized.

Thank you Brian. It is important that these stories are remembered, and that the unlucky souls who gave their lives to the sport they loved are never forgotten. Prior to this video, I was aware of Motion 1, and Noel Black, but only as names and statistics. You've brought those names from words on a page, into reality - a car designed for a purpose, a driver with a life, and a story, a story that deserves to be known and remembered. Sub well earned.

Nicely done again Brian. Great info about the car and men. I remember Al Teague (sp) taking the wheel record and was very humble about the previous holder and now I know why. Thanks

What a story! Thank you Brian for all you do to bring this story to life. I will watch every one you put out! I fell as I should of been born in the late 30s because of these history adventures.

Wow amazing story! Always great hearing all of these Racing stories! Have a wonderful week!!

Great job trying to rectify the story of Bert, Noel, and Motion I! I was on the crew in 1970 and have spent years trying to correct "Experts" who claim it was a bad attempt at building a Top Fuel Dragster. As a professional voice-over artist, it was nice to hear your pleasant narration as opposed to the typical video I want to remove the audio from, or un-narrated with public domain 50s-sounding rock. Bravo, Brian!

Brian, I have to say it again. AWESOME history lesson.

Thanks Brian, my dad Don Allen was great friends with Bert and Noel, thats his #121 Lakester. They weren't partners but did swap parts back and forth and Noel repaired the #121 after it rolled on the salt in 1966. In the mid 70's we borrowed a motor from Bert after kicking the rods out of ours and it was one of the Motion 1 engines. Lots of stories but I'll keep it short. Thanks again!!!

Another great video Brian. Some really unusual subject matter, and in depth information again, keep up the good work.

I think this is the best story yet. I’m really going to miss this channel.

Brian: man I love your column. Very well-researched, well-written, and well-presented. Where has journalism gone?

Another stellar vid. Great content and great presentation. I always learn so much about an era I am too young to have enjoyed in person. Thank you for putting these vids out. Keep it up.

Going that fast at that time is just absolutely NUTS. The true pioneers of speed.. Absolutely the best channel for old school drag/speed history. Sorry I took so long to subscribe. Great content 👍

Brian you have me hooked.....PLEASE keep up the GREAT job as you have by far the best historical gear head channel!!!

Brian, you sure seem to have picked up where Bob left us. I have missed those history lessons! Now that I have found your channel everything is cooler! I appreciate your time, effort, and talents. Good man!👍👍

When the question wasn't why, but why not. Truely an engineering marvel. Thank you for the history.

Another great video, thank you for sharing and also for the respect you showed the family involved in that tragedy.

Brilliantly researched and thoughtfully presented as always Brian. As an obsessive racing fan/ex-racer I've admired your work for years, but you are really taking it to a new level with these historical retrospectives. BTW, you completely won me over on the day that you managed to work "portmanteau" seamlessly into a four-second run during your day job. There aren't a LOT of 'us' out there in the racing world, so I love it when I find a kindred spirit, even if I never meet him in person. Keep up the great work!

The Pontiac "Nomad "wagon pushing the deuce roadster is sweet Wonder what that would be worth now

What a fantastic video thank you for knowing the story my uncle told me about it Keep the videos coming there great

rip noel black, you ran the motion 1 well and secured a record for a long time after your passing

Incredible! Thanks for doing the research on this story, as I'd bet 99.9% of us would not have known that incredible history of the Motion 1. Absolutely love it, and look forward to your next story of amazing drag racing history!

A lot of people have already commented similarly, but I must add myself just how amazingly informed and well-researched each topic is on this channel. I'd never heard of Motion I, and I really enjoyed this piece on it. Thanks so much for presenting such informative work, Brian. Excellent work, once again.

Thanks Brian, your ability to narrate automotive history is both very informative and enjoyable!

Thanks Brian for all the work you do on your videos and for all the entertainment you’ve given us over the years as an announcer

I'm glad you put this out, this car has been making the rounds again recently. No one seems to care to try and actually go into the history of it when they see the photos of it on strips without the bodywork

Brent from PFI has a front wheel drive drag car called The Bully and it’s got an engine sitting out front like this one… no back engine though. Just the entire engine in front of the axle.

My day automatically gets better when you upload a video. Love your stuff!

Absolutely outstanding video!!! Thank you

Great story Brian. Thank you for these videos

As a long time motorsports involved partner, both physically, and financially Brian, I will tell you these two gentlemen both not only knew the risks, but accepted them as they continued to move forward with their program ! And, I have to thank you for your respect of their families, not to mention, the racer's themselves ! I have been involved with the loss of a driver, and then the serious injury of yet another driver ! Yes, each of them both knew, and understood the obvious risks ! And while their families knew the obvious risks, they were the ones who were left with the challenges of their loss ! So, I will again say thank you Brian for your kind words, and respect to everyone who has been left behind ! A great piece Sir !

I lived in Riverside, CA in 1963 and on as a kid, I had no idea Garlits invented the burnout here in 1969. I raced my 1970 Chevelle SS 396 (402) on that strip about 1977. It is slightly uphill, and is the back straightaway before turn 9, run in reverse, South to North.

Brian Lohnes will go down in history as one of the greatest things to happen to drag racing and similar motorsports

The amount of research you put into this to 'fill in the blanks', so to speak, is incredible. Wishing you continued success. Thank you.

I know it's not drag racing but a video on the old trans am series would be super cool they did some wild stuff also never miss you're videos they are great 👍

As a buff of any kind of history and a motorhead I feel you need to be thanked for bringing out the full correct story behind these MEN and their car. Where humans are concerned I feel there are a certain number of us who will always be trying to go farther, faster or higher. I once heard a comedian say that "The American pioneers started in the original thirteen colonies going to the west until they ran up against the Pacific Ocean, Then they started building piers.

Your videos are freaking amazing man!!! And my god is that a massive understatement haha

What a great story. Thanks for seeking the truth to tell us. The real stories are so interesting. I am 76. I remember when it was like that. I still drive a 1969 Chevy G10 van with a built 350 in it.

Such a sad ending to a great triumphant story. The rules we have now for land speed racing were written in the blood of these pioneers of speed. RIP sir well done.

Another awesome story about the real drivers, mechanics and builders of real cars from the past! Times sure were different when I was a kid growing up amazed by all things in the automotive world especially the fast ones!!

Wow I had no idea how much I don't know about drag racing history. Thank You for the great channel.

GREAT GREAT GREAT GREAT THANK YOU.ITS GREAT THIS CONTENT..YOU REALLY RESEACHED THIS CAR.. GOD SHINES ON YOU..

I'm a classic sportscar guy living in the UK, but i love Brian's stories and his delivery.

Thanks brother. You have a wonderful channel. Im old. So you bring back memories 👍👍👍👍👍💯💯💯

What an amazing story. I have seen the pictures of Motion 1 over the years but I had no idea. Thank you.

Thank you for these videos. These are the best videos on you tube and anywhere is for that matter. Looking forward for more.

That was great Brian. I've seen the pix at Fresno and was told it was a Bonneville car testing (Wayne King told me) but never knew the rest of the story. You must have spent lots of time researching that and it's nice to see i'm not the only one appreciating your efforts.

Awesome video Brian! I've seen this car many times and now I know the full truth about it! Great deep dive 9nnthis car and the story behind it

Thank you for this wonderful story about the history of these two fine gentlemen and their contributions to the world of automotive legacy. Yes,, NEW SUB, I clicked that LIKE and I'm going to share it with my motorhead buddys.

This is not quite directly related. But when you mentioned that the event went on after his death, I was reminded of one event we were at. At the now defunct Maxton LSR track, a fellow racer was killed on his motorcycle, and it was pretty ugly. Dave Owen was his name. Anyway, while the authorities, paramedics, coroner's office and whatever were handling the situation...a lot of racers were getting upset that the track had not went live again, yet. Even though they knew he had passed. We went back to the hotel, and were even torn about whether to run the next day. I think sometimes racers just become numb to such things after witnessing them so many times. When my partner crashed at a high speed, Larry Forstall (well-known in LSR, with 2-wheeled stuff, many team records) stated online, "It puts into perspective that LSR is not golf". Truer words have never been spoken.

Awesome job you are doing Brian! Definetly will have to link up in the future! All about the history of drag racing

Keep up the great work Brian, I truly appreaciate your videos and knowledge.

Thank you for the History. Your presentation and factual representation are appreciated

Keep Cranking these out Buddy

Two old school monster engines, drag tires and AWD seems like an incredible way to hit 440 mph

Thanx man, a proper treatment of a story all us speed-freaks need to hear. Respect and good thoughts to all.

Thanks for sharing and finding all the photos, the cars at 3:50 and 22:47 look awesome.

Great story, I knew some parts, now I have the rest of the story. Great history. Thanks.

I could listen to you tell stories all day everyday. Thank you and thank you telling this story that was truly amazing

This is a superb video! Thank you for all the effort you have put into it.

Wow awesome video. I learned a ton!! Thanks for sharing....BTW love your channel.

Watched from Old Harbour 🇯🇲 Jamaica.

Man great history on this car. Thanks for sharing it with us. I had never herd of this cat. But now i know.

Thanks Brian! I love learning about the history of our sport!

Thank you, Brian! Great story. I grew up in Sacramento and had no clue even though I loved car racing in all forms.

Wow. Thank you. What a fascinating and well put together video. And your narration is great also. Cheers

A great story I did not know with yes a sad ending. Thanks Brian!

The best racing channel ever, thank you