There are a few machines in the drag racing world that cause people to stop, stare, and just say, “No way…”. The Sorcerer, ridden by Russ Collins and wrenched by Byron Hines is one of them. Powered by a pair of 1,000cc Honda engines that were timed to run as a V8 and being force fed by a 3-71 supercharger, this thing made about 800hp and in 1977 it ran 7.30 199.55mph a record that stood for 11 freaking years. Collins was as charismatic as he was brave and brilliant, his business RC Engineering was a leading manufacturer and distributor of motorcycle hot rod and racing parts.
Collins went to top fuel dragsters in the 1980s and raced them into the 1990s. He had one of the most famous blow overs of the early 1990s at Pomona driving for Bill Miller in 1991.
This profile of the motorcycle is from 1977, the year of the great performance triumph that Collins, Hines, and the team secured. The Sorcerer had been awards the Fram “Best Engineered Car” (HA!) award at this event and you’ll see Steve Evans and a strapping young Collins talking about his machine. Sadly, both of these men are no longer around but this mighty two wheeled beast and its spot in the annals of the sport are.
