(Photos by Benoit Pigeon) – France isn’t normally thought of as a breeding ground for drag racers but the fact is that two of the quickest and fastest men ever to traverse a drag strip are from that country. Eric Teboul’s name has been all over the place lately because of his recent performance at the Haltech ManCup in Florida where he rode his rocket motorcycle to an elapsed time of 5.12 seconds at 264mph. Both of these marks are records for two wheeled vehicles on the quarter mile. Bob Feeler is the other guy who has raced lots of stuff during his career but is probably best known for his time running top fuel motorcycles and a rocket funny car. Feeler and Teboul are actually brothers making this whole story that much cooler. BangShift contributor, Benoit “The Frenchman” Pigeon sent us a ton of cool photos featuring Teboul and Feeler throughout their careers. Both guys ran top fuel motorcycles and then morphed into the rocket world. While Teboul stayed “in” the rocket scene, Feeler has raced top alcohol funny cars and dragsters since stepping out of and selling the former Sammy Miller rocket funny car he ran successfully for a number of years.

If you are wondering how two brothers have polar opposite sounding names, apparently Feeler was in a band and “Bob Feeler” was his stage name. He liked it so much he kept it for racing!

Here’s what Benoit had to say about the two fastest brothers in France –

I met Bob first. He kept his artist name used in a rock band before starting racing Top Fuel Bike.  I went to Frank Hawley’s school in 86 and he was racing at Gainesville one month later and learned a french guy was their in August at the school. We met at a car show that winter. I saw him again in 87 at Pomona. His bike was there too and getting ready to get shipped back. Later I met Eric who also races TF bikes, but I never knew him that well. 

During a visit to Feeler near Paris, I saw the Tans Am in it’s original Vanishig Point colors and could not believe my eyes. I saw the Rocket car many times in action but never the Bike.  The only rocket bike I ever saw was the one of  Henk Vink.  Vink was from Netherland and a huge inspiration for many of the TF bikers of the time but passed away I believe on his 50th birthday of heart attack and that was it for that Rocket.  Feeler for a very short time also drove an alcohol dragster that he once raced at Pomona. I have not been following much what Bob and Eric have done until the Rocket Bike started showing on clips on the net.  Bob I believe quit driving the rocket but drives a jet Funny Car all over Europe. Eric’s bike, I was told is not the same as Vinks but both look very similar.

We love this kind of history, especially when it highlights drag racing heroes from other lands. Why? Drag racing can be found on every continent and in virtually every semi-organized (and some not so organized) country on the planet. Every one of those drag racing scenes has their own heroes and trail blazers. Their stories may not be as operatic as Garlits or Wally Parks but they are equally as important to the people in those cultures. You have to believe that every hot rodder in France cheers a little when Teboul breaks his own record or when Bob Feeler would go out and haul the mail in the former Sammy Miller rocket funny car. Benoit’s French heritage puts him in a neat spot to have hung out with these guys and seen them in action.

Any pair of brothers that go from top fuel motorcycles to rocket powered anythings have our respect!

Here’s a collection of photos that Benoit has taken and some that he has collected of the brothers over the years – scroll down to see them all:

Here’s a strapping young Bob Feeler on his top fuel motorcycle. Note the “Bobby” on the front of his leathers.

Here’s the former Sammy Miller Rocket Firebird after a repaint. Feler renamed the machine “Apocalypse Now!” and had the snazzy graphics added.

Fuel in the front…BOOM in the back!

This is the Feeler car before the repaint. Known as the “Satanic Machine”. It is interesting to note how narrow and small the chassis is compared to a nitro burning funny car.

Here’s Eric Teboul back in his top fuel days. This is a cool photo with his feet down and the smoke rolling off the tire.

Dig the naked fuel bike! Exposed engines make us randy.

Feeler’s first motorcycle doesn’t look to be leading the league in the refinement department but it was a furious runner with a four cylinder, blown nitro burning mill making the power.

A very cool shot of Benoit hanging out at a show with Bob Feeler with the bike on display.

Henk Vink from the Netherlands had a rocket motorcycle that has similar appearance as Eric Teboul’s but chassis technology and materials technology mean that Teboul’s is a much more refined suicide machine.

Dig the giant magneto sticking out of the motor in the bike. The shop is a humble affair and you can see the bike is setup on a couple of old wooden planks.

One more of Henk Vink’s bike.