Dave Vantine says Larry McBride’s Fire Hit Close to Home, Vantine Aiming for 5.60s in 2016
December 15, 2015 by L.A.SLEEVE
It was like a bad dream.
Sunday of the IDBL U.S. Nationals from Atco, N.J., Sept. 13, 2015 is a day that will forever stand out in the careers of 37-year Top Fuel Motorcycle veteran Larry “Spiderman” McBride and his talented match race partner Dave Vantine.
It’s likely a day no one in attendance will ever forget either.
McBride and Vantine’s goal was simple; put on a show. After losing traction, McBride knew a tire-smoking, “pedal fest” would be quite crowd pleasing.
After coming on-and-off the throttle several times, McBride’s bike violently exploded and burst into flames at a high speed.
The Spiderman was able to get the motorcycle stopped, right in front of the ambulance no less. It’s an incident the 15-time champion knows he was lucky to walk away from.
Larry McBride’s blown-up engine.
No one had a better view of the scary blaze than Vantine.
Dave Vantine
“He spun the tire first so I was out on him when mine started to spin. He did not go flying by me so I pedaled mine twice and then found a RPM where I was spinning at a comfortable pace,” Vantine said. “I got on the brakes and Larry put a wheel up on me. I looked over to the right and saw him totally engulfed in flames. It was pretty scary. I slammed on the brakes and tried to pace him. When we stopped I went running back to him.”
Perhaps Vantine understood the severity of the situation better than anyone. Vanitne was lucky to walk away from a similar incident at Virginia Motorsports Park in 2006.
Dave Vantine knows what it’s like to be on fire. This image from 2006 was on his mind as he rushed over to Larry McBride.
This is what Dave Vantine’s carbs looked like after his Pro Mod fire in 2006.
Vantine was the first to make it over to McBride as medics were preparing to treat him.
“He was hoping around pretty good and trying to get his coat off. That’s when the guy with the fire extinguisher showed up. Larry was up and seemed OK, but I think he was running on pure adrenaline,” Vantine said.
The medics were about to cut off McBride’s beloved Elmer Trett t-shirt, something the Spiderman wears as a good luck charm and a tribute to his friend who died in an on-track incident in 1996.
Larry McBride wears his cherished Elmer Trett shirt under his leathers every run. Trett’s untimely death came at the 1996 NHRA U.S. Nationals.
“Don’t cut that shirt,” Vantine frantically yelled.
The third-year nitro racer knew that would be a tough one to replace.
“I didn’t see any reason to cut the shirt. I knew it was just standard operating procedure,” Vantine said.
Vantine, along with team McBride, were ultra-relieved to see the Spiderman upright and alert.
Afterwards McBride was airlifted to a nearby hospital.
After realizing McBride would be alright, the hardest part for Vantine, and others, was seeing the anguish of Larry’s brother Steve McBride, who spent much of his life building and maintaining a motorcycle that now looked to be totaled.
““Blue is gone, Blue is gone” is what he was saying,” Vantine said. “It was pretty emotional and we all felt really bad.”
Larry McBride’s crew inspects the damage on “Blue.”
Vantine also knew he had to be tough and had to stay in the proper state of mind to prepare to make his next run.
“I think as riders we are positioned to block those things out. Years ago in Gainesville (Fla.) Terry Kizer came off his bike right before me. I was next up. I just didn’t let it register. You have to block that stuff out. Once it sinks back in later, it’s tough,” Vantine said.
Vantine knew what he was getting into with this daunting, two-wheel venture. He understood and accepted the incredible risks of Top Fuel Motorcycle racing before he started.
“At the end of the day if everyone is OK, it’s just the price of doing business,” Vantine said. “That’s nitro.”
