E. J. Potter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| E. J. Potter | |
|---|
| Born | April 24, 1941
Ithaca, Michigan, U.S. |
|---|
| Died | April 30, 2012
Ithaca, Michigan, U.S. |
|---|
| Occupation | Stunt performer |
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| Known for | Motorcycle stunts |
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E. J. Potter (April 24, 1941 - April 30, 2012
[1]), a.k.a. the
Michigan Madman,
[1][2] was an American
dragstrip exponent. Writing his obituary in 2012,
Paul Vitello of the
New York Times described him as a "legend".
[1]
Born in
Ithaca, Michigan,
Elon Jack Potter grew up on a farm repairing tractor engines,
[1] which led to building motorcycles. In high school, he wondered if he could build a bike with a
V8 engine.
[2] The bike he built, named "Bloody Mary",
[2] was tested at a local strip and reached 130 mph (210 km/h).
[1]
He later built a
three-wheeled motorcycle with a United States military surplus rocket engine.
[1] "The Widowmaker" set three world land speed records.
[2] Potter's other creations include putting a
jet engine in a
Motorized tricycle and putting WWII airplane engines into tractors for
tractor pull competitions.
[3]
Beginning soon after his high school graduation, Potter toured the racing circuit for 13 years with his creations.
[1]
Legacy[edit]
In 2017, Potter's 1971 Widowmaker 7 went up for auction in
Las Vegas.
[4][5] Potter's motorcycles were featured on an episode of
American Pickers in 2019.
[6]