Elmer Trett – An American Motorcycle Racing Icon
An American Motorcycle Racing Icon
Dragbike.com is proud to announce that Senior Editor Tom McCarthy, who has been documenting motorcycle drag racing through stories and photography since 1981, will begin releasing select chapters from his 2012 biography, Elmer Trett and the Gods of Thunder, exclusively on Dragbike.com starting February 01, 2026. The series will continue over the next nine months.
This project exists to help preserve the memory and legacy of one of America’s greatest racing heroes.
On September 1, 2026, it will mark the 30th anniversary of the passing of Elmer Trett — a true American motorcycle racing icon. For nearly two decades, Trett was, more often than not, the fastest man on a motorcycle in the world. He was among the most influential pioneers in motorcycle drag racing, and his impact remains deeply felt today.
In the world of Top Fuel Motorcycle, his name was known globally. From 1976 through 1996, racers and fans alike followed his every move.
Beginning in January 2026, McCarthy will release one exclusive chapter per month for Dragbike.com readers — a tribute to two decades of excellence, leadership, innovation, and dedication.
Each chapter offers an in-depth look into Elmer Trett’s life and journey: how a young man born in Kentucky in 1943, with only an eighth-grade education, became the fastest man in the world on two wheels. Trett is ranked #50 on NHRA’s Top 75 Greatest Drivers of All Time, and his name can still be found in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Elmer Trett was the first Top Fuel motorcycle rider to officially exceed 200 mph in NHRA-sanctioned competition — and later became the first to surpass 220, 230, and ultimately 235 mph.
These select chapters go beyond his humble beginnings. They reveal how Trett’s encounters with what he called “The Gods of Thunder” shaped both his mindset and his extraordinary rise in performance.
Several of today’s Top Fuel motorcycle competitors are former students of Trett’s work, philosophy, and influence. Collectively, they have helped elevate the class to the extraordinary performance levels seen today — across both V-Twin origins and modern inline-four platforms. Within these chapters, readers will come to understand why.
This series stands not only as a biography, but as a living history of motorcycle drag racing itself — and a tribute to one of the greatest Americans ever to throw a leg over a motorcycle.
Stay tuned – The Introduction to Elmer Trett and the Gods of Thunder premieres on Dragbike.com, January 29, 2026.
| Until Next time…
– Tom McCarthy |
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