At the beginning of 1988, we published a photo of a curious motorcycle,
with what appeared to be a streamlined body, tail fin, side wings and the names
"Johnny Conway" and "Sanron" lettered down the sides. It was taken in Melbourne,
somewhere in the 1970's, and that was all we knew. We asked for any suggestions
from our always alert readers as to what it was all about.
Things don't always happen fast in publishing, but we knew we could
count on DRAGSTER's army of enthusiastic fans, and sure enough, two months ago
reader John Smith of Melbourne sent us a photocopy of a press release, dated
January 17, 1977. It carried an embargo of 6pm on that date, and explained all
(well, almost). Since the embargo has now passed we thought we'd bring you the
answers that we know have been eating at you as much as they have at us.
The press release announced three "spectacular shows", to be held over
the ensuing 12 months, which would be highlighted by jumps by this rocket
powered bike over (sitting down, are you?) Ayers Rock, Sydney Heads and The
Rip, at the entrance to Port Phillip Bay.
The bike was to be ridden by 29 year-old Australian stuntman Johnny
Conway, before he used it in an attempt on the world land speed record.
This $2.5 million venture would be entirely held in Australia, except
for the LSR attempt, which would take place at Bonneville. The release assured
us that there would "be no unmanned test flights".
Was there a time when we were younger and more innocent, and prepared
to believe this sort of stuff? If so, it was a time when normally sane people
actually thought that such craziness was possible. Why it never went ahead we
don't know, but can only venture to think that some of the ground breaking
technology of the special rotary engine didn't work, or the secret rocket fuel
was confiscated by the Russians, or maybe it was the lack of sponsors, or the
failure of some rational public servants to refuse permission for these activities,
or the discovery that there was nowhere at Ayers Rock, the Rip or Sydney Heads
to conduct the associated drag racing and other displays which were to form
part of the circus. Or maybe they just stopped taking the drugs and dried out.
Nevertheless, such grandiose dreams deserve to be documented, if only
to prevent others from getting as carried away in the future.
The Press Release
Each show, rightfully billed as the "Show of the Century" will feature
a full weekend of stunt and circus activities, and various world record attempts.
Each show will be screened live in theatres world wide on closed circuit television,
and a week later again world wide on network TV.
Highlights of the shows will also be included in a full length motion
picture, named "Mach 1" to be filmed over the next 15 months by an Australian
syndicate. Costing over $1.2 million (AUS) to produce, the film will centre
around Sanron's attempt to break the sound barrier on land in their "Mach 1"
car at Lake Eyre.
The Ayers Rock Jump will be over a distance of 1 mile (1.6 km) from
south to north, having to clear the rock which is 1200 ft (366 m) high at the
trajectory path. Conway will have a 300 ft (92 m) run up before rounding out
on a 200 ft (61 m) radius onto a 120 ft (37 m) high 45 degree (angle) ramp.
The bike will be travelling at over 450 mph (720 kmh) when it leaves the ramp.
It will land with the aid of a parachute, and also a shock absorber mounted
at the front of the bike.
The Sydney Heads jump from south to north, will be over a distance of
1.5 miles (2.4 km), while the Rip jump will be over a distance of 2.2 miles
(3.5 km) from Point Nepean to Point Lonsdale.
In April next year, Conway will jump the Grand Canyon in the USA at a
point where it is 2.5 miles (4 km) wide. The possibility of making other overseas
jumps is also being studied. Sanron are currently in the process of obtaining
permission from the various Governmental and Council bodies to make the three
Australian jumps, and believe there will be no objection by anyone.
Sanron is a small privately owned Australian company engaged in engineering
entrepreneuring - patent marketing, research and development, and consultant
engineering - and is financed by a group of private businessmen. Negotiations
are nearly finalized to engage a number of companies to sponsor the stunt shows
and film.
Johnny Conway is the Victorian-born chief engineer for Sanron, and is
the designer of the rocket bike and the "Mach 1" car. He has an Automotive
Engineering Degree, is a qualified pilot, and has had considerable experience
in speedway racing and stunt driving, both in Australia and the USA.
The 5 ft (1.5 m) wide ramp surface is specially treated with a benzene
compound, and will be set on fire immediately prior to take off in order to
soften it to provide maximum cohesion with the two tyres. During the run up
the ramp, the full 2 inches (50 mm) of tyre tread will be worn away. When the
bike clears the ramp, the gas flow to the rotary engine is shut off, but the
rocket thrust continues for a third of the trajectory.
An important feature of the Sanron rotary engine is its ability to develop
high power on an external combustion cycle, using the full high temperature
discharge of a rocket combustion motor. Using this closed system and two wheel
drive, the bike will be used for wheel-driven land speed and drag racing record
attempts. Similarly, the system will be used in a four wheel drive car for an
attempt on the wheel-driven drag racing record.
The bike has four fuel tanks - two in front of, and two behind the
cockpit - moulded into the body shell, with fuel being used from the front
tanks first. This allows the bike to remain correctly balanced for its trajectory,
and reduces the danger should a fire occur. A small pressurized tank of firex
gas forces all the fuel from the tanks, and fills them with a fire extinguishing
foam, than can set to form buoyancy floats should the bike happen to come down
over water.
A 60 ft (18 m) controlled deceleration parachute is used to slow the
bike and a reserve parachute is also fitted. The parachute employs an extra
cord to the centre of the canopy so as to regulate its deployment, and also
incorporates a system of automatically controlled flaps to prevent it from
spinning or swaying. In addition, Conway will wear two parachutes in order to
bail out safely should a fire develop or the bike become out of control. He
will wear a six-point harness with force limiters and will "float" in water
gel in a fully enclosed NASA suit with self-contained oxygen, capable of withstanding
an inferno for 30 seconds. An air bag system is also installed.
The main parachute is controlled, using reversing levers, by the joy
stick, thus assuring a pin-point landing.
To cushion the landing, a large telescopic shock absorber is mounted
at the front of the bike. It is retracted during the ascent, and extends on
the descent. The damping force is automatically varied with the airspeed so
that the optimum deceleration rate possible with the 4.5 ft (1.4 m) collapse
stroke is always achieved. The bike is designed to land nose first and a 30
mph (96 km/h) impact will not damage the bike. Further, the titanium alloy
frame and body shell are designed to collapse progressively, and even a 120
mph (192 km/h) impact would give the rider an excellent chance of survival.
Controls in the bike are: Joy stick, rocket thrust, parachute release,
and fire extinguisher. Instrument and gauges are: Air speed, acceleration,
altitude, vertical speed, turn and bank, artificial horizon, and fire alarm.
Conway will have two-way radio contact with the control base, but there will
be no remote control systems used.
To start the rocket motor, the turbocharger is spun up to speed by an
external high pressure gas supply which is then disconnected, and the fuel
turned on. The fuel on passing through a catalyst in the rocket decomposes,
producting tremendous thrust together with a long bright orange flame. The
bike is supported on rollers and secured by sheer pins which break when the
rocket builds up the prescribed thrust.
Although much design and testing - including computer and wind tunnel
simulations - have gone into the bike and rocket motor, Conway will be taking
no chances. Two helicopters with the ultimate in fire fighting and surgical
facilities will be on hand. In addition, for the two jumps over water, skin
divers in highly manoeuverable rafts will be employed. Apart from film crews,
no other aircraft or boats will be permitted in the area during the jumps by
way of air and marine prohibited area declarations.
Each "Show of the Century" will comprise:
1. Saturday morning: drag racing world record attempts using several
classes of rocket and wheel-driven vehicles, and selected "straight line" stunts
in the (a) Alice Springs, (b) Sydney, and (c) Melbourne airport.
2. Saturday afternoon: Hell-driving spectacular and stunt show featuring
all aspects of the circus and stunt industry, at the respective Showgrounds.
3. Saturday night: Continuation of the afternoon show, plus selected
racing and fireworks displays, at the respective Speedway.
4. Sunday morning and afternoon: Family concert and barbeque, followed
by selected acts of acrobatics, parchuting, gliding, and rocket back-packs,
climaxing with the rocket bike jump, at (a) Ayers Rock, (b) Sydney Heads and
(c) The Rip.
Many acts in these shows will never have been attempted before, and
each is planned to be more difficult than the previous performance. One act
involves using six cars on a three ramp, triple tiered see-saw.
A highlight of the Sydney show will be the unveiling of the "Mach 1"
world land speed record car, powered by 32 twin-wedge rotary engines, driving
16 wheels, and capable of running on petrol, diesel or steam, with only very
minor modifications to the engines. This car will be used to raise the present
world land speed record of 409 mph (654 km/h) for wheel-driven cars.
Similarly, the Melbourne show will feature the unveiling of the "Mach
2" car, which is an eight-wheeler, propelled by a rocket motor, or alternatively
by "super flywheels" driving hydrostatic transmissions in a wheel-driven version.
This car will be used initially to break the present rocket/jet car record
of 622 mph (995 km/h).
Heading the stunt and circus activities will be veteran stuntman Peter
Armstrong, along with lovely wife Sammi who will make an attempt on the world
human cannonball record. Armstrong, the pioneer of Australian stunt work and
the first Australian to achieve international status, will be making over six
world record attempts.
Leading the car and motorbike hell-driving shows will be Conway, along
with stunt drivers and former motorcycle sidecar champions Brian Moran and Bob
Levy.
The promoters have guaranteed that the shows will go ahead on the scheduled
dates regardless of weather conditions. The rocket bike is not affected by
rain or wind, and the various arenas will be covered if rain is imminent. Past
records and reliable long range weather forecasts indicate that ideal conditions
will exist for the shows.
Conway's bike is 18 ft (5.5 m) long, and for stability has two horizontal
trapezium fins, and a tail fin. For directional control, both on land and in
flight, there are two front and two rear fins, connected by a single joy-stick
lever that allows pitch and roll control - ie. movement around the horizontal,
lateral and longitudinal axis. There is no steering on the two wheels; the
bike being steered by using the fins to bank the bike in the required direction.
All fins are symmetrical, so, unlike an aeroplane, there is equal up-thrust
and down-thrust generated; they are designed to be automatically servo-assisted
and self-centering.
The bike is powered by a 10,000 lb (44,500 Newton) thrust rocket motor,
and a 152 cubic inch (2.5 litre) twin-wedge rotary engine mounted inside the
rear wheel. The rocket is fueled by a hydrogen peroxide-based monopropellant
with a specific impluse (power to weight ratio) 30 percent higher than hydrogen
peroxide, but due to its military importance cannot be disclosed. A small portion
of the exhaust gas is tapped off to drive a turbocharger that pumps fuel into
the rocket. The fuel flow, hence thrust of the rocket, can be fully regulated.
Acting on a two-stroke external combustion cycle, the rotary engine is
powered by exhaust gas also tapped off the rocket motor. The output shaft is
fixed, and the engine casing, which forms the rear wheel rim, rotates. The gas
flow to the engine is automatically regulated so that the power is always the
maximum possible without wheelspin.
Click on the links to see the engineering drawings for the
