McBride Enjoys Role as Spiderman in AMA Dragbike World

By Allen Gregory
Sports Writer / Bristol Herald Courier
Published: June 20, 2008

BRISTOL, Tenn. – No journey down the dragstrip is ever the same for Larry McBride.

The 50-year-old daredevil crawls, bends and contorts around his Top Fuel motorcycle at speeds in the 240 mile per hour range.

Welcome to the world of the “Spiderman.”

Through eight Top Fuel championships and various record-setting runs, McBride has amazed fans and confounded peers with his unique riding style.

McBride is among the stars for the inaugural American Motorcycle Association Dragbike Summer Nationals which continues Saturday and Sunday at Bristol Dragway.

The Spiderman moniker dates back to 1980 when a track announcer commented on McBride’s method of crawling around on his bike. The 6-foot-3 McBride even wears a Spiderman themed leather driving uniform.

“I still ride like that,” McBride said. “Sometimes I don’t even have an answer as to why I do it, that’s just part of me.”

McBride, who operates a performance motorcycle shop in Newport News, Va., has been a large part of his radical, nitro methane fueled sport for three decades. His extensive resume includes the first runs under the 6.50-second and five-second barriers.

“This started out for me as a hobby, then just evolved through the years to become a business,” said McBride, whose top career speed is 248.66 mph.  “Never would I have believed I could have done all this.”

The path to another title has become complicated and expensive. Like competitors in all forms of motorsports, McBride has been hit with the high costs of racing fuel and the diesel required for transportation.

“It’s tough, really tough,” McBride said. “Last year, we were paying $700 a drum for nitro and this year we are playing $2,000 a drum. And we’ve gone from paying around $2.60 per gallon for diesel fuel to $4.69. Two years ago, I budgeted fuel at $3.10 per gallon. I missed that.”

Counting his motorhome, souvenir trailer, team transporter and crew, McBride expects to spend $10,000 in transportation just getting to the Bristol event.

Depending on the number of entries, the winner’s purse is Top Fuel is either $3,500 or $4,000. Drivers can earn extra money from contingency sponsors, however.

“I am in the hole before I even get here,” McBride said. “To just make one run down the track in one of these bikes without any crew costs $1,000.  If you spend what I do, it costs $1,800 per pass. You have to live it. You need to promote your sponsor.”

Despite the obstacles, McBride and his brother Steve keep charging. Steve McBride, who serves as crew chief, was worked with Larry every season of his career.

“We fight and scream, but we still love each other…that’s the main thing,” Larry McBride said.

“As for this weekend, fans can expect to see 110 percent out of the Spiderman. This is a good track, and I think our bike is capable of running 240 mph.”

While he is one of the oldest riders in the sport, McBride has no plans to stop making his spectacular journeys down dragways across the country.

“When you start getting my age and do this for a living, you better be in the gym a lot,” McBride said. “I work out five days a week, I have to.

“This is a young man’s game and lots of young guys are coming in, but I figure that I’m good for another five years at least.”

| (276) 645-2544

What: AMA Dragbike Summer Nationals

When: Saturday and Sunday

Where: Bristol Dragway

Times: Gates open at 9 a.m. both days.  Saturday’s program features two rounds of qualifying, followed by a complete Pro ET race and grudge racing.  Professional eliminations begin at 11 Sunday morning. The program also features the final eliminations of the rained-out Atlanta event.

Tickets: $20 each day or $35 for the weekend.

Note: Competition will be held in five professional, three semi-pro and six sportsman classes