Chris Carr (born May 6, 1967 in Stockton, California) is an American

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

dirt-track racer and seven-time winner of the

A.M.A. Grand National Championship American Flat Track is an American motorcycle racing series. The racing series, founded and sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) in 1954, originally encompassed five distinct forms of competitions including mile dirt track ...

. He has also competed as a motorcycle road racer at the national level and was a motorcycle land speed world record holder.

Racing career

Carr began his racing career as an amateur racer in 1983. He turned professional in 1985, finishing seventh in the Grand National Championship earning him the A.M.A.

Rookie of the Year Award A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

. Carr won his first Grand National in August 1986 at the Peoria TT and finished the season ranked fourth in the championship. He slowly climbed the points standing each year. In 1989, he became a member of the

Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson, Inc. (H-D, or simply Harley) is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depressi ...

factory A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. ...

racing team. After finishing second to his Harley-Davidson teammate,

Scott Parker Scott Matthew Parker (born 13 October 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently the head coach of Club Brugge in Belgium. Parker began his career at Charlton Athletic, and ...

in 1990 and 1991, he finally claimed the Grand National Championship in 1992. He ran the Grand National Series full-time until 1995 where he finished third while winning rookie of the year in the

AMA Superbike AMA Superbike Championship is an American motorcycle racing series that has been run every year beginning in 1976. For most of its existence it has been considered the premier motorcycle road racing series in the United States. It is sanctioned b ...

road racing series. Carr left the dirt tracks to go road racing for two years (1996 and 1997). Carr won the 1992, 1999, and 2001-2005 AMA Grand National Dirt Track (Flat Track) championships, the 2000 Formula USA Dirt Track Championship and the AMA 600cc Dirt Track championship seven times (1988–1993, and 1995). Carr was in contention for the 2006 Grand National Championship at the final race at

Scioto Downs Eldorado Gaming Scioto Downs, formerly known as Scioto Downs Racino, is a horse racing track and casino in Columbus, Ohio, owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment. The track has operated since 1959, and became Ohio's first racino with the ...

in Columbus, Ohio before dropping out with mechanical problems. He ended the season tied for fourth in points behind chief rival Kenny Coolbeth. Carr was inducted into the A.M.A.

Motorcycle Hall of Fame The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is an offshoot of the American Motorcyclist Association, recognizing individuals who have contributed to motorcycle sport, motorcycle construction, or motorcycling in general. It also displays motorcycle ...

in 2004.

Land speed record

On September 5, 2006, Carr broke the motorcycle land speed world record at the Bonneville Salt Flats (Utah), with a two-pass 350.8 mph (562.6 km/h) average. He was the first motorcyclist to break the 350 mph barrier. Carr's fastest run was at 354 mph (567.8 km/h). On September 28, 2008, Rocky Robinson broke Carr's record driving the Top 1 Oil

Ack Attack The TOP 1 Ack Attack is a specially constructed land-speed record streamliner motorcycle that, , has held the record for world's fastest motorcycle since recording a two-way average speed of on September 25, 2010 in the Cook Motorsports Top Sp ...

streamliner. Carr regained the title on 24 September 2009 with a speed of 367.382 mph.(Pending FIM ratification). This was later topped by Rocky Robinson and the Top 1 Ack Attack team on Sept. 25, 2010. Robinson set a new record of 376.363 mph (kilo average)(Pending FIM ratification) and had an exit speed of 394 mph.

Educational activities

Carr is part owner of American Supercamp, a nationally renowned dirt track school taught on 80cc-230cc bikes.

Awards

He will be inducted into the

Motorsports Hall of Fame of America The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles, ...

on March 17, 2020.2020 Inductees
at the

Personal life

Away from the track, Carr is an active golfer and reader.

References

External links

Chris Carr at the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame

AMA's official release on the land speed record

BUB Seven Streamliner and Chris Carr's record

2006 Bonneville Streamliner Battle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carr, Chris American motorcycle racers 1967 births Living people Motorcycle land speed record people Sportspeople from Stockton, California Bonneville 300 MPH Club members AMA Grand National Championship riders World record setters in motorcycling