Todd Johnson races his Yamaha RZ350 during a WERA D Superbike race at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1986. Johnson had a top-five finish in the class that day in a huge field of 50-plus riders. Getting through traffic was half the battle in those salad days of club racing. A couple of things I like about this photo: Look at Johnson’s right wrist – he has the RZ absolutely pinned. Also, the stands in the background provide an interesting horizontal background that emphasizes the speed of the race bike. Oh, and let’s not forget the Darth Vader helmet. Those Simpson helmets were all the rage in the early-to-mid 1980s.
Todd Johnson races his Yamaha RZ350 during a WERA D Superbike race at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1986. (Larry Lawrence photo)
Rider Files 
Not too much “superbike” about that bike. Looks stock down to the taped up tail light. Getting a top five is very impressive!
LikeLike
Mike, I was thinking the same thing – a complete stocker. It looks like the bike had been raced in the rain too. It’s got that baked-on rain spray look around the pipes. That was the main club racing motorcycle of the early 1980s.
LikeLike