Although Jeter Cornett stays within the speed limit while driving his big rig, it’s a different story when he’s on his Harleys. Cornett has two Harley-Davidson motorcycles that he drag races, and each time he flies down the racetrack he’s hoping to set his ultimate time.
In May, Cornett of Nora, Va., qualified his black and silver Top Fuel Harley and his orange and silver Pro Dragster Harley for American Motorcycle Racing Association’s 2001 Harley Blowout Nationals held at the Huntsville Dragway in Huntsville, Ala. He made it to the semifinals on his Pro Dragster. In the semifinals, his opponent lost fire on his motorcycle. Cornett could have raced the round solo, but instead he shut his Harley off, allowing his opponent to fire his bike back up. His opponent won the race but Cornett showed good sportsmanship, which is important on the racing circuit.
“For an opening day it went better than I expected,” Cornett says. “My main objective was to qualify and see how far I could go and come home still running. I met that goal so the weekend was a success. We’ll build on that.”
Last year, Cornett finished in sixth place nationally and presently is third place nationally on his Pro Dragster. His Top Fuel has not placed nationally yet. Cornett hopes that’ll happen in the next race, in October.
Often Cornett races “off the back of [his] truck.” If he is delivering a load close to a race, he’ll break down his bike and carry it on his flatbed pulled by his blue 1997 Peterbilt.
“At those races I only have my semi for support,” Cornett says. “I usually have my Ford dooley and equipment trailer at a race. Getting to a race is a problem for a lot of guys so the semi helps me out. It’s expensive when you travel with your crew.”
Some might think racing is a hobby for Cornett, but he says there’s a different feeling when he puts on his leather and straps on his helmet. Cornett has been racing motorcycles for 20 years and is serious about the sport. When he’s not competing against the other racers, he’s hanging out with them at the track.
