"I first started racing when I was 14". Little did Pete know, go-karts where only the beginning. If you count racing model airplanes it was earlier then that. "I raced go-karts for a few years with some success. but sadly I was too heavy to become a top tier driver. About the time that I realized this I also discovered motorcycles"
  "Pete and his brother had decided to build a Yetman framed sportster powered by gas dragster. The dragster did pretty well considering they were a couple of teenagers with no money. "Because of the lack of money, My brother and i never went to any national events, but.... we were within a couple of tenths of a second of the national record for the class running at our local strip." this was no small feet by any means.
  Pete then moved to California for a couple years. It's in the west where He did some desert racing. "This style of racing was fun but I wasn't terribly good at it;" So Peter started wrenching for a speedway rider. "I was a lot better at that and my rider podiumed pretty regularly." "Later on I met with Russ Collins. There I worked part time prepping class C race bikes at Ascot Park." Russ as you probably know was also interested in drag racing. Peter was with him when he won his class at the Irwindale bike nationals in 1970. He was on a 883cc Honda four. "An interesting note about this bike is about 3 weeks before the event Russ was discussing the exhaust with me and he made the observation that multis in cars did not have 4 pipe exhaust system. They had 4into 1 or 4 into 2 into1 headers." "Still working with Russ, About two weeks later the Honda had what I believe was the first header ever on a multi cylinder bike. The part time job with Russ worked out to be very beneficial in that aspect."
  Pete took a 25 year hiatus. it was time to establish a business and more importantly, "to provide for my family with a house to raise my kids in." He didn't get back into racing until he was under heavy pressure from his wife no less. She wanted desperately to go sidecar racing. "Ths is the time we got involved with the USCRA. we started here in 1996." Pete bought the "Yard Waste" from a guy in Conn. This was Andrew Fairbank's first effort to which Pete made a number of mods to the rid. but to there dismay they never handled really well. however the rig was quite reliable though and they raced it for many years.
 "I built a 250 Ducati for my wife to race around the same time frame. In the process engendered some interest in my friend David Tatlock." David bought a 350 Ducati and recruited Peter to prep it and Greg Nichols to ride it. "David, Greg and Myself along with Brian Carroll & Larry Somma, (who incidentally came up with the name) was the original Mach 1 team.
  "Mach1 were fantastically successful. they had won numerous races and championships beating the likes of Team Obsolete, Team Hanson and others of that caliber. "In fact except for the odd mechanical failure I don't recall ever getting beaten when we ran in class. Although, we occasionally got beaten in the bump class. however it was that often.
  "When life and external concerns brought that partnership to an end, I recruited Zack Courts to ride my Ducati." Zack was very fast on the bike and helped Pete develop the brakes and suspension to an even higher level. "Although Zack only rode for me for a couple years he won a lot of races beating the likes of Dave Roper and other top level riders.  so for a short while, Brian, Peter and Denise were Mach 1 racing. "Our sidecars, as well as Zack, Brian and Denise on solos. It was about that time Rabbie came into the picture.

  Rabbie approached Peter asking him to build a formula CB bike. Pete decided to build the bike for Rabbie. so Demetrius piloted the bike and did so quite successfully. with it, but when racing with AHRMA Rabbie had to race 350 sportsman with it. That class allows open engine mods and the limited power of the formula CB motor meant 3rds or 4ths at the very best.  "This dictated a modified motor so I built the first version of the current motor and although we are on version 4.0 right now Rabbie has been out front right from the very first." "I probably do not have tell you how many regional and national championships Rabbie has won on that bike but the most significant for me was the win at Daytona in 08.
 Pete made a number of try's with his Ducati and for one reason or another he was never successful. The worst time was 97 when on the last lap in 1st place leading the George Beale Benelli four and the Team Obsolete 7R. Our ignition pickup failed and they DNFed.
 "We did manage to get it fixed in time to make the 500 Premier race. Greg finished in 5th behind two MVs as well as Todd on his Honda and another Honda. Mach1 was the first single. Not bad on a horsepower track like Daytona.
  To this very day, Team Mach1 continues to have very successful seasons. with Rabbie Christina, and Spin piloting the Pete Talabach designs, they are still winning races. a true testament of the talents of Pete Talabach and the Mach1 team

  If you have photographs or videos you would like to share of the USCRA, please Send them to us. We would love to see them all vintage, Classic or New.

 

Thank you to Mach1 Racing and Pete Talabach for the use the images of Team Mach1. You can find out more about the Mach1 Race team on there website www.3dracing.com or You can contact Team Mach1 Here