| E. J. Potter | |
| Birth Date: | 24 April 1941 |
| Birth Place: | Ithaca, Michigan, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Ithaca, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Stunt performer |
| Known For: | Motorcycle stunts |
E. J. Potter (April 24, 1941 - April 30, 2012[1]), a.k.a. the Michigan Madman,[1] [2] was an American dragstrip exhibition proponent. Writing his obituary in 2012, Paul Vitello of the New York Times described him as a "legend".[1]
Born in Ithaca, Michigan, Elon Jack Potter grew up on a farm repairing tractor engines,[1] which led to building motorcycles. In high school, he wondered if he could build a bike with a V8 engine.[2] The bike he built, named "Bloody Mary",[2] was tested at a local strip and reached 130mph.[1]
He later built a three-wheeled motorcycle with a United States military surplus rocket engine.[1] "The Widowmaker" set three world land speed records.[2] Potter's other creations include putting a jet engine in a Motorized tricycle and putting WWII airplane engines into tractors for tractor pull competitions.[3]
Beginning soon after his high school graduation, Potter toured the drag racing circuit for 13 years with his creations.[1]
He died in Ithaca, Michigan, aged 71 from complications of Alzheimer's Disease. [4]
In 2017, Potter's 1971 Widowmaker 7 went up for auction in Las Vegas.[5] [6] Potter's motorcycles were featured on an episode of American Pickers in 2019.[7]