By David Swarts

After a mid-winter media tour of Southern California, Dr. Rob Tululie brought his Tul-aris 780 two-stroke creation to the high banks of Daytona for its race debut underneath new rider Michael Barnes. When former NSR500V rider Barnes took to the track, he found that the handlebar vibration problem encountered during tests at Willow Springs has been reduced significantly. And while the Tul-aris continued to suffer minor teething problems, it also demonstrated impressive speed on the Daytona high banks.

Reigning Formula USA Unlimited Superbike Champion Grant Lopez got a good idea of the Tul-aris’ speed from the seat of a stock 2001 Suzuki GSX-R1000 Lopez was using to teach in Wednesday’s Team Hammer Advanced Riding School. “(Barnes) must have just come out of the pits because I caught up to him,” Lopez said. “He kind of tip-toed through the horseshoes, but when he got on the banking, he was gone. That Tul-aris is freaking fast! I was getting on the 1000, and Barnes just pulled away.” During the five, 30-minute track sessions in which he rode the GSX-R1000, Lopez regularly saw over 190 mph on the GSX-R1000’s speedometer through Daytona’s tri-oval.

Although the accuracy of stock speedometers are questionable, Tululie used more accurate information like engine rpm, rear wheel circumference, and gearing ratios to determine that his bike was doing an actual 180 mph through Daytona’s tri-oval. Tululie’s bike did this with what he called a “practice” engine that he said was 15 horsepower down on his “race” motor. For reference, factory AMA Superbikes topped out at 178 mph on radar at Daytona in 2000.

Ex-F-USA Champion Barnes said that the Tul-aris is the fastest thing that he has ever ridden.