About the Author

Bobby Wood was born in 1941 and grew up in Birmingham, Alabama. He hails from a family of entrepreneurs: his grandfather owned Wood Chevrolet in Birmingham for decades, his father, Bob Wood Sr., owned and operated AeroMarine in Birmingham, and his brother Don started and owned Gun South, Inc.

Unlike his college-educated brothers and sister, Bobby attended the school of hard knocks without graduating from high school. He left home at fourteen.

A Life at Speed

The major part of Bobby’s life has revolved around professional drag racing. His passion for racing and building high-performance engines led to a successful career, earning him NHRA national record holder status twice — the first in 1959 at Helena, Alabama, and the second in 1969 in the NHRA Fuel Funny Car class. He raced all over the United States, serving as co-captain for the Coca-Cola Cavalcade of Stars racing team.

Into Aviation

In 1978, Bobby opened a Cessna aircraft dealership, flight training school and FAA repair station in Opa-Locka, Florida. He also owned and operated Wood Engineering, which designed and produced unique products for the aircraft industry.

Starting in 1980, Bobby’s life would be changed forever when he first saw 464 Juliet sitting in the dirt with her tires shot out, literally chaining her to the ground. This is a story about her, and about Bobby Wood.

Bobby puts you directly into his mind and lets you see the world as his eyes viewed it in real time. With his guardian angel on his shoulder, God by his side and endless prayers, you can ride with Bobby on this incredible journey — one where everyone else gave up or failed.

Today

Bobby Wood is the creator, owner and operator of Wood Performance, a company dedicated to the design and production of innovative, one-of-a-kind, high-performance products for Harley-Davidson® motorcycles. His products are world renowned and sell through more than 900 dealers globally.

See Bobby Wood’s history in photographs