No matter how you look at it, there is going to be a Kawasaki in the Pro Stock Motorcycle field on race day, and that is a fairly unusual sight amongst the more commonly seen V-Rods, Buells, and Suzukis. With just 16 bikes on the premises at Maple Grove Raceway, Utica, N.Y., resident Neil Jacobs is assured an invitation to the first round on Sunday.

Jacobs has drag raced in varying sanctioning bodies for three decades, but the last time he raced in NHRA competition was at this same event in 2009, where he qualified 15th and Tree'd Michael Phillips in the first round but didn't quite have enough power to follow through at the top end.

No matter how you look at it, there is going to be a Kawasaki in the Pro Stock Motorcycle field on race day, and that is a fairly unusual sight amongst the more commonly seen V-Rods, Buells, and Suzukis. With just 16 bikes on the premises at Maple Grove Raceway, Utica, N.Y., resident Neil Jacobs is assured an invitation to the first round on Sunday.

Jacobs has drag raced in varying sanctioning bodies for three decades, but the last time he raced in NHRA competition was at this same event in 2009, where he qualified 15th and Tree'd Michael Phillips in the first round but didn't quite have enough power to follow through at the top end.

The owner of Mohawk Automotive Dyno in Yorkville is a specialist when it comes to motorcycle repair and performance, which could work to his advantage if he is able to stick with the program.

"This is our first event this year because we were doing some R&D and building a new bike," said Jacobs. "We're kind of late, but we're here. We're not sure when we'll be out next. It depends on how good we do here and how good the bike starts to pick up.

"There is definitely a chance we'll do more. There is no question that we're interested, it's just a matter of looking for sponsors. We don't have a marketing deal yet; first we're trying to get a good baseline to have something to show. As they say, you crawl before you walk."

The only other Kawasaki's seen in NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle competition in recent years have been those ridden by Ryan Schnitz and, briefly, Geoff Godfrey. Even so, Jacobs is optimistic.

"I guess you have to always hope for the best, but this bike has the potential to run 6.90s," said Jacobs, who owns and tunes his Pro Stock Motorcycle. "We only have a couple of passes on it so far, so we're trying to work our way up, and hopefully, we'll make the right choices."

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