PSM PARITY – AN UNREALISTIC OBJECTIVE?
The NHRA has tried everything short of Can-Am starts to achieve parity in their Pro Stock Motorcycle division but a handful of competitors feel the attempts are an exercise in futility. In other words, one would be more likely to achieve peace in the Middle East than put the bikes on an even keel.
Nevermind the fact the NHRA has lightened the load on the Suzuki combination (610 pounds with rider) for the 2008 season, the combination was still .07 behind the Harley-Davidson V-rod. For that matter, the Buell V-twin combination was .06 behind the Harley-Davidson combination during the recent Eastern Spring Test Nationals in Valdosta, Georgia.
“To be honest for sure the quicker thing would be peace in the Middle East than reach parity in the class,” Steve Johnson, President of PRO2, the group representing Pro Stock Motorcycle said.
The NHRA may exert the effort but their dream of parity in Pro Stock Motorcycle unlikely says competitors
The NHRA has tried everything short of Can-Am starts to achieve parity in their Pro Stock Motorcycle division but a handful of competitors feel the attempts are an exercise in futility. In other words, one would be more likely to achieve peace in the Middle East than put the bikes on an even keel.
Nevermind the fact the NHRA has lightened the load on the Suzuki combination (610 pounds with rider) for the 2008 season, the combination was still .07 behind the Harley-Davidson V-rod. For that matter, the Buell V-twin combination was .06 behind the Harley-Davidson combination during the recent Eastern Spring Test Nationals in Valdosta, Georgia.
“To be honest for sure the quicker thing would be peace in the Middle East than reach parity in the class,” Steve Johnson, President of PRO2, the group representing Pro Stock Motorcycle said.
Johnson races a Suzuki and can’t help but notice the concessions given to the Harley-Davidson in an effort to make them competitive quickly.
“In all fairness we're racing oranges against apples. I'm trying to be a realist but after 5 years of the Suzuki's always chasing the V-twins and the Buells. We’re just kind of known as the minority; now we just want to see it switch around. Those guys come out with a 160-inch package, boom here they are and we've been racing all these years.
I must have missed a race since Pomona because they took weight off of the Suzukis. They did that before they even started. The Suzuki had the quickest average all year long. They also had the top two average speeds. I don’t quite understand that one. I know there wasn’t one in the final four but that’s just race day. If you don’t race on Sunday, you can’t expect to get points and race for the championship. - Matt Smith, Defending PSM Champion
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“They made us add bigger cubic inches to our engines. We had to go through all the economic change over and above getting our teeth kicked in all the time. It just seems like to try to get some parity their going to have to make some kind of change and it's not going to be with weight.”
Matt Smith, a V-twin Buell racer, has seen the NHRA struggle to maintain parity. He’s been on the receiving end of a rules amendment and has watch others given adjustments.
Smith questioned the off-season move to provide a weight break to the Suzuki combination.
“I must have missed a race since Pomona because they took weight off of the Suzukis,” Smith pondered. “They did that before they even started. The Suzuki had the quickest average all year long. They also had the top two average speeds. I don’t quite understand that one.
“I know there wasn’t one in the final four but that’s just race day. If you don’t race on Sunday, you can’t expect to get points and race for the championship.”
Smith’s Buell combination was nailed hard after one race of domination last season in St. Louis. He was given 100 extra pounds after qualifying No. 1, establishing a new record and winning the NHRA Midwest Nationals in St. Louis, Missouri.
Be not deceived, the Buell V-Twin combination is not the same as the Harley-Davidson’s V-Rod combination. In other words, when one gets pencil whipped, the other doesn’t.
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According to Kevin McKenna at NHRA.com, during the 2007 season -- seven different Pro Stock Motorcycle riders won at 16 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series events. The 2006 season also featured seven winners, and in 2005, eight riders collected victories in just 15 events.
A decade ago, Suzuki was the king and as few as two different riders won the majority of the events. Today’s Pro Stock Motorcycle features eight distinctly different engine combinations accepted for competition. Each combination has a different weight minimum.
According to NHRA.com, the combinations that are currently used in competition include Buell V-Twins, Harley-Davidson V-Twins, Suzuki inline four-cylinder engines, and Kawasaki inline four-cylinder engines. The NHRA expects more combinations to be added to the somewhat short list in the future.
The policing of the parity issue falls on the shoulders of NHRA Senior Director-National Technical Operations Don Taylor and the Pro Stock Motorcycle Competition Committee, which includes NHRA National Technical Director Danny Gracia and West Central Division Tech Director Bob Blackwell.
“After every race that features Pro Stock Motorcycles, we analyze the results and determine which particular brand was the quickest,” said Taylor in an interview with NHRA.com. “We take into account a lot more than just elapsed times and speeds from qualifying and eliminations. We also factor in other things such as weather and track conditions and a particular team's previous track record. We try to consider as many variables as possible. If we're ultimately able to determine that a particular brand exhibits a performance advantage of five-hundredths of a second or more over the other brands, then we launch a more thorough investigation, and it will likely result in a rules revision.
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The quick fix method for parity appears to be adjusting the weight minimums but the NHRA could soon get creative in their methods of leveling the playing field.
“We're constantly evaluating the class and exchanging information, and it's very possible that we may look at other ways to equalize competition in the near future,” said Taylor. “First, we have to weigh the short-term and long-term effects of any changes that we make. Obviously, our primary goal is to be fair with our decisions, but we also have to be careful not to create a financial hardship for teams. We don't want to have a knee-jerk reaction and make changes before every race. We understand that racers and fans don't deserve that kind of uncertainty.
“The bottom line is that we evaluate more than just the performance numbers,” added Taylor. “We also make an effort to account for all other variables, and there is no computer program that can do that for us. We do a lot of research and rely on the experience and expertise of a lot of individuals before making any decisions.”
Smith remains a bit chapped over his minimum adjustment last year following his total domination in St. Louis. The edict was passed down following one race, the opposite of Taylor’s reluctance to produce a knee-jerk reaction.
“I got one race and I sure didn’t run a 6.84,” said Smith. “The conditions were super fast in Valdosta, so we’ll see what happens this weekend. If the air is right, we’ll see a record in Gainesville.”
Chip Ellis finds himself in a precarious position headed into the Gatornationals. He’s now aboard a Suzuki after years of feeling the rules-adjusting pinch of racing a Buell. He’s seeing the parity issue from the other side of the fence now.
“If NHRA will work with us, we’ll have a chance,” Ellis admits. “The quickest Suzuki in testing was a 6.91 and the quickest V-twin was a 6.84. You tell me.”
Ellis said he’s convinced the situation doesn’t require rocket scientist intelligence to determine disparity.
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“The real issue is the V-twins are more forgiving than the Suzukis,” Ellis pointed out. “The real drawback is that you have to make a perfect run every time on the Suzukis if you want to go fast. We have great bikes at DSR and I’m convinced we’ll be alright. I’m still learning the Suzuki routine.
“From what we’ve seen in testing, we see a big difference,” continued Ellis. “You can do whatever you want in testing but it’s not until you get to that first race in Gainesville that you see where everyone stacks up.”
Johnson won’t concede the class will ever push Suzuki out of competition, but he can’t help but notice a push away from the non-domestic manufacturer.
“You know people told me that when it was like 99% Suzuki's and I get mad,” Johnson said. “I put my chest up – ‘heck no man. No way. Suzuki's are here.”
“Man oh man it's a tough deal. Although Suzuki's got a new Hyabusa and that's what they want to promote. As long as the sanction and body creates and fair and equable place not only to market product but also put on a good show, I think Suzuki will be here.
“It's vital for the growth because these companies -- these OEM's -- they spend hundred's of thousands promoting their vehicles, just like the automotive industry, maybe not as much obviously, but they could be here.
“The others -- Yamaha, Honda, and Kawasaki -- Kawasaki has made a foot into our racing with Rob Muzzi, a legitimate deal, if they could just feel like they could have a place to have fair racing they'd be here. They'd be here in a New York second and the real winner of that would be NHRA.”
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