VANCIL OUT FRONT IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP CHASE AFTER A WIN IN ARIZONA.

Just two rounds into the 2007 AHDRA series, and it's already clear this season's championship hunt could be more competitive than ever in several of the categories.  The Screamin' Eagle Arizona Bike Week Nationals presented by Chandler Harley-Davidson and Arrowhead Harley-Davidson, AHDRA's Western opener, was legitimate proof.

Screamin Eagle Nitro Harley

Rider of the Vance and Hines/Drag Specialties Nitro Harley Doug Vancil took the Top Fuel point’s lead with a win at round No. 2 of the AHDRA series on the first weekend of April.

Vancil is undoubtedly one of the most highly decorated dragbike racers today.  The steadfast Nitro Harley pilot has held numerous performance records and earned a pair of championships in the defunct-IHRA Top Fuel Harley class and the AHDRA championship in 2004.
 
Vancil recognizes the ultra-competitive climate in the category and candidly expressed what it will take to earn the championship in 2007.

"We only won two races last year and it's going to take a lot more than that to get the job done out here," Vancil said.  "It all comes down to consistency."

For 2007, with the help of Vance and Hines, Vancil developed a new beefier 196 cubic inch motor.  The power plant is 37 cubes larger than the 159 cubic inch motor he started 2006 with.

VANCIL OUT FRONT IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP CHASE AFTER A WIN IN ARIZONA.

Just two rounds into the 2007 AHDRA series, and it's already clear this season's championship hunt could be more competitive than ever in several of the categories.  The Screamin' Eagle Arizona Bike Week Nationals presented by Chandler Harley-Davidson and Arrowhead Harley-Davidson, AHDRA's Western opener, was legitimate proof.

Screamin Eagle Nitro Harley

Rider of the Vance and Hines/Drag Specialties Nitro Harley Doug Vancil took the Top Fuel point’s lead with a win at round No. 2 of the AHDRA series on the first weekend of April.

Vancil is undoubtedly one of the most highly decorated dragbike racers today.  The steadfast Nitro Harley pilot has held numerous performance records and earned a pair of championships in the defunct-IHRA Top Fuel Harley class and the AHDRA championship in 2004.
 
Vancil recognizes the ultra-competitive climate in the category and candidly expressed what it will take to earn the championship in 2007.

"We only won two races last year and it's going to take a lot more than that to get the job done out here," Vancil said.  "It all comes down to consistency."

For 2007, with the help of Vance and Hines, Vancil developed a new beefier 196 cubic inch motor.  The power plant is 37 cubes larger than the 159 cubic inch motor he started 2006 with.

"Byron Hines helped me iron out a few of the problems we were having with the extra displacement." Vancil said. "I'm excited about its potential."

After being defeated in the second round of the 2007 AHDRA season opener in early March, Vancil climbed back into championship contention with the victory in Arizona. Surprisingly Vancil's new stronger engine wasn't a major factor in the win.

"We just had to detune the heck out of the motor because the track was marginal and we were hazing the tire at the eighth mile," Vancil said.  "We won but it wasn't pretty. The track was terrible.  It was like ice. We didn't run really well, but we ran well enough to get the win."
 
In the final both Vancil and Larry "Drums" Brancaccio fishtailed through what seemed to be a slick launch pad.  Vancil fell behind but was granted the win when Drums crossed the centerline.

"Right before the final they drug the track and then they sprayed it," Vancil said.  "It seemed like it was okay for some of the other classes, but it just wasn't setup to handle Top Fuel. Both Drums and I got out of shaped big time.  I shut mine off.  He stayed in it and ended up taking out the cones."

Vancil says his quick decision to let out of the throttle early was a blessing in disguise and helped him avoid a dangerous situation.

"I figured I wasn't going anywhere so I lifted and it was a good thing because he came over into my lane and my bike kind of pulls to the left a little," Vancil said.

Vancil is hoping Phoenix will represent just one of his many victories in 2007.  But for now the former AHDRA champion is taking things the proverbial "one race at a time."

"I'm excited about the upcoming St. Louis event.  We always seem to run well there," Vancil said.  "We are going to go through the engine, tranny, rear wheel, pretty much the entire bike before the race. We'll be ready."

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

Click to visit our sponsor's website

Jims Pro Fuel

2006 West Coast Pro Fuel champion John Breckenridge was eager for a trip to the winner's circle after being defeated by Jay Turner in the Gainesville final a month prior.

"I'm very happy. We're trying out a new motor and my crew chief Dean caught on to the combination really quick," said Breckenridge, who's career best is a 6.54.  "We struggled a bit on Saturday but had it figured out by Sunday."

Breckenridge defeated his rival Armon Furr in the semis with a rapid pass of 6.69 to Furr's wounded 8.17. Just don't ask him how.

"It was a big win over Armon.  He has really been our arch nemesis," Breckenridge said.  "I'd tell you what kind of tune-up we had in it, but every time I ask my crew what they are doing to the bike they tell me not to talk. I'm just the monkey that twists the throttle."

That set the stage for a rematch from the Gainesville final, only this time it was Breckenridge who had the performance advantage and lane choice over Turner.
 
"Having lane choice helped.  We had a little edge on him because he had been smoking the tire throughout the day," Breckenridge said.  "But I knew Jay would be tough.  He's a great racer and I have a lot of respect for him."

In a crowd pleasing side-by-side final Breckenridge held off Turner with a 6.67 to Turner's 6.77.

"It was a good neck and neck race," Breckenridge said. 

Breckenridge thanked Bardahl Oil, Barnett Clutches, NGK, and Union Iron Workers.

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

Click to visit our sponsor's website

S&S Pro Stock

Junior Pippin, 53, has won five championships in the last seven years, and led the Pro Modified points chase for a full three consecutive seasons.  For 2007, due to the recent AHDRA class restructuring, Pippin now competes in Pro Stock.  However his dominance remains intact.

Pippin is a perfect two for two in 2007 after winning Gainesville and Phoenix.  At the outset of the Arizona Bike Week Nationals Pippin wasn't sure if back-to-back event victories would even be possible.

"We had some serious problems in testing on Friday, and we really didn't know what to expect for the weekend," Pippin said.  "The racing Gods smiled on Junior and we made it."

Pippin qualified on the pole with an 8.09, and in the final he ran an 8.16 to defeat the 8.34 of Bruce Beltramini.

Pippin thanked Stone Mountain Harley Davidson, Lozano Brothers Porting, Rats Hole Place, Dale Raudenbush, and his girlfriend, Lisa.

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

Click to visit our sponsor's website

Kresto Pro Drag

After winning a pair of races in 2006 - Sturgis and Woodburn, Will Simplot garnered his first event victory of 2007 in Phoenix.  However, Simplot will remember this particular race as one of his most difficult victories yet.

"It was a really challenging weekend for us," Simplot said.  "We struggled with the bike. We kept dropping cylinders, the thing was running hot, and we were having electrical problems."

Simplot qualified in the No. 2 spot of the seven-bike field with a run of 7.57 at 172 mph behind Gainesville runner-up Rick Moore, who took the pole with a 7.54 at 175 mph.

Simplot defeated Chris Kirby and Wink Eller to advance to the final to take on Moore.  Simplot collected the event victory in unusual fashion - by disqualification when Moore lost fire in the burnout box and had to restart his motorcycle in order to make the run, a violation of AHDRA rules.

Both bikes launched off the line and, at the moment, it appeared Moore had captured his first victory of the season with a 7.56 to Simplot's 7.77.

"When I got to the far end of the track I thought we had lost.  I was pretty dejected," Simplot said. "Then they gave us the news and we had to run around like a chicken with our head cut off to get to the winner's circle.  It was pretty exciting."

Simplot thanked Competition Cycle and Edwards Greenhouse.

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

Click to visit our sponsor's website

Rush Performance Exhaust Pro Gas

And the winner is.....

How is it possible to have a sturdy 12-bike field of top-notch Pro Gas competitors, which includes the likes of multi-time winners Mike Lozano and David Feazell, and end up without a winner?

The answer in its simplest form is mechanical problems.

Drag racing, especially heads-up no break-out drag racing, has been known to take quite a toll on the high performance components of a machine. It's not uncommon for a competitor to lose a round after breaking a part.  Nearly anyone that has ever been to a race has witnessed what the safety crew calls a "slow roller" - a racer coasting to the finish line after some sort of malfunction on his or her machine.

Coincidentally for No. 1 qualifier Lozano, 7.32, and No. 2 qualifier Feazell, 7.59, those mechanical gremlins surfaced during the same round - the final nonetheless.  Lozano was unable to make it to the staging lanes for the run and Feazell, who seemingly had a free pass into the winner's circle, broke before he had the chance to stage.

No winner was declared and both finalists were awarded runner-up points and purse.

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

Click to visit our sponsor's website

Samson Pro Modified

Randy Borho won two races last season. Over the winter, in accordance with new class rules, he switched from a two carburetor set-up to a one carburetor set-up and has successfully been able to keep his performance solid with little maintenance. The victory was the second straight for Borho. 

Borho qualified second in the nine-bike field with an 8.97, behind the 8.81 of pole-sitter Greg Krenik.  (Krenik’s 8.81 was good enough for a new record).

"My crew chief did a great job finding the right tune-up," Borho said.  "We've been slowly dialing it in."

Borho defeated Dana Conley in the opening round with a 9.03 and ran an 8.86 during his quarterfinal bye run.

Borho points to his semifinal win over Krenik with an 8.87 to Krenik's 8.93 as the most challenging race of the day.

"It was a real close race," Borho said.  "Fortunately I was able to motor past him."

Borho defeated Greg Kuypers in the final with an 8.97 to a 9.33.

Borho thanked Latus Motorsports.

a d v e r t i s e m e n t

Click to visit our sponsor's website

McCaa’s Enterprises Street Pro

With powerhouses like Andy Simon, who dominated Street Pro in 2006, and defending Hot Street champ Bruce Croneberger in the Street Pro class, it's been tough for guys like Zach Johnson.  In Phoenix Johnson battled adversity to earn his first trip to the winner's circle since Gainesville of 2006.

"It was pretty hectic," Johnson said.  "We've got a new motor an we're trying to get the clutch set-up.  The track has been really inconsistent and that made it even more difficult."

Johnson qualified second with a 9.19, behind the 8.86 of pole-sitter Andy Simon.

"We rode through a few wheelies and my crew chief David Boss did a pretty good job of setting the bike up," Johnson said.
 
"The clutch slipped a little first round but we were still able to pull through," Johnson said.  "It did the same thing in the second round, but we finally got it figured out for the final."

In the finals Johnson had the daunting task of facing off against last years Street Pro king pin, Simon.  In one of the closest finals of the day 9.23 was enough to hold off Simon's 9.24.

Johnson thanked Barnett Clutches, PMFR, David Boss, Hals Speed Shop, Mac Tools, and Rance Aluminum.

Screamin Eagle V-Rod Destroyer

L.E. Tonglet, V-Rod Destroyer winner from Gainesville, continued his dominance and remarkable consistency in the category at the Arizona Bike Week Nationals.  Tonglet won the event and qualified on the pole with a 9.11, more than two full tenths ahead of the No. 2 qualifier.

"It was a long trip out here," said Tonglet who lives in Louisiana.  "But having a great weekend like this makes it all worth it."
 
"We qualified No. 1 and stayed in the 20s most of the day," Tonglet said.  "It was all because of my dad and my crew.  They did a great job with the bike."

In the final Tonglet defeated No. 4 Gene Thomason with a 9.37 to Thomason's 9.47.

"It was my toughest race of the day," Tonglet said "I got the hole shot on him a little but he came back strong.  It was a good final."

Screamin Eagle V-Rod

Screamin Eagle V-Rod No. 2 plate-holder means business when he says he's winning his long awaited championship in 2007. Point leader Edmondson followed up his win in Gainesville with another at the Arizona Bike Week Nationals.

Edmondson was pleased with his own performance throughout the weekend and is firmly focused on his goal of winning an AHDRA title in 2007.

"The V-Rod ran great for me all weekend.  In the final Terry (Vaughan) and I left with identical reaction times and I wheelied a little," Edmondson said.  "We're still dialing in the new Metzeler tire that we are running.  I'm looking to win the No. 1 plate for Eagle Harley- Davidson this year."

Edmondson thanked Eagle Harley-Davidson and Elvis, “The Clutch Man” and Dick Fish.

Drag Masters Hot Street

Drag Masters Hot Street boasted a solid 11-bike turnout in Phoenix, led by Gainesville runner-up Bruce Croneberger's 10.26 in qualifying.  Behind Croneberger was Copper Stubbs at 10.30, Gainesville winner Charley Douglass at 10.48, Charles Cannon at 10.51, and Dan Norlin at 10.58.

Norlin upset Stubbs in the quarterfinals to earn a semifinal bye into the final.  In a rematch from the Gainesville final Croneberger defeated Douglass in the semifinal with a 10.32, which granted him lane choice in the final.

In the final Norlin ran his best pass of the weekend and Croneberger was again bridesmaid as Norlin took the win with a 10.32 to Croneberger's 10.46.

"I adjusted my rear tire pressure down to 14 pounds and just gave it everything I could out of the hole," Norlin said.  "We were pretty even at the eighth and then I just pulled away."

Norlin thanked Sun Harley-Davidson and Buell.


S&S 124 Challenge

Mike Roberts earned his first S&S 124 Challenge event win of the 2007 season, but it didn't go as smoothly as he had hoped.

"I'm glad we got the win but it was a terrible weekend," Roberts said.  "There were only four bikes in the class and two of them broke. We almost did too.  We tried to fire up the bike on Sunday morning and found that it had no oil pressure."

Roberts qualified on the pole with a 9.81, ahead of his only challenger Grover Inks, who ran a 10.29.  Roberts says he knew he was going to have some mechanical issues with the bike after qualifying.

"We had been having some serious oiling problems," Roberts said.  "Luckily we went all throughout the oil pump and found a broken piece.  The bike came around and made it through the day."

In the final Roberts defeated Inks convincingly with a 9.35 to Inks 10.34.

"I knew he was capable of some low ten-second runs and if I made a mistake he would be right there," Roberts said. "I'm glad we were able to get the win."

Roberts thanked Joes Hog Shop, Andy Simon, Charlie Cannon, and his crew.

Rucker Performance Super Gas (9.70)

Multi-class competitor James Surber had an exceptional showing in Super Gas to earn his first national event victory in over five years.

"It's incredible to have a win in the AHDRA," Surber said.  "It means a lot to me."

Surber, who also competes in Pro Stock, qualified his V-Rod Destroyer in the No. 7 spot with a 9.75.

"Running two classes made the weekend pretty hectic," Surber said.  "We had some problems in Pro Stock that were making things difficult.  Thankfully, the Destroyer was making things easy for me in Super Gas."

Surber's second run in qualifying was a 9.76. Surber ran 9.79. 9.81, and 9.82 en route to the final against Joe Colchico.

In the final Colchico was first off the line with a .029 to Surber's .092 but Surber was closer to the index and took the win with a 9.83 to Colchico's 9.90.

Surber sent a special thanks to his sponsors and his wife.

S&S Super Sport (10.30)

Two-time AHDRA champion Julia Holliday took the pole position in Super Sport with an impressive lap of 10.30 at 110 mph.  She was followed closely by a competitive field of over 25 riders.

On race day it was the consistency of No. 27 qualifier Roger Bickmore and No. 6 qualifier James Peattie that prevailed.  Both advanced to the final with Bickmore taking the win with a 10.32 to Peattie's 10.27.

Pingel Enterprise Super Eliminator (10.90)

In Pingel Enterprise Super Eliminator qualifying, three riders ran dead-on 10.90s.  Gary Douglass took the pole with a 10.901, followed by Jeff Farnum, 10.905, and Laura Miller, 10.906.

Of the 24 competitors entered in Super Eliminator, it was a pair of AHDRA veterans that emerged.

Bill Rowe Jr. and Roberta Seaman had a great battle in the final.  Rowe Jr. was near perfect off the starting line and was able to hold off Seaman's 10.93 with a run of 10.98.

The win was the first of Rowe's career.

"I was 0 for 5 in finals before this race.  It feels great to finally get the win," Rowe said. "The key was getting the bike to run consistent in the heat of the day."

Rowe thanked Crossroads Harley-Davidson, Rowe's Cycle Shop, his wife, his boys, and Tracy Kile.

Screamin Eagle Performance (11.50)

Qualifying in SEP was fierce.  Just to break into the top ten a rider would have to run 11.57 or better.  Danny Harvey took the top spot with an 11.50, followed by Dan Norlin's 11.51, Roger Bickmore's 11.53, Randy Monte's 11.54, and Charlie Walker's 11.55.

In eliminations not one of the top five qualifiers was able to reach the final. Instead it was Stan Sheppard and multi-time AHDRA champion Donnie Huffman who survived the longest.

Sheppard, who qualified tenth, cut a solid .055 light and caught Huffman sleeping with a .155.  Sheppard's 11.51 was enough to force Huffman under with an 11.47.
 
Syn 3 ET

At the conclusion of qualifying multi-class competitor and defending Super Gas champion Bob Drapp locked up the Super Gas pole position and appeared to be headed to yet another event victory.  Sunday wasn't quite as fortuitous for the 9.70 champ, who was upset early in the day.  Drapp was able to bounce back with a commanding win in Syn 3 ET instead.
 
"I went out early in Super Gas after qualifying No. 1," Drapp said.  "I was pretty disappointed.  Winning ET was a nice way to end the weekend."

In the final Drapp defeated Screamin' Eagle V-Rod winner Larry Edmondson with a 9.69 on a 9.68 dial-in to Drapp's 10.90 on a 10.82.

"The final round was the closest run of the day for me," Drapp said.  "We were pretty even at the finish line.  Lucky for me he ran under."

Drapp thanked his wife, Jordan Cruz and Donnie Huffman

Next up for AHDRA’s Screamin’ Eagle Championship Series is the Gypsy Rendezvous National’s at Gateway Int’l Raceway, St. Louis, MO.