NHRA U.S. NATIONALS - PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE NOTEBOOK
Keep up with this weekend's Pro Stock action in Indianapolis by reading our behind-the-scenes event notebook. Noted journalist Bill Walters will bring you the stories behind the numbers and win-lights throughout the course of the weekend. Tune in daily for the latest news from the pits.
 |
||||||
 |
||||||
 |
||||||
MONDAY NOTEBOOK - FANTASTIC FINAL, 1ST ROUND COUNTDOWN BLUES, EXTRA JITTERS, ARANA BREAKS OUT, RIVAS ROLLING, TREBLE TROUNCHING
TREBLE TERRIFIC IN LABOR DAY TRIUMPH – The final round in Pro Stock Motorcycle featured No. 8 Countdown hopeful Craig Treble, who showed everyone he was serious about winning the championship with his final round berth, pitted up against the Southern steamroller, Matt Smith. Smith entered the final as the defending champ and the POWERade point's leader but the pressure may have been too much, Smith lost his chance to repeat with a -.003 red light start, handing Treble his first career victory at the U.S Nationals. Treble also sent a solid message to the rest of the pack that he is more than capable of stealing the POWERade crown on his Team Tigue Suzuki. It was his second victory of the season and 11th of his NHRA career and it also vaulted Treble into second in the Countdown point's battle.
Treble didn't even qualify for the Countdown playoffs until eliminations at the rain-delayed race in Maple Grove two weeks ago, when Matt Guidera defeated Chris Rivas, thus giving Treble the final spot.
"I have to tell you," said Treble with a winning smile, "Matt Guidera is my biggest hero in drag racing right now. That guy saved my butt, that's the bottom line, and I showed my appreciation by taking him out in round one today. What kind of guy am I," said Treble laughing.
"It was a crazy day, we're not the fastest bike out there but when you have a crummy barometer the Suzuki's don't run as fast as the V-Twins. So we had to bracket race today. I just did what I do and I don't know if there's anything spectacular but I got me a really bitchin' trophy.
"This race is huge, it’s a big deal," said Treble, who won in Englishtown earlier this season. "This is the biggest win of my entire life. And I've won some races and I won the K&N deal out here in 2002 and that was a big payday. Going into Memphis, guess what, we've got a better barometer down there. Dallas has a killer barometer down there, so I'm excited, really excited.
"I wasn't a big advocate of the Countdown," concluded Treble, "of course after we made it I love it."
COUNTDOWN RIDERS CUT IN HALF AFTER ONE ROUND – It was a particularly tough session for four of the racers qualified for the Countdown to Four. Peggy Llewellyn, Angelle Sampey, Karen Stoffer, and Eddie Krawiec all lost in the first round of eliminations, putting them behind the eight ball in the point's battle.
THE COUNTDOWN JITTERS – The family friendly fraternity of the tightly knit Pro Stock Motorcycle riders displayed a variety of emotions going into Monday's eliminations at the U.S. Nationals, Those racers in the NHRA Countdown to Four had more than just the prestige of Indy to think about.
ANGELLE WORKING OVERTIME - U.S. Army Pro Stock Bike rider and three-time NHRA world champion Angel Sampey expressed how her feelings have changed just prior to pre-race ceremonies.
"We're going to have a whole different outlook from now on," continued Sampey. "It should be that always, but this (Countdown) just puts it in a whole different perspective. It adds a little bit more excitement for us.
"As always at this race we're as stressed out as we can because it's so big and with all the sponsor obligations and all the events that go on, they're tearing Antron and I into twelve different pieces. My voice is a little strained because we do so many different engagements. And then you add on the pressure of the beginning of the Countdown and on top of that we struggled this weekend. I'm only No, 12 qualifier, so this is probably one of the toughest races so far out of the whole year for me.
"Hopefully things will turn around today on race day and we'll end up where we need to be," concluded Sampey.
SMITH STARTING TO FEEL IT – Matt Smith admitted right before first round on Monday that he was beginning to feel the pressure on the Countdown to Four, but he was quick to point out it wouldn't distract him during eliminations.
"I feel it a little bit," said Smith when asked about any Countdown jitters. "We got to go up there and win first round today and just take one round at a time. That's how we're going to get in the final four come Vegas. We need to go one round then the next and the next. You don't look to winning races, you just go up and try and win a couple of rounds."
Smith, the defending event champion, advanced to the finals by steamrolling through Henson, Rivas and main rival Chip Ellis before throwing away a victory with a foul start against Craig Treble in the final round. Smith, who entered the event in first place in the point's race used his runner-up finish to hold on to the point's lead going into Memphis by 50 points over second place rider and event winner, Craig Treble.
ELLIS CONTINUES LOKKING STRONG – Chip Ellis entered Monday's eliminations feeling extremely confident after a stellar string of good performances during qualifying. Ellis earned his second No. 1 qualifying position of the season with a 6.948 and his Drag Specialties S&S Buell crew also won the Full Throttle Pit Crew Challenge award.
"I tell you man, the Drag Specialties S&S Buell has been running good," said the No. 1 qualifier prior to the first round. "I'm just really happy to be here, the weather is so beautiful and this is the real deal here. This is when it's time to shine and I'm feeling real confident today. With a bike like I have I'm just going to go out here and try on the win light and we'll see what happens after that.
"I don't feel the pressure with the Countdown," said Ellis, "I think the pressure is on everybody else at this point, as fast as our bike is. It just up to me to go out there and cut some consistent lights and shift on time and I'll be set."
JOHNSON ENTERS RACEDAY IN THE SIXES – Steve Johnson made a great qualifying effort on the Snap-on Tools Suzuki with a 6.986 /190.83 mph to make the top half of the field in the No. 7 spot and supply plenty of confidence going into eliminations.
"Obviously we just need to do our job," said Johnson as he prepared for the first round. "It's a big race and there's the kind of excitement we'd all love to be apart of at the end of the day. It has to come down to doing your job. We're all about doing our job today and cutting a good light, going straight down the track.
When asked about having lane choice Johnson offered this response.
Johnson outran powerful rookie rider Peggy Llewellyn in round one, defeating the George Bryce protégé with a 7.083/188.81 mph and advancing the quarterfinals where he faced red-hot Hector Arana.
SURPRISE OF THE EVENT – There is no doubt the former Floridian turned Indianapolis resident, Hector 'The Hammer' Arana, enjoyed the most surprising surge of performance the in Pro Stock Bike class this year's U.S. Nationals, qualifying in the top half of the 16-bike field for the second consecutive event.
Arana made the quickest run during all five rounds of qualifying on his Lucas Oil-sponsored ride with a stunning career-best of 6.954/190.83 mph and one was run away from being the No. 1 qualifier. Unfortunately Chip Ellis stole the top spot from Arana on the last run of qualifying with a stellar 6.948 elapsed time. Arena, who hadn't qualified No. 1 in 13 years, was still thrilled with his performance.
"This year is going to be my turn," said Arana, after defeating Mike Berry in the first round. "Especially so I can finally get my Lucas Oil hat! I appreciate Forrest and Charlotte and the Lucas Oil team, my family, all my sponsors and especially all the fans being behind me. People are bringing me pictures to autograph from my first year here in 1990. So all I can say is thanks."
Arana remained in the spoiler role and was still running well in the second round, dispatching of Steve Johnson with a 7.046/189.20 mph, and went on to face matt Smith in the semifinals.
TREBLE HAS THEM TREBLING – Craig Treble enjoyed a successful weekend at the U.S. Nationals aboard the Team Tigue Suzuki. Treble, who entered the race eighth in the eight-bike Countdown, qualified in the No. 6 spot with 6.978/192.11 mph and defeated Matt Guidera in round one with a 7.033/190.54 mph.
"It's pretty hot out there," said Treble afterward. "The track's a little bit greasy. They put a great tune up in this thing and we ran .03 in the heat. I felt a little bit late on the tree, I guess I was three-hundredths late, but we came around him so going on to one more round at the U.S. Nationals.
Treble didn't need to worry about his reaction time s in the semifinals when his opponent, Andrew Hines, was disqualified with a red light start, handed the win to Treble who improved in the hot conditions to a 7.060. He lost lane choice to surprising Hector Arana in the semifinals.
Treble was undaunted against Arana in the semis, making a consistent run with a 7.112/187.63 mph to advance to the final round. Treble also continuing to earn valuable points towards the Countdown to Four in Las Vegas, and also taking the early momentum in the playoff race to Las Vegas.
Treble's steady approach earned him the win and the well-fought victory, his first career U.S. Nationals title, after fellow finalist Matt Smith left too early with a red-light. The win boosted Treble all the way from the last playoff spot to second place in the Countdown to Four.
RIVAS' RUN ENDS IN THE SECOND ROUND – Chris Rivas missed the Count to Eight and his shot at the NHRA world championship by a mere 11 points, less than one round win. And for a while he seemed to be on a mission at the U.S. Nationals to prove he should have made the elite eight. Rivas qualified his 2006 Buell in the No. 5 position with a great 6.977/189.47 mph, out-qualifying five Countdown participants; Craig Treble, Peggy Llewellyn, Karen Stoffer, Angelle Sampey and Eddie Krawiec. Rivas seemed to be emerging as a dark horse threat to win the event and upset some of the higher funded teams.
Rivas won his opening round battle to Angelle Sampey with a great 7.024/188.70 mph and cut an excellent light (.005) in the quarterfinals, but he lost to Matt Smith after mechanical failure ended his day prematurely.
"We've had this high gear situation that's been going on," explained Rivas, "where the bike doesn't seem to like high gear. It seems to only happen during eliminations. During qualifying it seems to be alright but you can't get enough laps out a high gear."
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
SUNDAY NOTEBOOK - ELLIS DOMINATES/CHANGING QUALIFYING STRATEGIES/BRYCE BABBLE/STOFFER READY
BY THE NUMBERS – All eight of the riders in the NHRA's Countdown to Four qualified for the U.S. Nationals. Five riders made the top half of the field and there were seven riders overall that ran in the sixes, four of which were in the Countdown. The best effort of any non-Countdown participant was Chris Rivas, who qualified in the No. 5 spot with a 6.977. Sreamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson rider Eddie Krawiec made the poorest qualifying effort of the eight riders in the Countdown with a 7.067 to qualify in the No. 14 spot.
FALLOUT FROM THE BATTLE – Most of the competitors in Saturday’s Ringers Gloves Battle were ready to get back to qualifying mode on Sunday. With few exceptions, most teams came to Indy with two different raceday set-ups.
ELLIS DOMINATES - Number one
qualifier and Ringers Gloves runner-up Chip Ellis was eager to hit the track on
Saturday and at the end of the day it was easy to see why. Ellis stole the top
spot on his final qualifying effort with a stunning 6.948/192.00 mph to claim
the ORP track elapsed time record for the bikes with his second No. 1
qualifying effort in the last two races.
"I feel great about what happen yesterday," said Ellis. "To finish runner-up to the champ says a lot for our team. We were second best yesterday but I think we had an engine that was going a little sourer. We put a fresh bullet in it this morning. I'm really confident; I've been driving well and cutting good lights so we're going to try this new motor out this morning to see what happens. I think we're going to go fast, I feel good about it.
"The winds have died down a little and I think the 6.97 can be improved upon and I think the Drag Specialties S&S Buell is the bike that can improve upon it."
After securing the top spot for the seventh time in his career with his incredible 6.948, Ellis was somewhat reserved in the press room.
"I think this morning we could have run a 6.91 or 6.92 but for some reason the bike shut off for three-tenths of second and we knew when we saw that that it was going to be fast," explained Ellis. "We were shooting for a .96 or a .97 and I got down to the end of the track and Alan Reinhart wouldn't tell me how fast I ran, so I knew it must have been pretty fast.
"The guys back at the shop have been working really hard finding horsepower for this Countdown," continued Ellis. "We've been testing a lot all through the whole season and now it's back to basics. We found some horsepower and we're really going to make a run for it."
GEORGE BRYCE-HAVE BIKES WILL
WIN – George Bryce was more than happy to share his attitude about racing at
the U.S. Nationals this weekend.
"We unloaded with the bike to beat for Chip," said multi-talented crew chief Bryce. "After the first run Friday I thought we had everything going the way we wanted it, but it slowed down a little bit on every run and we kept blaming it on conditions. But when the conditions got better and it slowed down again we decided to change bullets.
"So we put another bullet in because now today is another day, another race. This is like qualifying for the U. S. Nationals now. Really, Friday and Saturday was about the battle and now we're trying to get Chip and big George (Smith, crew chief) and Ken to get all their ducks in a row for the race tomorrow by qualifying this new motor for tomorrow."
Ellis' new power plant preformed flawlessly and the Drag Specialties bike dominated Saturday's performance, running a pair of 6-second runs with a 6.990 and the quickest run in qualifying during the final session his sunning 6.948/192.00 mph
LLEWELLYN RIDING BRYCE
HORSEPOWER TO SUCCESS – George Bryce not only helped Chip Ellis during the U.S.
Nationals but his attention was really on successful rookie racer Peggy
Llewellyn.
"Peggy ran really well with the motor she had in her Klement Motorsports Buell on Friday and Saturday. But we've wanted to run two engines this weekend because we treat the event like two races," explained George Bryce, who made Llewellyn his primary focus in Indy."
"Even though she wasn't in the Ringer Battle," confided Bryce, "we were able to make three runs. Now we're putting in a fresh motor today and we're going to try and tune it run it for tomorrow also. Peggy continues to improve at very race."
As far as Sunday's conditions, Bryce was feeling positive."
The conditions are better so far," concluded Smith. "We run at 11 o'clock this morning and that will be our lap. The wind blowing half of what is was the last two days and that's going to make a big impact on the motorcycles. The temperature will be a little lower this morning, but its going to get hot today. It should be at least as hot today as it will be tomorrow, so the first shot this morning will be the best one and the one this afternoon is probably going to be the slowest one."
Llewellyn qualified in the top half of the 16-bike field in the No. 8 spot with a 7.011/ 190/19 mph and will race Antron Brown during the first round of eliminations on Monday.
STOFFER STILL STOKED – Gieco Motorcycle rider and two-time 2007 winner remained extremely confident going into the final day of qualifying at the U. S. Nationals with none of the Countdown pressure seeming to show. Stoffer was looking forward for the opportunity to improving her performance and move up from here current No. 10 qualifying position.
"I think the morning session is going to be the hit right now. The wind is kind of at our back instead of in our face and it's an early morning session so I think this is going to be the one that counts. This is the one that is going change up the ladder a little bit as it sits. I want to at least maintain but I'd like to shoot up to the top half. I think the bike capable of running a six we just need to have the entire package there to do it."
Stoffer remained in the No. 10 position going into Monday's eliminations and will race against Steve Johnson in round one.
BROWN STILL REMAINS HUNGRY – Just because U.S Army Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Antron Brown failed to make the cut for the Countdown doesn't mean he's lost any of his competitive edge. He appears hungrier than ever for a win before the 2007 season concludes.
"I out here just to do the best I can for the U.S. Army and the soldiers over there," said Brown patriotically. "We didn't make the Countdown this year but my main focus is to win as many rounds as I can and hopefully we can win some races before the year is over. I'm not out there to spoil anything, I'm out there to win, and that's what it's all about."
Brown ended qualifying in the No. 9 position with a best of 7.018 at 188.31 mph and will race rookie Countdown participant, Peggy Llewellyn.
SMITH SET FOR SIXES – The early morning conditions were cool and no Pro Stock Motorcycle rider was looking forward to qualifying than Matt Smith.
"There should be a couple of sixes," said Smith assessing the conditions. "There will probably be four or five sixes this morning. Hopefully the Torco Race Fuels Buell will be the fastest. If the bike goes straight and we 60-foot good we'll run a 6.96, maybe a 6.95. My bike hasn't gone straight yet. Everything's there and we should go right to the top if we go straight. You gotta go straight to get that good E.T."
Smith definitely got his Torco ride headed in right direction with a best of 6.977 to grab the No. 4 spot.
JOHNSON JINXED – Steve Johnson is as happy as with his bike as he may have ever been entering the 53rd U.S. Nationals.
"We've got a really good bike," said Johnson optimistically. "But we haven't had much luck. We had engine problems and on Saturday's last qualifying session we didn't even make the run due to transmission problems. This is the greatest place in the world to make runs but right now we're still happy because we think this morning is going to be the fast run. We just don't have a tune up like everybody else does and we just haven't made any good runs. But we have a six-second run in it."
Johnson definitely knew what he was talking about after he blasted to an impressive 6.986/190.83 mph to qualify in the No. 7 position. Johnson will have lane choice with his Snap-on Tools Suzuki over Countdown participant Karen Stoffer.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
SATURDAY NOTEBOOK - PERFECT CONDITIONS/TAKING OFF THE GLOVES/QUALIFYING AND RACING ALL AT ONCE/THREE-PEAT FOR HINES
HINES REBOUNDS WITH RINGERS
WIN – Andrew Hines began the weekend with a terrible run Friday night,
then
tore through the field on Saturday to win the Ringers Gloves Pro Stock Bike
Battle after disposing of Antron Brown, Matt Smith, and Chip Ellis to take home
the $25,000 winner's purse. Hines also ended the day in the No. 2 qualifying
position on the strength of his 7.007 aboard the Screamin' Eagle Vance &
Hines V-Rod during his win over Brown. He improved to 7.005 in the Ringers
final against Ellis.
"This is just amazing," said Hines, as he acknowledged the fans going down the return road after his victory. "The fans out here are really what make us strive to be our best. They support us one hundred percent. I just can't say enough to my entire crew, they've given me an awesome motorcycle time in and time out. And to bring four races home (his brother Matt won the event in 2004) for Vance & Hines in four years is just stellar my book. They've done an awesome job and I can't thank Ringers enough also for what they've done for this battle; its just been getting better and better and hopefully there's better things ahead for the Pro Stock Bike class.
"That's eight wins for Vance & Hines in 12 years, so hopefully we can keep that going in the future. It's just nice to have three under my belt right now. We're on a high note right now and hopefully we can roll this over and take $10,000 from NHRA's pocket (with a win on Sunday).
ELLIS OFF TO RAPID START –
North Carolinian Chip Ellis roared to the number one spot on Friday and
continued to look good during the Ringers Gloves Pro Stock Bike Battle aboard
the Drag Specialties S&S Buell. Ellis defeated Craig Treble in round one of
the Ringers event and remained qualified in the top spot following two
sessions.
Ellis went on to defeat Angelle Sampey in the semifinals of the Ringers Battle with another consistent 7.020 but lost the final round to resurgent Andrew Hines. Despite the disappointing loss, Ellis finished the second day of Pro Bike qualifying in the No. 1 position after three sessions, with two remaining to set the field on Sunday.
HALF AND HALF – Only four of the eight Pro Stock Motorcycles participating the Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle on Saturday were able to qualify in the top half of the 16-bike field during Friday's lone qualifying session. The winner will take home a cool $25,000 and the stage seems to be set for some big upsets.
SIX IN THE COUNTDOWN QUALIFY WELL – Six riders that are involved in the Countdown to Four looked impressive after the first three rounds of qualifying were completed on Saturday at The U.S. Nationals. Number one qualifier Chip Ellis, Andrew Hines, Karen Stoffer, Peggy Llewellyn, Matt Smith, and Angelle Sampey all made the top half of the field, with 29 motorcycles attempting to make the prestigious 16-bike field
Chris Rivas, who just missed the Countdown, made a strong qualifying effort with a 7.016 to grab the third spot, and surprise late season powerhouse, Floridian Hector Arana, qualified the Lucas Oil Buell in the No. 7 position with a fine 7.044.
Countdown contenders Craig Treble and Harley rider Eddie Krawiec struggled slightly. Treble ended the day qualified 10th with a 7.076 and Krawiec was 11th with a 7.078. Krawiec was surprisingly upbeat following the third session after making his best run of the weekend and fourth best of the round.
"I'm pretty
happy," said Krawiec. "We're just starting to work on this Screamin'
Eagle Vance & Hines V-Rod. Matt (Hines) is back there tweaking the screws a
little bit at a time and I think he's starting to get a handle on it. It's a
new motor, so I'm pretty happy." 
PICTURE PERFECT – It would hardly be fair not to mention the absolutely fantastic weather at the 53rd U.S. Nationals. Saturday was just about as beautiful as you could imagine with cool mornings, clear blue skies and mild temperatures all day. It set the stage for some fantastic racing and a very comfortable atmosphere for the spectators.
WINDY CITY BLUES – Speeds were down a little with the Bikes due to a steady headwind that was blowing almost straight down the track toward the starting line on Friday and switched to a crosswind on Saturday. Most riders echoed the same feelings, agreeing that the wind didn't affect the elapsed time as much as the top end speed.
MORE ENTHUSIASM OVER THE EXCELLENT CONDITIONS – "The conditions are good," said Matt Smith, "looks like have a big headwind that'll slow us down. We hold the track record here but I expect that to be broken."
It was, with a 6.970 by Smith's former teammate Chip Ellis during Friday's night opening Pro qualifying session.
"This is gorgeous weather," said crew chief George Bryce with a grin. "Where would you rather be and how much better would you like for this to be if you could? With all this opportunity and the weather to be like this. The only thing that's a little bit of a negative is the headwind. If that wind was to turn around you'd probably see 6.80's out here."
TAKING OFF THE GLOVES – I asked some of the riders in the Ringers Glove Pro Bike Battle if they approached qualifying differently because of the race within a race as they battle for cash while still trying to qualify for the U.S. Nationals.
"We've approached this really hard so we can come out here and win this money," Matt Smith said confidently. "We went and tested, we've made 20-some runs on the dyno since Reading and we went testing at a race track with the Cagnazzi team and stayed up until three o'clock in the morning. So we've done a lot of work and a lot of testing and I think we've got ourselves ready to go,"
"We tested well here," says Steve Johnson, "so the confidence level will be up. I'm going to try and kill the tree and I'm going to try and ride perfect every single time. A lot of times I just roll up there after talking to somebody and having a lot of fun, because this is a fun race, and I throw my leg over and go down the track. This time I'm going to try to really focus on every run.
"Being a part of the Ringers specialty race is the richest single motorcycle race in the history of the sport. To win the Ringers $25,000, besides being prestigious, is the money. Money is what makes these motorcycles go fast and what keeps these guys motivated and gets them to dig deep to find a performance advantage."
"We've never been really great at qualifying," said Karen Stoffer. "We never had all four good consistent passes. So to us, yeah we're going to change it (our qualifying strategy). It's going to be a race for us. We were able to come out here and test a little bit and that gave us some information. We're trying to get back to the way we were in the beginning of the season and we've seemed to accomplish that, so that's the theme we'll be running with today and tomorrow."
Stoffer, who is making her first appearance in the specialty event, is just the second female to qualify for the elite 8-bike field. Unfortunately she lost to matt smith in the first round but still finished the day qualified No. 4 with an impressive 7.018.
SAMPEY READY TO FUFILL
RESUME – 3-time POWERade world champion Angelle Sampey has been in
the Ringers
Gloves battle 11 times and it remains the one thing that has eluded the current
national elapsed time record holder and winningest female Pro driver. Sampey
took the first step in her quest for the $25,000 winner's purse by defeating
Snap-on Tools rider Steve Johnson in the opening round with a respectable 7.048
at 184.17 mph, good enough to finish the second qualifying session anchoring
the top half of the field in the No. 8 position.
"Today is huge. Today is $25,000," Sampey said. "So hopefully we'll do the best job we can. There's more is this motorcycle, I made a couple of mistakes just now. We'll get this U.S Army Suzuki in the winners circle with the grace of God and maybe we'll bring that check home finally."
Unfortunately red-hot No. 1 qualifier Chip Ellis defeated Sampey during the semifinals of the Ringers Gloves Battle. She still finished the day qualified in the top half of the field in the No. 8 spot.
TROUBLES A PAIR – Both energetic Pro Stock Bike competitor Steve Johnson and good natured U.S. Army rider Antron Brown had their motors fall silent following their burnouts prior to their third qualifying attempt. While it is unclear why they had to abort their runs, Johnson still remained qualified solidly in the No. 12 position with a 7.091 and Brown was in an even better position in the No. 9 spot with a 7.070. Both riders will have two more chances to improve on Sunday.
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - GEORGE 'THE PSB GURU" BRYCE/LLEWEWLYN FEELS A RUSH/COUNTING CHIPS/STOFFER’S STILL ATTITUDE/NO SOILS FOR JOHNSON/SMITH FOCUSED
ALL
CHIPS ARE IN – Chip Ellis began NHRA's first 'second season' by trying to be
more aggressive than he usually is at the beginning of the year. Ellis is prone
to getting off to a slow start when the season begins but he entered the U.S.
Nationals with a new game plan.
"Man, I'm just going to go out here and make laps like business as usual," drawled Smith. "Just kind of redeem myself for the last couple of races. I've been kind of flat but the bike has been running good. My focus is solely on cutting lights, so that's what I'm going to do.
"We've been pretty much testing all year," said Ellis, "the guys back at the shop stumbled on some more horsepower and I think it shows in our performance in the last three races (two No. 1 and one No. 2 qualifier and a pair of quarterfinal finishes).
"All though it doesn't show in my reaction times, the bike's been stellar. The guys back at the shop; Ron, Daryl, Derrick, my crew chief Ken Johnson, and George Smith for making the tune-up calls, they make the bike fast … it's up to me now.
"We didn't get off to real good start this season," Ellis said, "Since we get to start over again I'm ready!"
Team owner Smith, in his first effort as tuner on the S&S Buell, gave Ellis the horsepower to make the first 6-second run in Pro Stock Motorcycle ever at ORP with a stunning No. 1 qualifying effort of 6.970/188.78 mph. "George Smith is doing a great job and think without the headwind we could run even quicker tomorrow night."
LLEWELLYN WILL
"RUSH" INTO THE COUNTDOWN -
NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Peggy Llewellyn will
have some help in the performance department during the beginning of this
weekend's Countdown to the Championship with the help of Rush Racing Products,
a leading V-Twin performance exhaust manufacturer.
The
Indiana-based company will inaugurate their primary sponsorship of Llewellyn's
Karl Klement Racing Buell today at their home race, the Mac Tools U.S Nationals
at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis.
"We met Peggy at the Motorcycle Dealer Expo last February in Indianapolis," said
Rush Racing president Lou Pringle. "She's very personable and very excited
about her racing program. Peggy really wants to win, and qualifying for the
Countdown proves that. She's got a great team behind her and a great owner in
Karl Klement. The real deciding factor in this deal was sitting across the
table from Karl. In addition to Peggy, we bought into the man behind this race
team."
"Our associate sponsor Tucker Rocky introduced us," Klement said
about meeting Pringle. "Now they've decided they want to be our marketing
partner for the rest of this season and all next year, and we're tickled to
death. They're getting on board at the right time."
In their first full season of racing, Llewellyn and the Klement Racing Team
made the cut for the Countdown to the Championship, which starts with the U.S.
Nationals. With only the top eight in the POWERade point standings eligible to
compete for the season championship it makes the U.S. Nationals, known as
"The Big Go", bigger than ever.
"It's
a huge accomplishment to be in the Countdown," said co-crew chief Shane
Maloney. "There are a lot of really good motorcycles that didn't get in.
We're peaking at the right time, and having Rush on board as our primary
sponsor is a big confidence booster."
"Peggy and this team are proving we're the real deal," added 6-time
national champion tuner George Bryce, the other crew chief on the KK Racing
Buell. "Having Rush Racing Products on board not only sets us up for the
final push this year, but also gives us a tremendous launching pad into the
2008 season."
"I'm really excited that they're coming on board," said Llewellyn.
"We're gonna show them that they picked the right team to help showcase
their products."
"Having Rush Racing Products as a marketing partner is a perfect
fit," added Klement. "Rush has been leading the way in muffler
performance since 1993. Their attention to detail to maximize performance in
every muffler they produce is the type of commitment we want on our team, and
we're proud to have them on board as our primary sponsor."
"We're relatively picky about where we spend our advertising
dollars," finished Pringle. "And the profile of Peggy and the Klement
Racing team works well with the way we go to business. By partnering with Karl,
we have associated our brand with one of the best team owners in Pro Stock
Motorcycle, but also one of the finest and most marketable riders. Peggy will
be featured at one of our dealerships in each market that she races in.
Together, I think we'll be a great team. We have every confidence that the Rush
Racing Products Buell will be competing for a Pro Stock Motorcycle
championship."
LLewellyn ended the first day of qualifying in the No.3 position with a 7.029/187.34 mph
STOFFER
THRILLED TO BE IN COUNTDOWN – Karen Stoffer appeared eager as she waited for
her chance to take part in the NHRA's first Countdown to the Championship at
Indy.
"This is really special because we're in the first Countdown, for this team that's huge," said Stoffer. "We made some first's this year; we've won two races this season and qualified for the Ringers Glove. We've progressively moved forward during the 2007 season. To just be 'in it' with all the great riders we have is awesome. With all the great manufacturers we have out here now; with Buell's, V-Twins, and V-Rods and all that, it makes a huge statement about this Gieco Suzuki motorcycle. I'm excited but it's just a race that's the part I love, going down the race track."
GEORGE BRYCE 'PRO STOCK BIKE GURU' – Multi-talented Motorcycle crew chief and teacher, George Bryce, was kind enough to give us his impressions of the new Countdown format, as well as some other thoughts.
When asked if he thought this year's race held more significance than past events, he said, "It's pretty much another piece of asphalt and another Mickey Thompson tire," smiled Bryce. "Everything before you go to the starting line is different and everything after the starting line is different, but really and truly it's just another piece of asphalt. Number one on my mind is what's going through the driver's head and what the tune-up is all about. That's what I think about. Not the hype, not the Countdown, its all about this particular lap."
Bryce also noted that if the wind changed direction, fans could witness a possible national elapsed time record this weekend.
JOHNSON SMELLS GREAT!!! – You might think that Snap-on Tools Suzuki rider Steve Johnson, who just missed making the Countdown to Four by mere points, would relish the chance at playing 'spoiler' and derailing some of his teammates championship hopes. But nothing could be further from the truth.
"The last thing in my mind is to be a spoiler," Johnson said sincerely. "We have an awesome team, I may have stubbed my toe a little bit and didn't get in the Countdown, but for a guy out here racing 20 years plus trying to do this as my sole living I feel a certain amount of frustration and failure.
"I feel like I'm not part of the group," Johnson said. "It's a real bummer. But as far as being a spoiler, I don't want to be a spoiler. What I want to do is lead our team and win races. That's what I'm all about."
Johnson qualified No. 9 on his run Friday with a 7.091/187.83 mph
SMITH ON TOP – INTENDS TO STAY - Matt Smith's Torco Racing Fuels ride has arguably been the most consistent and well performing Pro Stock Motorcycle all season. It's no wonder that Smith seemed rather calm as he prepared for qualifying on Friday. As the NHRA POWERade points leader with three victories in 2007 he was composed and focused for this year's U.S. Nationals.
"We trying to feel like it's another race,” offered Smith. "It's the biggest race of the year if you look back at the record, and we can actually say we're one of the few people who've won it. Winning it would be great but what we're focused on right now is staying in that final four.
"That's what we're after right now, we're after a championship. If we can get a race win great but the main goal is to go rounds and get ourselves in the position to win this championship."
Smith opened qualifying with a 7067/180.07 mph to finish the first session in the sixth spot.
THURSDAY NOTEBOOK - SMITH LOOKING TO MAINTAIN, JOHNSON WANTS TO REPEAT MINUS CONTROVERSY AND ANGELLE SAYS GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN...
STAY ON TOP – Matt Smith has an Indy objective that looks simple on paper, but difficult in reality. He is looking to stay on top of the very competitive Pro Stock Motorcycle points.
Sitting as the top seed headed into the Countdown to Four, Smith is excited and anxious to get things underway. As the reigning U.S. Nationals Champion, Smith is looking to make it two in a row this Labor Day Weekend.
“My Torco Race Fuels Buell is ready,” said Smith. “We have refreshed everything over the last few days and ran some incredible numbers at Rockingham this past week. I am so pumped up about Indy this weekend. I won it last year and have my hopes set on doing it again. Every round is important from here on out.”
Smith continues to lead the Pro Stock Motorcycle field, but now by only a mere 10 points, due to the Countdown format. He is focused and is looking to stay atop the field for the rest of the season.
GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN – While most of her competition will be stressing out, Angelle Sampey intends to focus on the fun part of it all. That’s an easy task when your bike is running ahead of the pack.
“My U.S. Army Suzuki has been running well in recent races, so I feel confident that we can get off on the right foot in Indy,” said Sampey. “Of course, I also have to do my job handling the motorcycle.”
Sampey suffered a disappointing final round loss in Reading, Pa. two weeks ago after she was disqualified for hitting the 1,000-foot timing cone.
“That was a tough one,” she offered. “But, we need to forget about that race since we’re sort of starting fresh this weekend.”
The Louisiana resident will start the Countdown in second-place, 10 points removed from leader Matt Smith.
“It’s going to be fun the rest of the way,” she said. “Every round from this point on will be incredibly important. We just have to limit our mistakes if we’re going to be world champs.”
BRING THE A-GAME - Pro Stock Motorcycles might be under more stress than any other category this weekend.
The top eight riders have just three races (the U.S. Nationals, the O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals in Memphis and the O'Reilly Fall Nationals in Dallas) to qualify for the third and final round of the Countdown (the other pro categories will have four races). The third round of the Countdown will feature the top four riders and they will have two events (Las Vegas and Pomona, Calif.) to win the 2007 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle championship.
It all starts with the U.S. Nationals. Professional qualifying begins Friday and wraps up on Sunday. Final eliminations are on Monday.
HE’S BRINGING HIS – Andrew Hines didn’t get to be the champion by ignoring the obvious.
"Everyone is going to bring out their best stuff because not only is this the biggest and most prestigious race of the year, but also we are all going to try and make the final four cut," Hines said. "Right now we don't know what other teams have in the bank and I think we're going to see some head-turning performances this weekend from the entire category."
Hines said he has done a few things differently in order to prepare for this season's U.S. Nationals. The Vance & Hines Motorsports team is located in Brownsburg, Ind., not more than a mile from the track. The team moved there from Trinidad, Colo., in 2004.
"We've been lucky enough to be able to do a lot of testing at the track this year," Hines said. "Last year I fouled at the starting line and just threw the race away. I really felt like I had a bike that was capable of winning the race and I blew it. So I want to make up for that this year and the testing has helped me prepare for the race."
YOU’RE KIDDING ME? - The year was 2005 and Steve Johnson had just made the turn off at the finish line. Johnson was sure he’d won what was admittedly a very close race against Matt Smith.
But, as his motorcycle rolled to a stop and he lifted the visor on his helmet, his worst nightmare was coming true – the photographers and television reporters were heading towards his opponent.
“I lost?” he asked incredulously. “This can’t be happening,” but it was. Smith grinned and happily thanked his team in the foreground, while in the background Johnson sat astride his motorcycle, head down, dejected.
The race was so close the ESPN broadcasters replayed the entire race, concentrating on the finish line, and then a not-so-funny thought began to enter every viewer’s mind – Johnson’s Suzuki appeared to be the clear winner. Not by much, but in drag racing any margin at all is enough.
And while the debate raged among the NHRA officials as to what they’d actually seen on their screens, Smith received the accolades of the fans and media.
Less than 24 hours later the NHRA made one of the toughest, yet fairest decisions, in its history. They declared Johnson the winner of the 2005 NHRA U.S. Nationals.
Alas, by then the fans, the photographers and everyone else had long since deserted the race track, and there was no one with whom Johnson could celebrate, so his “official” winner’s circle appearance was put off until the following weekend’s POWERade Series race.
“That was a lot of fun,” Johnson said, “but it wasn’t like getting to celebrate with my teammates and friends in Indy. This time around I’m hoping we can make that celebration the real thing, on Labor Day Monday afternoon, with the fans, with the media, and with our sponsors. It’s time for history to repeat itself – without all the controversy!
FIRST TIME - This will be the first time that Eddie Krawiec will be going to the U.S. Nationals with a chance of not only qualifying, but winning rounds too.
"This is the most historic race on the tour and I'm looking forward to going there with such a strong team," Krawiec said. "I've been there three or four times before but have never qualified. But I've also never had a team like I do now. I have a great motorcycle under me and a great team that is going to be ready for anything and that makes this year's U.S. Nationals even more exciting."
Krawiec is just looking forward to the possibility of being one of the elite group of racers to have claimed victory at the U.S. Nationals.
"This is obviously going to be an exciting weekend for me because going to the U.S. Nationals is a highlight for every racer but to go knowing it's your team's home race makes it even better," Krawiec said. "I can't wait to be a representative of the Vance & Hines and Harley-Davidson groups and go after the win.
"It's going to be really cool being out there knowing I have a shot of winning such an incredible event. The competition is going to be at its best and so will we."
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
 |
Click to visit our sponsor's website
