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Firebird International Raceway
Elevation 1100'
P.O. Box 5023
20,000 Maricopa Road
Chandler, AZ 85226
602-268-0200
www.firebirdraceway.com
2006 AHDRA Arizona Bike Week Nationals
Race Report provided by Jack KorpelaIt's not easy to follow a record-breaking season opener. Round No. 2 of AHDR's- Screamin' Eagle Performance Parts Championship Series from Firebird International Raceway in Phoenix, AZ April 8th-9th didn't disappoint. The Screamin' Eagle Arizona Bike Week Nationals had nearly everything the Gainesville race did a record shattering performances, gorgeous weather, and a tremendous field of top notch v-twin powered drag bikes.
Screamin Eagle Top Fuel
The 2005 Top Fuel championship wasn't decided until the final race of the season in Las Vegas. Eventual champion Mike Romine and former champion Doug Vancil battled all year for the coveted crown. With a convincing win at the first race of the season Mike Romine sent a clear message to the rest of the field- he doesn't plan on giving up the top spot anytime soon. However round No. 2 of the series, the western opener provided Vancil, of Albuquerque, NM, an opportunity to send a message of his own. Vancil won the event with a solid cluster of runs in eliminations and climbed up in the point's series. The 2005 Top Fuel championship wasn't decided until the final race of the season in Las Vegas. Eventual champion Mike Romine and former champion Doug Vancil battled all year for the coveted crown. With a convincing win at the first race of the season Mike Romine sent a clear message to the rest of the field- he doesn't plan on giving up the top spot anytime soon. However round No. 2 of the series, the western opener provided Vancil, of Albuquerque, NM, an opportunity to send a message of his own. Vancil won the event with a solid cluster of runs in eliminations and climbed up in the point's series.
In qualifying Top Fuel upstart Tommy Grimes, who recently switched from a Pro Stock Suzuki to veteran Ray Price's Nitro Harley, continued his strong performances with a 6.43 at 218 mph to take the pole position.
Romine qualified second with a 6.50 at 212 mph, followed by Ron Houniet with a 6.55 at 215 mph, Doug Vancil at 6.56 at 215 mph, and Takeshi Shigematsu at 6.61 at 210 mph.
In opening eliminations Grimes remained impressive and set low elapsed-time of the round with a 6.47 at 217 mph to take out Tracy Kile's wounded 10.98 at 83 mph. Romine didn't fall far behind and posted a 6.52 at 207 mph to oust Tom Schwartz's 7.94 at 163 mph.
Because of the competitive nature of a 21-bike field, narrowed to 16, nearly every Top Fuel racer shares the same sentiment û no round or opponent can be taken lightly. The validity of this philosophy was epitomized in the opening round's two major upsets. No. 3 qualifier Houniet red-lit by a mere -.013 and handed the win to No. 14 qualifier Ken Kent of Edmonton Alberta Canada. Fifth-qualifier Shigematsu fell on similar hardship. Shigematsu could only muster a 7.95 at 192 mph while 12th-qualifier Joe Timmons of Salt Lake City, UT, cruised by for the win with a 6.88 at 203 mph.
Bill Furr, who came into the race second in points after a runner-up finish in Gainesville, missed an opportunity to take the points lead and was defeated in the opening round by Jay Turner who ran a 6.62 to Furr's 6.88. Vancil advanced to round No. 2 with a 6.66 at 210 mph to beat ôChicagoö Joe's 9.25 at 105 mph.
Sixth-qualifier Steve Dorn and eighth-qualifier Jack Romine were also among the first round victors with Dorn defeating Griz Robinson and Romine taking out a broke Mike Scott.
The upset trend continued into round No. 2. Top qualifier Grimes, who went 6.47 in round one, hit a timing device for a disqualification and handed Jack Romine a free trip to the semifinals. Brother Mike Romine advanced to the semifinals as well by recording low elapsed-time of the round with a 6.65 at 190 mph for a narrow margin of victory against Turner's 6.69 at 205 mph.
Dorn slowed to a 6.83 at 196 mph in round two, but it was still enough to overcome Kent's 7.43 at 179 mph.
In the final second round match up Vancil got the lucky break that racers long for. Vancil encountered problems with the clutch and the bike slowed to an 8.99 at 114 mph. Fortunately for him Timmons faced mechanical woes of his own and couldn't catch up with a 14.12 at 55 mph.
And so it was, the field was narrowed to the elite final four û Jack Romine vs. Vancil, and Mike Romine vs. Dorn. The pairings provided for an opportunity at an all-Romine brother final or even a Vancil and Mike Romine rematch.
Dorn on his brand new Team Latus Harley-Davidson ride wasn't a big fan of either of those storylines and decided he was going to make some history of his own by upsetting defending champion Mike Romine with a 6.71 at 203 mph to Romine's 6.89 at 168 mph.
Vancil improved significantly from his near defeat in round two and bettered Jack Romine with a 6.57 at 210 mph to Romine's 12.02 at 62 mph.
In the final Vancil and Dorn provided one of the best side-by-side races of the weekend. Vancil's Vance and Hines-backed machine left the line with a slight .122 starting line advantage over Dorn's .165 bulb. Vancil was able to retain that narrow lead the entire length of the drag strip, taking the win with a 6.62 at 206 mph to Dorn's 6.64 at 207 mph.
Jims Pro Fuel
Burlington, NC-based Jay Turner entered Phoenix as the JIMS Pro Fuel points leader after a commanding season-opening win against Steve Simmons in Gainesville. Turner was as quick as 6.69 in Gainesville but broke several parts in the final round. In opening qualifying it appeared that the costly Gainesville final had Turner searching to find the 6.69 tune-up. His best effort in Phoenix on day-one was a 7.60 at 188 mph to make the eight bike field in the No. 7 spot.
Defending class champion Chris Streeter of Cleveland, OH, apparently left his mechanical problems behind and returned to form with a 6.96 at 193 mph to capture the No. 1 qualifying position. Patrick Fenderson, of Twin Falls, ID, qualified second and was the only other Pro Fuel competitor to run into the six-second zone with a 6.97 at 189 mph. Armon Furr, son of Nitro Harley driver Bill Furr, qualified his-60 degree Furr Dixie motor third with a 7.10 at 184 mph.
Chicago Joe rounded out the field with a 7.89 at 191 mph.
In round No. 1 of eliminations Chicago Joe was unable to make it up to the line, so the good news for ninth-qualifier Charlie Robinson was that he was able to race as an alternate. The bad news, however, was that he would have to take on top qualifier Streeter in the first round. Streeter took the win with a 6.95 at 194 mph.
Fourth-qualifier Toni Froehling of Sumner, WA, was upset by rookie and fifth-qualifier Jim Fagan, who ran a 7.28 at 188 mph to Froehling's 7.61 at 171 mph. Turner's qualifying troubles carried over into race day and he was defeated by Fenderson with a 7.02 at 190 mph to a 7.33 at 186 mph. Furr ran his best pass of the weekend at 7.07 to advance to the semis and take out sixth-qualifier Julian Seaman.
In the semifinals both Streeter and Fagan slowed from their previous runs as Streeter was able to hang on for a near win and his first trip to the finals in 2006 with a 7.27 to Fagan's 7.31.
Likewise Fenderson couldn't match his pervious run of 7.02. He fell off to an 8.60 and was defeated by young Furr's 7.60 at 161 mph.
Furr went on to dominate in the final. Furr banked a .106 to .122 holeshot on Streeter and outran him 7.07 to 7.26. The Pro Fuel victory was the first for Furr since 1999.
Kresto Pro Drag
One of the worst buzz kills in all of racing occurs when a racer qualifies No. 1 only to be defeated in the opening round. Such was the case with 2005 No. 5 plate-holder Greg Byrnes, who qualified on the pole in Gainesville only to be upset by Rick Casas in round one. Byrnes used that misfortune to fuel his motivation for the Phoenix race, where he was determined not to be denied.
Rick Moore, of Reading, PA, qualified his S&S-powered ride No. 1 with a 7.37 at 169 mph. Gainesville runner-up Willie Herschberger was second with a 7.47 at 170 mph followed closely by Boise, ID-based Will Simplot, who ran 7.71 at 168 mph. Byrnes best effort landed him in the No. 4 spot of the eight-bike bracket with a 7.74 at 168 mph.
Everything went according to plan in the opening round and each of the top four qualifiers advanced to the semi-finals.
In the semis top qualifier Moore couldn't get the bike all the way down the track under power and Byrnes got his much needed redemption, taking the win and a trip to the final with a 7.86 at 153 mph to Moore's 20.27 at 42 mph.
Herschberger advanced to his second consecutive Pro Drag final, taking out Simplot with a 7.54 at 164 mph.
In another classic side-by-side final round Byrnes defeated Herschberger on a holeshot with a .120 light to a .161 and a 7.50 at 170 mph to Herschberger's quicker but losing 7.48 at 171 mph.
S&S Pro Gas/ Pro Stock
For the second consecutive race S&S Pro Gas and Pro Stock were combined, making for a diverse and competitive 10-bike field in Phoenix.
Dale Raudenbush, who advanced to the semis in Gainesville, led the field in qualifying by more than three tenths of a second with a 7.52 at 172 mph. Joe Sternotti was second with a 7.86, followed by Scott Pollachek at 7.93 and Stan Sheppard at 7.96.
Despite the strong performances of the front runners, it was No.6 qualifier Karen Wagner of Escondido, CA, who emerged as lady luck on race day.
In round one Wagner defeated defending class champion Mike Lozano with an 8.36 at 157 mph. Lozano broke and slowed to a 26.66. It's been a trying start to the 2006 season for Lozano, who failed to make the field in Gainesville.
Wagner got a broke bye in round two when second qualifier Sternotti backed out of the beam for a foul. Even sweeter for Wagner, she was awarded a competition bye in the semis.
On the other side of the ladder Raudenbush ran a 7.51 at 173 mph to win in round one but was unable to make it down the track for the rest of the event. Third qualifier Pollachek scored wins against Patrick Skahan and Sheppard with elapsed-times of 8.03 and 7.97 before receiving a bye run in the semis.
In the final Wagner's streak continued and Pollacheck slowed to a 12.17 at 65 mph which wasn't nearly quick enough to catch Wagner's 8.32 at 147 mph.
Samson Pro Modified
In Samson Pro Modified two-time class champion Junior Pippin scored his second straight pole position of the year, this time with an 8.30 at 157 mph.
With two straight No. 1 qualifying spots it's hard to argue against Pippin.
Shaun Reno of Gloucester, VA, was second with an 8.39 followed by Bruce Beltramini of Fort Worth, TX, with an 8.42, Mark Venia of Toledo, OH with an 8.44, Herb Dhuet of Houston, TX with an 8.57 at 152 mph, Greg Krenik of Corrales, NM with an 8.60, and Dave Brill of Vancouver, WA, who rounded out the seven-bike field with a 9.02 at 148 mph.
Pippin cleared his way to the final with an 8.61 in his opening round bye run and an 8.29 to defeat Dhuet's 8.56 in round No. 2. On the other side of the ladder Reno and Beltramini advanced to the semis. Beltramini broke handing Reno a free trip to the finals. However Reno encountered some hardship of his own and was unable to run Pippin in the final round. Pippin took the easy victory with an 8.21 at 157 mph.
With the absence of Gainesville winner Matt Smith of G-Squared Pippin was able to regain control of the points lead by winning the event.
G-Squared Street Pro
The nonattendance of defending class champion and record holder Travis Lummus from G-Squared Street Pro seemed to leave the door open for the #2 plateholder- Zach Johnson, who dominated the tour's first race. In Phoenix, however, it was a new face, Andy Simon of Fairless Hills, PA, who emerged as the category's dominant rider and waged an all-out assault on the record books.
Simon qualified at the top of the field with a sensational record run of 8.74 at 155 mph which bettered Lummus' record of 8.83 at 153 mph. Johnson, son of well noted custom bike builder Kendall Johnson, qualified second with a 9.05 at 150 mph.
On race day Simon made it clear that he wasn't content with the 8.74 in qualifying and intended to further lower the mark. Simon took it nice and easy on his bye run and rolled to a 9.04 at 152 mph. In round two he got back on the gas hard and defeated No. 4 qualifier Dave Thew of Whittier, CA with an 8.77 at 154 mph to Thew's 9.68 at 143 mph.
On the other side of the ladder Johnson scored a first round win over No. 7 qualifier Jeff King of Muscatine, IA, with a 9.79 to King's 10.17. Johnson went on to defeat No. 3 qualifier- Verl Smith of Rainier, OR with a 9.32 at 146 mph to Smith's 9.52 at 144 mph.
In the final Johnson banked nearly a full tenth advantage on the tree, but his 9.72 at 139 mph was no match for Simon's new record blast of 8.71 at 155 mph. Simon also reset the 1/8th mile record with a 5.584 at 129.60 mph.
With the win Simon ascended to second in the points, behind leader Johnson.
Screamin' Eagle V-Rod
Screamin Eagle V-Rod No. 2 plate holder Larry G. Edmondson Jr. of Battle Ground, IN, won the opening race, but not the way he wanted to. Edmondson was declared the winner after the disqualification of teammate and defending class champion Jamie McNaughton, who ran his street tire bike in the ôslicks onlyö groove on the racetrack. Phoenix provided Edmondson the opportunity to get the victory the way he wanted it in Gainesville û by reaching the finish line first in every race.
In eliminations Edmondson didn't miss a beat. He advanced to the final with runs of 9.78 and 9.66 to beat out No. 8 qualifier Damien Rustebakke and No. 4 qualifier Robert McConnell.
McNaughton and Vaughan won in round one with respective elapsed-times of 9.62 and 9.87. McNaughton was unable to make the semi, giving Vaughan a broke bye to the final.
In the final Edmondson became one of the elite AHDRA 2006 two-time winners with a 9.52 at 140 mph. "Vicious" Vaughan left before the tree was activated.
Drag Masters Hot Street
Round no. 2 of the AHDRA Drag Master Hot Street Series included a fresh new nine-bike field of mostly west and mid-west-based riders. The one glaring exception amongst the field of mostly Texans, Louisianans, Coloradoan, and Californians, was defending class champion Mike Roberts from Clinton, OH.
In qualifying No. 2 plate-holder Dan Norlin won the pole position with a run of 10.33 at 130 mph. Roberts was second with a 10.37 at 130 mph. Gainesville winner and points leader John Burdynski was fifth with a 10.58 at 124 mph.
In a critical round No. 2 showdown Burdynski lost to Norlin, who ran 10.71 at 128 mph to Burdynski's 10.78. Norlin followed it up with a semifinal victory over nemesis Roberts with a 10.39 at 130 mph to Roberts' 10.57 at 119 mph.
No. 3 qualifier Cleve McConnell of Shreveport, LA, also advanced to the final with wins over Robert McConnell and Jacky Landry with elapsed-times of 10.66, 10.49, and a 10.45 in his semi-final bye run.
In the final Norlin cut a great .043 light to McConnell's .123 and held on for the win with a 10.40 to McConnell's 10.44
Screamin' Eagle V-Rod Destroyer
Phoenix provided western AHDRA members an opportunity to compete in a class specifically designed for Harley's brand new state-of-the-art factory drag bike.
One of the category's biggest advocates and one of the first men fortunate enough to ride a Destroyer late last season, Tripp Nobles of Macon, GA, qualified on the pole with a run of 9.40 at 140 mph. The run seemed near flawless but it was apparent that the Phoenix atmospheric conditions were a far cry from that in Gainesville which provided several runs in the 9.20s.
Erik Ryder of New Orleans, LA, was second with a 9.45 at 140 mph, followed by Daniel Harvey of Farmington, NM, who ran 9.50 at 138 mph. The top 10 qualifiers ran at least 9.61 or better.
In eliminations Nobles displayed remarkable consistency and proceeded to the final with winning elapsed-times of 9.45, 9.43, 9.41, and 9.42. Ryder and Harvey displayed similar consistency and eventually met up in the semi-finals. Ryder red-lighted away a potential winning elapsed-time of 9.51 to Harvey's 9.56.
In the final Harvey left before the tree was activated, but he would have needed every bit of starting line advantage he could get to have beaten Nobles on his Las Vegas Harley-Davidson sponsored ride. Nobles laid down low elapsed-time and top speed of the meet with a 9.39 at 140 mph.
S&S 124-inch Challenge
Defending S&S 124 Challenge class champion Michael Ray absolutely dominated the opening race in Gainesville. Ray qualified on the pole, won the event, and set low elapsed-time of the meet.
After day one of qualifying in Phoenix it appeared that not much had changed. Ray qualified on the top of the ladder with a 9.58 at 138 mph. Robbie McCaa of Anaheim, CA, was closest to Ray with a 9.75 at 138 mph to land him in the No. 2 spot. Mike Roberts of Clinton, OH was third with a 9.93 at 137 mph and represented the last of the three bikes in the nine second-zone. Overall there were six entries.
In round-one Ray took an easy win over No. 6 qualifier Lance Bonham with a 9.61 at 137 mph. Ray then advanced to his second straight final with a 9.58 during his bye run in the semis.
McCaa and Roberts also won easily in their first round match up running elapsed-times of 10.05 and 9.68. Roberts then went on to upset McCaa with a 9.72 to a 9.85.
In the final Roberts delivered his quickest run of the weekend at the perfect time as Ray slowed to a 9.91.
Rucker Performance Super Gas (9.70)
34-entries showed up in Phoenix to do battle in the Rucker Performance Super Gas category. At the conclusion of qualifying four different riders had run right on the 9.70 index, providing for an extremely competitive field. Veteran Donnie Huffman came closest with a near-perfect 9.701 at 122 mph. Shawn Vantucci (9.702), Joe Boyd (9.705), and Greg Krenik (9.706) were among the others to hit the 9.70.
Despite the impressive qualifying numbers neither of these riders would advance to the final. Instead it was 10th qualifier Valerie Thompson and 25th qualifier Blake Holliday who made it to the final round. Thompson was unable to make the final and Holliday took the bye run win with a 9.53.
S&S Super Sport (10.30)
Joe Boyd of Helendale, CA, seemed untouchable in the S&S Super Sport 10.30 index class. After qualifying fifth Boyd went on a tear of solid reaction-times and consistent elapsed-times in the 10.30-zone. Boyd advanced to the final to take on No. 15 qualifier Eleanor Walker of Brandon, MS, aboard the 1997 Sportster.
In a ultra competitive final Boyd cut an .047 reaction time to Walker's .060 and ran a mere five-thousandths of a second closer to the index with a 10.481 to Walker's 10.486.
Performance Corner Super Eliminator (10.90)
On Saturday evening it was clear that Dennis Sacco of Las Vegas, NV was going to be tough to beat on race day.
Sacco qualified third with a 10.90 at 116 mph behind No. 2 qualifier Scotty Hooper of Cullman, AL, and pole-sitter Charlie Walker of Brandon, MS.
In eliminations Sacco outlasted Cullman and Walker and went on to the final to take on multi-class competitor Donnie Huffman.
Sacco gained nearly a tenth of an advantage on the starting line and cruised past Huffman with a 10.91. Huffman broke out with a 10.86.
Screamin' Eagle Performance SEP (11.50)
The always tough 11.50-index SEP category included a full 32-bike field in Phoenix. In fact there were a total of 35 entries and three riders failed to make the show.
Dan Klann qualified No. 1 with a run of 11.50 at 114 mph. In the end no one had an answer for KW Seneca, of Irving, NY who advanced to the final all the way from the 18th qualifier spot.
In the final Seneca met up with one of AHDRA's most accomplished bracket racers, Dan DeGood, of Mountain Top, PA. Seneca collected a huge starting line advantage of a tenth-and-a-half of a second and was able to roll off the gas and take the easy win with an 11.60. DeGood who has announced this race season as his last- went on to break out trying to catch up with an 11.46.
Syn3 ET
Syn3 ET was decided by the narrowest of margins. Jeff Lange of Sierra Vista, AZ, took the win with an 11.06 on 11.00 dial in the final. Robert McConnell of Greenwood, LA, finished in the runner-up spot.
Next up for the Screamin' Eagle Performance Parts Championship Series is the Rucker Performance Lone Star Nationals, April 22nd & 23rd at Texas MotorPlex.
Photos provided by Matt Polito.
Weasels are not associated with AHDRA, but they do supply this media directly to us measly weasels.
