The smell of hot rubber and burning nitro methane is in the air. Motorcycles racing side by side at over 200 miles an hour cover a quarter mile drag strip in less than seven seconds. It’s all very fast and very loud. Welcome to motorcycle drag racing!
THREE WAYS TO PLAY
While it’s all very exciting, motorcycle drag racing is also very diverse, with three major racing associations sharing the race sanctioning duties. Here’s a quick overview of the sport from all three angles:
The National Hot Rod Association is the sport’s oldest and highest profile form of drag racing. It has a television package on ESPN2 and a history that includes legendary names such as Don Garlits, Shirley Muldowney and Terry Vance to current stars such as John Force, Angelle Sampey and Chip Ellis.
In addition to Top Fuel, Funny Car and Pro Stock automobiles, the NHRA offers one class for drag racing motorcyclists to compete in called Pro Stock Motorcycle. This class was created as a two-wheel version of the popular Pro Stock class for automobiles where full-blown engines power vehicles that have some design similarities to production based machines.
Remaining 2006 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle events:
 9/14-17 - NHRA Nationals - Reading, Pennsylvania
10/26-29 – AC Delco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals - Las Vegas, Nevada
11/9-12 - Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals - Pomona, California
For more information, check online at www.nhra.com.
NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle stars Chip Ellis (left) and Angelle Sampey battle wheel to wheel for a win. Sharon Haak Photo.
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Vance & Hines' John Potts (left) introduces their AHDRA team rider Doug Vancil and NHRA riders GT Tonglet and Andrew Hines. Don Emde Photo.
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The legendary NHRA motorcycle drag race duo of Byron Hines (left) and Terry Vance with their team's 2005 championship-winning machine.
Don Emde Photo.
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The All Harley Drag Racing Association hosts 250-350 competitors and between 7,500 - 10,000 spectators per event. The concept of racing in the AHDRA is found in the name…all motorcycles must be Harley-Davidsons or related 45 to 90-degree v-twins and this criterion applies to street legal and mildly modified motorcycles as well as the faster, nitro-burning motorcycles. The AHDRA has 16 different classes, including:
Top Fuel (TF) - Reserved for nitro burning, unlimited dragsters.
Pro Fuel (PF) - Reserved for nitro burning, unlimited dragsters. This class can run carburetor or fuel injection, high gear 151 cubic inch engines.
Pro Stock (PS) - Reserved for stock appearing, carbureted, Buell, XL, VR and FX based motorcycles with frame and tire restrictions. 160 cubic inch limit.
Pro Drag (PD) - Reserved for nitro burning, carbureted, high gear dragsters with engines up to 121 cubic inch engine.
Pro Gas (PG) - Reserved for alcohol, gas burning high gear dragsters.
Pro Modified (PM) - Reserved for legal and street legal based Buell, XL and FX model motorcycles.
Street Pro (SP) - Reserved for street legal Sportster, Buell, Big Twin and aftermarket based motorcycles. Must have valid registration and license tag (no dealer tags).
A new class this year is V-Rod Destroyer (VRD) - Reserved for Harley-Davidson V-Rod, produced as a purpose built vehicle (VRXSE) Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod Destroyer.
S&S 124-inch Challenge (SSC) - Reserved for street legal V-Twin cylinder configuration motorcycles powered by S&S 124 cubic inch Super Sidewinder Plus Evo style or Twin Cam engine.
Hot Street (HS) - Reserved for street legal Sportster, Buell, Big Twin and aftermarket based motorcycles. Must have a valid registration and license tag (no dealer tags).
V-Rod (VR) - Reserved for 60 degree, overhead cam, water-cooled, V-Twin cylinder configuration motorcycles.
Super Gas (SG) - Reserved for street legal or non-street legal V-Twin motorcycles with any frame configurations. All entries must have a 9.70 E.T. dial-in index.
Super Sport (SS) - Reserved for street legal or non-street legal V-Twin motorcycles with any frame configurations. All entries must have a 10.30 E.T. dial-in index.
Super Eliminator (SE) - Reserved for street legal or non-street legal V-Twin motorcycles with any frame configurations. All entries must have a 10.90 E.T. dial-in index.
Mancuso Harley-Davidson of Houston, Texas is one of many Harley-Davidson dealers around the country that has jumped full bore into AHDRA drag racing, Sharon Haak Photo.
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Vance & Hines rider Doug Vancil "warms up" the rear tire on his AHDRA Top Fuel Harley prior to the start of a recent race at Earlville, lowa. Sharon Haak Photo.
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Remaining 2006 AHDRA events:
9/23-24 - S&S Cycle Jim McClure Nationals Presented by Drag Specialties - Richmond, Virginia
10/14-15 – Screamin’ Eagle Performance Parts Nationals Presented by Drag Specialties - Rockingham, North Carolina
11/11-12 - JIMS Las Vegas Nationals Presented by Barnett Clutches - Las Vegas, Nevada
***Note: Drag Specialties will have Dealer Hospitality at three of these AHDRA events. Ask your Drag Specialties sales rep for more details.
For more information, check online at www.ahdra.com.
Samson Exhaust has stepped up this year to sponsor the Ray Price Nitro Harley Team with rider Tommy Grimes in the AHDRA Top Fuel class. Photo Courtesy of Samson
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Emphasizing that the highway is not the place for extreme riding, AMA/Prostar wants to be the place for street sport fans to experience what motorcycles can do. With 15 different classes for all brands, AMA/Prostar is the largest all-motorcycle drag racing sanctioning body in the world with 3,500 entries per season.
Index Classes include:
Top Gas - 8.20 Index Class. Unlimited Modifications. Similar to bracket racing except all bikes are dialed to an 8.20 time and cannot run quicker.
Super Comp - 8.90 Index Class. Unlimited Modifications. Similar to bracket racing except all bikes are dialed to an 8.89 time and cannot run quicker.
Super Gas - 9.90 Index Class. Unlimited Modifications. Similar to bracket racing except all bikes are dialed to a 9.90 time and cannot run quicker.
Hot Rod Cruiser - Stock O.E.M. cruisers with limited modifications.
Top Fuel - Unlimited engine modification with nitromethane.
Remaining 2006 AMA/Prostar events:
9/9-10 - 40th Annual Buddy Gregg Motor Homes U.S. Motorcycle Nationals - Atco Raceway, Atco, New Jersey
11/3-5 - 18th Annual National Finals - Gainesville Raceway, Gainesville, Florida
For more information, check online at www.amaprostar.com.
Performance Machine is just one of many Drag Specialties vendors that is deeply involved in drag racing. This year they are sponsoring Gino Scali in the NHRA POWERade series. John Potts photo.
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With two wins to his credit thus far in 2006, Chip Ellis has joined seasoned veterans Andrew Hines, Angelle Sampey and Antron Brown as a serious contender for the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle title. Photo by Matt Polito. |
WHO’S IN DRAG RACING
Drag Specialties is the title sponsor of Chip Ellis and the G2 Motorsports NHRA team; AMA/Prostar 6-time Top Fuel Champion Larry “Spiderman” McBride; as well as Official Aftermarket Parts Supplier of AHDRA and sponsor of 6 AHDRA races. “Being involved in NHRA, AHDRA, as well as other forms of racing, enhances our business,” stated Jim Matchette, National Sales Manager at Drag Specialties. “Because of our heritage in the sport, we can build upon this and are able to reach out to all - businesses, customers and dealers and now, with our even deeper involvement in drag racing, we can reach our vendors as well.”
Here’s a look at how some of them are involved:
Barnett sponsors numerous teams including the venerable Samson/Ray Price Nitro Harley Team who won the 2005 AHDRA Pro Fuel Class Champion. Barnett also sponsors Pro Fuel racer John Breckenridge of WFO Nitro Harley, Court Jester Racing, Mike Lewis at Project V, Bob Malloy, Chris Streeter at FBM Racing and Tania Thompson at Fort Bragg Cycles.
Dynojet is the Official Dynamometer of AHDRA.
JIMS sponsors over 35 individual racing teams, including Mark Cox, Samson/Ray Price, Travis Lummus, Chicago Joe and WFO Racing, just to mention a few. JIMS is also an official sponsor of the AHDRA, including title sponsorship of the Vegas Nationals.
Metzeler is the Official Tire of AHDRA.
Performance Machine has teamed up with 2003 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle World Champion Geno Scali who runs a Vance & Hines-powered Suzuki GSX-R.
Pingel sponsors Larry “Spiderman” McBride in AMA/Pro Star competition.
Rucker Performance has been a National sponsor for the AHDRA from 2004 - 2006 as a class sponsor for the Super Gas Class. Just this year, they signed as a Lead National Sponsor of the AHDRA Lonestar Nationals at Texas Motorplex in Ennis, Texas and as the Super Gas class sponsor for the 2007 - 2009 series season.
S&S Cycle: Chairman of the Board of Directors at S&S Cycle, George Smith along with George Bryce, have formed G2 Motorsports to develop the Buell drag race engine and related activities to support its own team race program and to support users of the S&S Buell drag race engines and products. S&S is also an AHDRA sponsor.
Samson Exhaust is the AHDRA Pro Mod Class Sponsor and the Title Sponsor for Samson/Ray Price Nitro Harley racer, Tommy Grimes who took first at the AHDRA 2006 Kresto Pacific Nationals in Seattle, Washington.
Vance & Hines sponsors NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle riders, #1 Andrew Hines and #2 G.T. Tonglet, as well as AHDRA Vance & Hines/Drag Specialties Top Fuel racer, #2 Doug Vancil, who also competes in NHRA exhibition races.
The name Drag Specialties is a tribute to its history and synonymous with drag racing, which is not just a coincidence. Back in 1966, drag racer Tom Rudd and his two drag racing pals tuned and upgraded their Sportsters and Triumphs together in a small shop on Lake Street in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Word got around fast that these three motorcycle mechanics were winning a bunch of races and that promptly drew other racers to their shop for the same horsepower modifications and tuning adjustments, which ultimately resulted in customer wins. That same year, when racing itself was still in its infancy, yet really catching on, Rudd received a telephone call at their shop asking, “Is this Drag Specialties?” and, without giving it any more thought, his reply was, “Yes…yes it is.” Thus the name, thus the racing heritage and just two short years later, in 1968 the very first Drag Specialties catalog was available when the company became incorporated.
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