| YAMAHA
SECURES SUPPORT FOR HOT ROD CRUISER
Yamaha signs three-year commitment to support Hot Rod Cruiser class.
Three years after Yamaha announced it
would sponsor a new class aimed at the high performance cruiser market,
Yamaha Motor Corp. has once again inked a three-year commitment to
one of
the most crowd pleasing classes, second to nitro burning, five second,
Top Fuel class. “Outside of Top Fuel, Hot Rod
Cruiser is the most crowd pleasing. It’s thunderous sound is
what the fans love about drag racing”, said AMA/Prostar’s
Keith Kizer.
Motorcycle drag racing was a world dominated by sport cycles. With
the best crate stock machines able to run the quarter mile in 9 seconds,
the thrill of speed comes fairly cheap. After seeing hundreds of
these
machines roll down the track in succession at any of the nine
U.S. Drag Racing Championship events, the crowd let us know that
they were ready for something new and exciting. You could sense a lackluster
feeling in the stands. There was something missing. The
series needed charisma, character, noise, roadworthy looks, or the
combination of them all. The crowd rose to their feet as a different
sound cackled at the starting line. It was the rasp of v-twin engines, packed
into the new generation of stock factory cruisers. Within four years,
the machines progressed from 12-second crowd pleasers,
into 9
second, street legal, track dominators in factory stock drag racing.
This world is the Hot Rod Cruiser class of the AMA/Prostar U.S. Drag Racing
Championship Series.
The Hot Rod Cruiser class has brought great factory battles for the
championship each year between Yamaha and Harley-Davidson. In the classes’ inaugural
season, Jon Cornell won the championship on a Harley. Patrick Racings,
Mark Underwood won the season aboard
a
Yamaha Warrior. The 2003 championship is in a close battle once again
between Rick McWaters on a Harley and Mark Underwood on the Yamaha.
The class has now gained interest from the Kawasaki factory, with
national Funnybike champion Chip Ellis as the rider. Factory rider
and national Streetbike Shootout champion Kent Stotz is building
a factory Honda VTX to compete in 2004. “With a new three-year
commitment from Yamaha to support the class, we feel this will open
up the participation
by both manufacturers and independent racers,” said Kizer. “Yamaha
has given us the support needed to show the sport we are committed
to the longevity and growth of the class.”
Now that Suzuki has announced they will produce their own high performance
cruiser, a Marauder, which mirrors the Kawasaki Mean Streak, each
respective manufacturer will now have a high performance cruiser
model. This will set the stage for an all five major manufacturers
battle in Hot Rod Cruiser. Factory participation is the key ingredient
to
the classes’ success. With the initial record of the class
following the first event of 11.00, set by AMA roadracing’s
Tripp Knobles, the record now stands at an amazing 9.427 seconds
and 140.27 miles
per hour set by Patrick Racing’s Mark Underwood this season.
This shows you the improvements of the stock power of the new models
rolling
off the assembly line since the debut of the class.
The induction of the Hot Rod cruiser class, into the AMA/Prostar
U.S. Drag Racing Championship series, has brought more than just
noise, and speed. It had started a phenomenon. Sport bike rider’s
gaze at the hot rodded machines and many start making space for an
additional bike in the garage.
Some additional facts about Hot Rod Cruiser class
and where it is now:
•
Motorcycle Street and Strip
Magazine has embraced the Warrior, and regularly focuses its attention
to the modified styles and equipment available for it. Initial responses
from readers and fans generally center around ”They finally
got those things looking good” when
referring to the way that drag racers have taken to the bike.
• A four-part story Building a Hot Rod Warrior in the same publication
highlights the parts and modifications available to a stock warrior.
• We have seen a 20% increase in racer involvement per year since the
Hot Rod Cruiser introduction.
•
In 2004, the Hot Rod Cruiser class will feature five OEM’s.
Harley-Davidson, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha. All of these companies
will be represented on the track, and on the AMA/Prostar U.S. Drag
Racing Championship Midway.
AMA Prostar Headquarters
P.O. Box 18039, Huntsville, AL 35804
Contact: Jim Cara
AMA/Prostar Motorcycle Drag Racing
Marketing and Communications
PH: 256-289-3769
FAX: 302-658-3389
jcara@amaprostar.com
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