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A "PRICE" TO PAY IN HEART POUNDING SCREAMIN' EAGLE NITRO HARLEY ACTION AT THE RIVERA ENGINEERING-PRIMO BELT DRIVES ARIZONA BIKE WEEK NATIONALS PRESENTED BY HACIENDA HARLEY DAVIDSON
WINSTON-SALEM, NC, April 8, 2003 - Picture-perfect, sunny skies welcomed visitors and competitors alike to the AHDRA season opener at the Rivera Engineering-Primo Belt Drives Arizona Bike Week Nationals, presented by Hacienda Harley-Davidson at Firebird Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona.
A spectacular finale in the Screamin' Eagle Nitro Harley Top Fuel competition was guaranteed
as veteran riders Bill Furr (Orangeburg, SC) and Ray Price (Raleigh, NC) went head-to-head for
the top prize. Price prevailed over Furr in the first final round appearance between the two
in more years than they could recall.
Price drew the lane choice advantage, giving Furr his first right lane pass of the day. Furr said his bike was leaning left all day, so his focus was keeping the bike pointed right a bit. "The bike sounded great in the burnout, and I was concentrating on running in the right lane and pointing the bike," Furr explained. "There's a button on the bike that I push before the burnout to lean out the motor. After the burnout, I'm supposed to open it to allow the motor to fill with fuel, and after hitting the throttle, I forgot. It's the first time I've ever done that." Furr had a great light - .117 to Price's .143 - but starved of fuel, he was sluggish off the starting line and ultimately paid the "Price". Meanwhile, in the left lane, everything went Price's way with a 6.834 at 207.78 mph over Furr's 7.729 at 190.35 mph.
Entering his 38th season of drag racing, Price qualified third out of thirty-three Screamin' Eagle Top Fuel riders looking for a spot in the 16-bike field. Doug Vancil of Albuquerque, NM, was the #1 qualifier (6.599/212.39 mph) before 66-year-old Price ended his day in the semis.
Ray Price and Bill Furr secured a spot in the upcoming Screamin' Eagle Nitro Harley Top Fuel exhibition at the MacTools Thunder Valley NHRA Nationals in Bristol, TN, on April 25-27. Invitations will be extended to the top fourteen in AHDRA National points after the Phoenix competition; the remaining riders appearing at the exhibition will be announced following confirmation of standings later in the week.
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Tim Kerrigan (Navato, CA) opened up his season in top form with a win in JIMS Pro Fuel competition in a third consecutive final round appearance with Chris Streeter of Cleveland, OH. Streeter qualified in the #1 spot, but Kerrigan's consistent passes in the six-second zone in Sunday's eliminations drove him to the winner's circle. The two-time Pro Fuel champ finished the day with a 6.919 at 187.78 mph over Streeter's 7.941 at 125.33 mph.
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From Eagle, Wisconsin, Tom Bradford and the Thunder Eagle Racing Team doubled their
workload in Phoenix with entries in S & S Pro Stock and Hayes Jeweler Pro Gas competitions.
The deuces were wild as Bradford qualified first and made final round appearances in both
categories. The Pro Stock champion for two years running, he took the win in the Pro
Stock final with a 7.659 over Matt Guidera's (Roseville, CA) 8.202, but was perhaps
napping at the light in the Pro Gas final with a .343. Mark Biernbaum's (Billings, MT)
.076 landed him in the winner's circle with an 8.007 at 163.51 mph to Bradford's 7.818
at 179.90 mph.
 
Ken Wright (Portland, OR) held the top spot in Kresto Pro Drag competition with a 7.869, but he was upset early in Sunday's eliminations by Rick Casas (San Antonio, TX). Casas moved on to the finals to face Chuck Jones (St. Petersburg, FL), and it was Jones taking the trophy with a 7.751 at 166.37 mph over Casas' 8.565 at 135.33 mph.
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Cliff Dwy (Madras, OR) and Darren Mauldin (Mesa, AZ) squared off in the Joker Machine Pro Modified finals after finishing one and two respectively in Saturday's qualifying. Dwy was the winner with an 8.420 at 153.70 mph over Mauldin's 8.549 at 153.54 mph.
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A world-record finish highlighted the Rivera Primo Street Pro action as repeat National Champion Travis Lummus (Asheville, NC) nailed a 9.203 in Saturday's qualifying, besting the current record held by Doug Morrow by .067 seconds. Lummus (#1 qualifier) went on to win in the finals with another impressive number - 9.254 at 144.84 mph - over Randy Borho's (Beavercreek, OR) 9.586 at 140.21 mph. Borho (#2 qualifier), Ray Devine (St. Louis, MO), and Verl Smitty Smith all ran personal best times in Phoenix, adding to the heads-up excitement of Rivera-Primo Street Pro competition.
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Tripp Nobles (Statesville, NC) debuted the winning numbers in the new Screamin' Eagle V-Rod class by laying down a 10.011 for the low E.T. and the top speed of 133.04 mph.
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Debuting winning numbers in another new class was Dave Atkins (Bradenton, FL) with a 10.749 at 122.96 mph over Joe Perry's (Kingsport, TN) 11.200 at 120.69 mph in the Dragmasters Hot Street class finals.
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A complete report on all sixteen classes of AHDRA competition and all event activities from the Rivera Engineering-Primo Belt Arizona Bike Week Nationals presented by Hacienda Harley-Davidson will be forthcoming in the next issue of Speed Magazine.
The next stop on the AHDRA National Points Series is "The Strip" at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the Screamin' Eagle Performance Parts Spring Nationals, presented by KOMP 92.3, May 3rd and 4th.
For more information, contact 336-924-2095 or visit www.ahdra.com.
Photos courtesy of Scott ODell
Final Results - Phoenix
| Screamin' Eagle Nitro Harley Top Fuel |
| Winner | Ray Price | .143 | 6.834 | 207.78 |
| R/U | Bill Furr | .117 | 7.729 | 190.35 |
| JIMS Pro Fuel |
| Winner | Tim Kerrigan | .086 | 6.919 | 187.78 |
| R/U | Chris Streeter | .118 | 7.941 | 125.33 |
| S & S Pro Stock |
| Winner | Tom Bradford | .099 | 7.659 | 171.75 |
| R/U | Matt Guidera | .089 | 8.202 | 162.02 |
| Kresto Pro Drag |
| Winner | Chuck Jones | .122 | 7.751 | 166.37 |
| R/U | Rick Casas | .229 | 8.565 | 135.33 |
| Hayes Jewelers Pro Gas |
| Winner | Mark Biernbaum | .076 | 8.007 | 163.51 |
| R/U | Tom Bradford | .343 | 7.818 | 170.90 |
| Joker Machine Pro Modified |
| Winner | Cliff Dwy | .058 | 8.420 | 153.70 |
| R/U | Darren Mauldin | .041 | 8.549 | 153.54 |
| Rivera-Primo Street Pro |
| Winner | Travis Lummus | .116 | 9.254 | 144.84 |
| R/U | Randy Borho | .021 | 9.586 | 140.21 |
| Dragmasters Hot Street |
| Winner | Dave Atkins | .259 | 10.749 | 122.96 |
| R/U | Joe Perry | .169 | 11.200 | 120.69 |
| Screamin' Eagle V-Rod |
| Winner | Tripp Nobles | .404 | 10.027 | 133.04 |
| R/U | Terry Vaughan | .204 | 11.380 | 118.03 |
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| Red Line Oil Super Gas - 9.70 Index |
| Winner | Chris Rivas | 9.930 |
| R/U | Everett Chichester | 9.907 |
| Nonpareil Super Sport - 10.30 Index |
| Winner | JR Bickmore | 10.303 |
| R/U | Thor Thorsgard | 10.371 |
| Performance Corner Super Eliminator - 10.90 Index |
| Winner | Donnie Huffman | 10.923 |
| R/U | Larry Guy | 10.933 |
| SEP - 11.50 index |
| Winner | Stan Sheppard | 11.591 |
| R/U | Steve Larsen | 11.662 |
| Syn3 ET |
| Winner | Daryl Hutchins | 12.786 | 107.04 |
| R/U | Stan Sheppard | 14.590 | 109.78 |
| JIMS Jr.Sr. |
| Winner | Gloria Chambers | .284 | 13.616 |
| R/U | Drew Proffitt | .236 | 9.861 |
| Indian Motorcycle of Blackfoot Jr..Jr. |
| Winner | Isaac Jordan Percy | .878 | 13.738 |
| R/U | Brittany Bentz | .333 | 14.640 |
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