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S & S CYCLE CALIFORNIA NATIONALS PRESENTED BY DRAG SPECIALTIES FINISHES WITH GROUND- SHAKING EXCITEMENT FOR THOUSANDS OF NITRO-HUNGRY FANS
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., May 10, 2004 A healthy-sized crowd (the largest yet
in '04) left Famoso Raceway with satisfaction after AHDRA's Screamin' Eagle
Championship series rolled into Bakersfield, CA, with an abundance of
fast-paced, two-wheel action on May 1st and 2nd.
Steve Heidner of Arlington, WA, grabbed a first (AHDRA) Screamin' Eagle
Nitro Harley win in a match-up with Salt Lake City H-D dealer Joe Timmons,
who ran consistent numbers most of the weekend, until Heidner's 6.995 at
196.54 left him settling for second place. Ron Houniet (Maple Ridge, B.C.)
was the #1 qualifier of the weekend with the low E.T. of 6.762, while Griz
Robinson of Pueblo, CO, set the top speed at 210.92 mph.
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Saturday's qualifying proved to be a show itself, when Nitro Harley Champ,
Doug Vancil (Albuquerque, NM) and 02 Champ, Ron Houniet battled for pole
position. Both struggled in the opening pair of rounds leaving Houniet in
the 7th spot of an 8-bike field, but it was Vancil with the biggest
challenge. Vancil was in the 11th spot and faced a possible spectator
position on Sunday.
In a huge turn of events, Houniet came out with what would ultimately be the
quickest run of the weekend (6.762) and graduated to the #1 qualifying spot,
while Vancil followed with a 7.324, certainly below his performance level,
but good enough to squeeze in the show in the 8th spot and land him a first
round match-up with Houniet in Sunday's elimination's.
It was a "made for television" opener when the Champion duo fired up to a
roaring crowd, and the roar turned to gasp, when Houniet left early for a
red light and Vancil ran his best of the weekend, a 6.924. Vancil's day
ended in the next round to Heidner who advanced through the field for the
win. |  |
JIMS Pro Fuel winner Jack Romine (Casa Guarde, AZ) was off his normal pace
at Famoso, but he wasn't complaining after ending a streak of runner-up
finishes. He beat Gabe Larkins of Phoenix, AZ, who had a commendable outing
as a rookie in the Pro Fuel category. Patrick Fenderson (Twinfalls, ID) was
the #1 qualifier with a low E.T. of 7.186, and Chicago Joe of Richmond, CA,
took top speed honors of 192.63.
Rick Maney of Phoenix provided a hefty dose of speed in S & S Pro Stock
competition, capturing back-to-back wins in the category with a win over
Scott Pollacheck of Medford, OR, in the final. Maney set the pace of the
weekend with #1 qualifier spot and low E.T. of 7.477, and top speed of
181.01 mph.
Kresto Pro Drag brought the top performers of the weekend to the line for
the final, and after Scott Truett of Wichita, KS, missed the final in Texas
because of mechanical turmoil, he redeemed himself in California with the
win over Florida's Chuck Jones. Truett held the numbers across the board
with a 7.438 low E.T. and #1 qualifying spot; he was also the fastest with a
177.47 quarter-mile pass.
Fred Love (Farmington, NM) was the winner in S & S Pro Gas after a
disappointed Kenny Schaefer broke in the box. A fuel leak appeared to be the
problem for the Santa Ana, Californian, who was forced to shut off the 121
c.i. machine early. Robert Markham held the performance advantage all
weekend, with an 8.329 low qualifying position and top speed of 167.44 mph.
But the '99 Buell spit flames in Sunday's first round, ending the Loveland,
CO rider's day early.
Junior Pippin decided to make the trip to California late in the week, and
he made it in 48 hours. The Conyers, GA, rider granted Discovery Channel's
Monster Nation the opportunity to tail him and friendly rival Cliff Dwy of
Madras, OR, with cameras during the weekend. While Dwy left the show in the
semi's with a broken machine, Pippin went on to the finals against Darren
Mauldin (Mesa, AZ), who was hot all weekend in the highly competitive Joker
Machine Pro Modified class. Pippin got the win and shared the top number
boards with Mauldin, whose top speed was161.89 mph. Pippin grabbed the low
E.T. and #1 qualifying honors of 8.363.
Along with big numbers from Mauldin and Pippin there were also high marks on
the boards in the Rivera-Primo Street Pro category. Steve Stute of
Gladstone, OR, was the winner with a 9.076 over #1 qualifier Joe
Sternotti's 9.219.The two shared top numbers with a 152.85 mph pass from
Sternotti (Blackwood, NJ) and Stute's 9.076 was good enough for low E.T.
of the meet.
John Burdynski of Houston, TX, was the solo entry in the heads-up action of
DragMasters Hot Street, and he took the easy win, with records to claim
along the way. His best run of 10.290 was enough for the record books; but
not satisfied with the no-contest victory and a record in Hot Street
Burdynski also entered the 11.50 index class, known as SEP. He ultimately
battled his way through a tough field for a well-earned win, defeating the
defending champion of the class, Dan DeGood of Mountain Top, PA.
Terry Vaughn of Phoenix returned for a repeat victory in Screamin' Eagle
V-Rod competition, taking on Shreveport, LA's Richard Nallin for the win.
Vaughn had the numbers of the weekend with a 9.899 low qualifying pass and a
top speed of 139.38 mph.
Redline Super Gas (9.70 index) winner was Greg Krenik of Placitas, NM, over
Scott Martin of Portland, OR.
"Big" Dave Brill of Vancouver, WA, took on Terry Brown (Portland, OR) for
the win in S & S Super Sport 10.30 index action. Joe Boyd (Helendales, CA)
beat Rock Muluenna for the (10.90 index) Performance Corner Super Eliminator
win.
Tripp Nobles of Statesville, NC, made the winners circle, but not in usual
form. The Screamin' Eagle V-Rod champ was unable to meet tech requirements
in that category, but he had enough to run through a big field of Syn3 E.T.
bikes for a win over Raymond McNamara of Rohnert, CA.
Temperatures hovered in the 90's during the S & S/Drag Specialties-sponsored
event at Famoso Raceway, but the action on the track provided some welcome
relief in the jam-packed stands.
Discovery Channel's Monster Nation and the crew from American Thunder were
on site filming the action. Fans can log on to www.ahdra.com over the next
few weeks for updates on broadcasts from Famoso Raceway.
Next up for the 2004 AHDRA Screamin' Eagle Performance Parts Championship
series is the Stone Mountain Harley-Davidson Southern Nationals presented by
Drag Specialties, May 29th and 30th, Atlanta Dragway.
For more information please contact 336-924-2095 or visit
www.ahdra.com.
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