Ryan Schnitz jumped up to 5th in the qualifying order
in the second day of timed runs for the NHRA Mopar Mile-High
Nationals at Bandimere Speedway near Denver, Colorado.
Ryan's first pass of the day was a pretty good one on the
Trim-Tex/Muzzy's Buell, and put the team in contention
with the rest of the frontrunners.
qualifying round 3
5th Ryan Schnitz right lane 7.435 at 179.80 mph
In the final round, a bolt came out of the ram that connects
to the air-shifter lever and Ryan was out of the throttle
early. "We checked out the transmission and it all
looks good," reported Schnitz.
qualifying round 4
5th Ryan Schnitz left lane 7.937 at 134.11 mph
"
We did our normal, routine, Saturday night maintenance
and we're ready for first round," continued Ryan,
who faces G.T. Tonglet when racing starts on Sunday.
Ryan beat Tonglet once last year, but lost to him twice
on redlights.
"
There's really no reason why we can't run a .30 here.
We still have room for improvement in the front half
of the track. I think we could use a better clutch setup
to gives us less initial spin and more wheel speed through
first gear."
Schnitz thanked Trim-Tex Drywall Products, Muzzy's, Schnitz
Racing, Bates Leathers and NGK.
Find out more about Trim-Tex at http://www.trim-tex.com
Find out more about Muzzy's at http://www.muzzys.com
Find out more about Schnitz Racing at http://www.schnitzracing.com
Find out more about Bates Leathers at http://www.batesleathers.com
Find out more about the NHRA at http://www.nhra.com
This team report was prepared by Tim Hailey, http://www.eatmyink.com
Photo by Matt Polito, http://www.dragbikephotos.com
When Tom Bradford qualified number 1 in St. Louis, he
and the Balbayis Asset Consulting/Hal's Speedshop NHRA
Pro Stock Motorcycle team celebrated with lobster combos.
But Tom went out early on raceday in St. Louis-round 1
early. "We're staying away from lobster this time," said
Bradford, who remained qualified second behind screamin'
Chip Ellis at the Mopar Mile-High Nationals in Denver. "It
didn't suit me very well last time with a first round exit,
so we're doing the Texas Roadhouse scene this time."
qualifying round 3
2nd Tom Bradford right lane 7.399 at 180.55 mph
Tom became only the second Pro Stock Motorcycle rider
in the 7.30's at Denver with a sweet pass in round 3. "We
were real pleased with that .39," said Bradford. "We
weren't even really trying to pick up, we were just trying
to maintain."
qualifying round 4
2nd Tom Bradford left lane 7.415 at 180.43 mph
The team slipped slightly in the last round. "We
were being greedy. We thought 'If we can do this, we
should certainly try and do this.' We made a gearing
change, nothing too aggressive. We anticipated the weather
would be at its worst, but right at the end a cloud cover
came over and dropped the temperature. But we still only
lost a hundredth and a half. In previous years, a hundredth
wasn't all that big of a deal. But now you'd practically
give a finger for a hundredth.
"
I had a great day today. We're very, very happy. We feel
like we've got some consistent tuning, and this seems
like this is our biggest tuning challenge of the year.
We're feeling good about tomorrow.
"
I want to say 'get well' to John Hammock, who was injured
in pit accident tonight."
Tom thanked sponsors Balbayis Asset Consulting, Hal's
Speedshop, Hal's H-D/Buell, Vanson Leathers, Stitch-it-Embroidery,
CRD Inc., T-N-S Machining, S&S Cycle, Buell Motor
Co., Mustang Shelly's Roadhouse, Red Line Oil, MicroBlue
Racing, Autolite, Simpson, Wiseco, Rinehart Racing, and
The Carburetor Shop for their support of the Hal's/Thunder
Eagle team.
Find out more about Hal's at http://www.halspa.com
Find out more about the NHRA at http://www.nhra.com
This team report was prepared by Tim Hailey, http://www.eatmyink.com
Schnitz Mid-Pack in Denver July 14, 2006
After one round of qualifying at the NHRA Mopar Mile-High
Nationals, Ryan Schnitz sits mid-pack on the Trim-Tex/Muzzy's
Buell. Schnitz is looking to master the thin atmosphere
at Bandimere Raceway near Denver, Colorado, and gain ground
on his rivals.
qualifying round 1
12th Ryan Schnitz right lane 7.545 at 178.76 mph
"
Our first pass off the trailer was a 'Try to get some
data' pass," said Ryan. "And we were able to
make a small change and pick up a little bit."
qualifying round 2
8th Ryan Schnitz right lane 7.502 at 179.28 mph
"
We're taking baby steps right now to try and get on this
tune-up that we need to get. We're about a tenth off
from (number 2 qualifier Tom) Bradford and Chip (Ellis,
the number 1 qualifier), so we have some room to improve
and we need to do that. The bike seems to back-half with
some of the top runners, so I don't necessarily think
it's a power issue. I just think we need to work on our
front half-our clutch, basically, and gearing.
"
We have two motors with us this weekend, and they're
both fresh from the little break that we had. We're trying
a few new small little things with the bike in hopes
that we'll get some better performance, but right now
we're not showing any of that, so we've gotta work a
little harder.
Schnitz thanked Trim-Tex Drywall Products, Muzzy's, Schnitz
Racing and NGK.
Find out more about Trim-Tex at http://www.trim-tex.com
Find out more about Muzzy's at http://www.muzzys.com
Find out more about Schnitz Racing at http://www.schnitzracing.com
Find out more about the NHRA at http://www.nhra.com
This team report was prepared by Tim Hailey, http://www.eatmyink.com
Photo by Matt Polito, http://www.dragbikephotos.com
Bradford 2nd in Denver July 14, 2006
Tom Bradford, who qualified on the pole last time out in
St. Louis, sits second after day 1 of NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle
qualifying at the Mopar Mile-High Nationals. Bradford's
Balbayis Asset Consulting/Hal's Speedshop Buell came up
just short of mastering Denver's thin air better than the
rest of the field.
qualifying round 1
8th Tom Bradford right lane 7.525 at 177.18 mph
"
That was our first ever pass down Bandimere Speedway on
the mountain, and we're really happy with that," Tom
said about round 1. "We felt like we knew what we
needed to do, so the boys Rob Schopf and Jim Schneider
went to work. You know, they always seem to turn the right
screws. I think they're using 'No-Name Tools' here, but
whatever tools they're using, they're using them right."
qualifying round 2
2nd Tom Bradford left lane 7.421 at 179.76 mph
"
We set the track record on that pass, which lasted about
5 minutes until Chip Ellis came out and reset the record," laughed
Bradford. "But what a fantastic day-just awesome.
An outstanding, outstanding round of qualifying-I just
can't say enough. I want to thank all the guys back at
Hal's Speedshop who are working hard.
" We're real excited about some potential marketing partners
we've been talking to. The performance is there and I'm
really looking forward to the future with this team."
Tom thanked sponsors Balbayis Asset Consulting, Hal's Speedshop,
Hal's H-D/Buell, Vanson Leathers, Stitch-it-Embroidery,
CRD Inc., T-N-S Machining, S&S Cycle, Buell Motor Co.,
Mustang Shelly's Roadhouse, Red Line Oil, MicroBlue Racing,
Autolite, Simpson, Wiseco, Rinehart Racing, and The Carburetor
Shop for their support of the Hal's/Thunder Eagle team.
Find out more about Hal's at http://www.halspa.com
Find out more about the NHRA at http://www.nhra.com
This team report was prepared by Tim Hailey, http://www.eatmyink.com
July 13, 2006
for immediate release
Chip Ellis/Matt Smith/G2 Motorsports NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle
Pre-Race Team Report
Event: Mopar Mile-High Nationals
Dates: July 14-16, 2006
Location: Bandimere Speedway, Morrison, Colorado
G2 Plans to Resume Success
The G2 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle team finished June's
three-races-in-three-weeks grind with two straight wins,
split between drivers Chip Ellis and Matt Smith. The team
also qualified well, with Ellis nailing down two number
ones and becoming the class's second 6-second driver. Now
they speed into July and the high-altitude Denver event,
planning for the same level of success they left behind
in June.
George Bryce
G2/Star Racing builder/tuner/crew chief
"Something I learned from Team Winston is that when
you start winning and you start doing good, you have to
work even harder," said George Bryce. "Before
that, we'd win a race, work on customer stuff and rest
on our laurels, then get our tails beat at the next race.
Once we got it all figured out, we won three championships
in a row."
Bryce and the crew back at Americus, Georgia, have spent
the last three weeks pouring over the team's shiny S&S
V-twins. "We had one engine that used more fuel
than the rest and was the fastest one, so we tried to
emulate the design and see if that would yield us more
than one 6-second engine. S&S builds a powerful motor
and they're all virtually identical. But when you're
working and tweaking on them, they end up like people
and they all have different personalities. You have to
learn the personalities of each in order to work well
with them.
"
I'd like to thank the S&S crew of Todd Olson, Brian
Perkins, Steve Rominski and Charlie Hadayia, all led
by Brett Smith, the president of S&S Cycle. They've
changed the face of NHRA POWERade Pro Stock motorcycle
drag racing with this engine package that's virtually
available to anyone, and which is available exclusively
through G2 Motorsports.
"
I've been preaching and teaching forever to bust your
butt and let the scoreboard do the yacking. It's been
said in the magazines and forums that we've had the bikes
to beat the last four races. Now I'm not saying that,
but I want to keep it that way. My proudest moment was
when we qualified 1 and 2 at Chicago in that field of
motorcycles where so many can win. And then to see the
S&S motors do so well against all the other bikes,
especially the V-Rods from The Motor Company and the
1655 Hondas."
Matt Smith
Torco Race Fuels/Skull Gear Buell
George Bryce now has the staff to "work even harder" on
the G2 race team while also servicing customer bikes and
motors. But at his own one-man, motorcycle engine-building
operation in King, North Carolina, Torco Race Fuels/Skull
Gear Buell driver Matt Smith has to keep his customers
happy. "Fred Camarena's stuff shipped this morning," Smith
reported on the Wednesday before the Denver event. "And
I'm putting a 2 valve motor together for Rick Slagle of
Action Motorsports in Monticello, Kentucky. He bought my
old bike, is going to get his license, and hopes to be
out by Memphis.
"
I haven't seen the Buell since the last race. They've
rewired my bike and got the motors fresh on them. I never
ran the Buell in Denver, so it will be interesting. V-twins
are supposed to have an advantage in the thin air, so
we'll wait and see. I told Chip it was my turn to win
this time. To make everybody happy, we'll just keep rotating
wins back and forth!"
Chip Ellis
DRAG Specialties/S&S Cycle Buell
When not working on bikes at the G2/Star Racing shop and
spending as much time with wife Kathy and daughter McKenzie
as he could, DRAG Specialties/S&S Cycle Buell driver
Chip Ellis was breaking things these last three weeks. "I
blew up my boat motor," Ellis said about his 260 horsepower
Mercury outboard. "Blew it up on Lake Blackshear.
Ken Johnson had to pull me back with that little fishing
boat he calls 'Gator.' Then I put my spare motor on and
blew that one too. At least we got all the blowin' up out
of the way before we go to Denver!
"
We went through all the engines on Matt's bike and my
bike, put new tires on 'em, normal routine maintenance.
We have some new stuff and we hope it all works. We changed
the port work around a little bit. Then we put 'em back
on the truck and headed out."
Ellis, who got altitude sickness, qualified second at
Bandimere last year and made it to the semis. "We
just got beat because the bike slowed down. I think it
will take a high 7.40 to get in the field. I think we'll
improve on the track record, and that somebody will be
in the 7.30s. I think I will be."
G2 Motorsports Sponsors
Everyone at G2 thanks DRAG Specialties, Torco Racing
Fuels, S&S Cycle, Skull Gear, MAC Tools, RK Racing
Chain, Red Line Oil, and VTwinPlus.com
Sponsor Contacts
G Squared Motorsports can be seen on the web at http://www.g2motorsports.net
DRAG Specialties full line of products can be seen at
http://www.dragspecialties.com
Evan Knoll's Torco Race Fuels and Skull Gear can be seen
at http://www.torco.com
The S&S Cycle website can be viewed at http://www.sscycle.com
MAC Tools can be viewed at http://www.mactools.com
RK Racing Chain exclusively distributed by FTM Enterprises,
Inc. can be seen at http://www.ftmbiz.com
Red Line Oil can be seen at http://www.redlineoil.com
Information on H-D Speed and Custom can be seen daily
on http://www.VTwinPlus.com
NHRA/POWERade Point Standings
3. Chip Ellis 454
7. Matt Smith 378
Current Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle Point Standings
2. Chip Ellis 1715
3. Matt Smith 1580
Current Full Throttle NHRA Pit Crew Championship Point
Standings
1. DRAG Specialties/S&S Buell Chip Ellis/Ken Johnson/George
Bryce 196
3. Torco/Skull Gear Buell Matt Smith/Rick Maney/George
Bryce 159
G2 Motorsports History
Named for the two George's, George Bryce & George
Smith, G2 Motorsports was initially formed in 2003 as
a collaborative effort between the pair to field an S&S
Cycle powered V-Twin NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle. The company
has since evolved into the development of late-model
hot rod V-Twins for both the street and strip. G2 Motorsports
also stocks a full line of S&S Cycle engines and
support parts for drag racing enthusiasts, as well as
for other motorcyclists, dealers and distributors. The
G2 Motorsports web site (www.g2motorsports.net) is continually
updated with the latest race press releases, photos,
engines in stock and information on complete turnkey
motorcycles.
Contact
Jackie Bryce at G2 Motorsports (229) 924-0031
g2motorsports@bellsouth.net
This team report was prepared by Tim Hailey, http://www.eatmyink.com
Photos by Matt Polito, http://www.dragbikephotos.com
June 25, 2006
for immediate release
Schnitz Takes Out Number 1 Qualifier NHRA Midwest Nationals
near St. Louis
Ryan Schnitz made up for his 16th qualifier unhappiness
by eliminating number 1 Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifier
Tom Bradford in round 1 at the O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals
near St. Louis. Ryan nailed the tree and the Trim-Tex/Muzzy's
Buell laid down its best pass of the weekend to advance.
"
We tore the motor apart last night and it looked great,
so we put 'Joey' back in," said Schnitz. "We
made some small changes to the bike and gave it our best
guess and the bike ran great the first round. It was
kinda puzzling, 'cause we're not really sure what made
that happen."
eliminations round 1
(W) Ryan Schnitz .011 7.159 at 183.97 mph
Tom Bradford .083 7.215 at 184.65 mph
eliminations round 2
(W) Michael Phillips .010 7.258 at 180.43 mph
Ryan Schnitz .023 7.309 at 180.16 mph
"
For the second round, we said 'We're not changing anything' and made no changes.
From third gear on, it just slowed up. Our best conclusion is that something
is tying up in the motor and it's just going away. We won't know until it gets
back to Oregon and gets taken apart."
The S&S motor is still relatively new, and there are still a lot of unknowns
when it comes to maintaining them. "There are still some things that don't
have a maintenance schedule yet. There's one thing that came about in the last
two weeks-the rocker arm tower. It's things like that. You know how many passes
you should have on the crank or the main bearings or the rings. If we take
the motor apart and there's nothing wrong, then we really won't know what's
up."
Schnitz thanked Trim-Tex Drywall Products, Muzzy's, Schnitz Racing, Bates Leathers,
and NGK.
Find out more about Trim-Tex at http://www.trim-tex.com
Find out more about Muzzy's at http://www.muzzys.com
Find out more about Schnitz Racing at http://www.schnitzracing.com
Find out more about the NHRA at http://www.nhra.com
This team report was prepared by Tim Hailey, http://www.eatmyink.com
Photo by Matt Polito, http://www.dragbikephotos.com
In a good, close round 1 Pro
Stock Motorcycle drag race,
Tom Bradford came up just short of holding his early lead
over G.T. Tonglet at the NHRA event at National
Trail Raceway near Columbus, Ohio.
eliminations round 1
(W) G.T. Tonglet .038 7.107 at 186.82 mph
Tom Bradford .047 7.118 at 186.02 mph
"
For our team, if I don't cut a great light and run a pass out my wazoo, I don't
win a round," said Tom, maintaining a good attitude. "If we aren't
on kill, we just don't have any racer luck in the bank yet. I don't know any
other way to put it.
"
Don't get me wrong, I love every minute of it and I'm not discouraged at all.
We went into that round wholeheartedly expecting to win. We know why we came
up short and it was lane choice. 'Til about the eighth mile we had him beat.
Then I felt the bumps come in. If we'd been in the left lane we'd have won
that race. There weren't too many rounds won out of the right lane. But we
were getting off the starting line well, which had been a problem."
Tom Bradford and the Balbayis Asset Consulting/Hal's Speedshop Buell race next
June 9-11 at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois.
Tom thanked sponsors Balbayis Asset Consulting, Hal's Speedshop, Hal's H-D/Buell,
Vanson Leathers, Stitch-it-Embroidery, CRD Inc., T-N-S Machining, S&S Cycle,
Buell Motor Co., Mustang Shelly's Roadhouse, Red Line Oil, MTI Coatings, Autolite,
Simpson, Wiseco, Rinehart Racing, and The Carburetor Shop for their support
of the Hal's/Thunder Eagle team.
Find out more about Hal's at http://www.halspa.com
Find out more about the NHRA at http://www.nhra.com
This team report was prepared by Tim Hailey, www.eatmyink.com
15th qualifier Ryan Schnitz came oh-so-close to knocking
off number 2 Andrew Hines in round 1 of Pro Stock Motorcycle
competition at the NHRA event at National Trail Raceway
near Columbus, Ohio.
eliminations round 1
(W)Andrew Hines .045 7.085 at 184.42mph
Ryan Schnitz .014 7.134 at 183.99mph
"
I cut a good light, had a good front half, and he didn't pass us until about
100-150 feet before the finishline," Schnitz said about the race with
Hines. "The left lane (which Hines was in) was probably two hundredths
quicker than the right. That's why you qualify well, so you can take advantage
of that first round."
Schnitz feels the team made some gains on the driveline problems they were
having on Friday. "We switched to a 530 chain from the 630 that we were
running. It's better, but it's still not right. We'll just keep at it and keep
working.
" I think we found most of the problems we've been struggling with. Now
we just have to fine-tune that. But I have confidence that we're gonna do really
well
at Chicago.
" I want to thank Kurt Matte for filling in as a mechanic this week. I appreciated
his input and am looking forward to having him do it again."
Ryan Schnitz and the Trim-Tex/Muzzy's Buell race next June 9-11 at Route 66
Raceway in Joliet, Illinois.
Schnitz thanked Trim-Tex Drywall Products, Muzzy's, Schnitz Racing and NGK.
Find out more about Trim-Tex
at http://www.trim-tex.com <http://www.trim-tex.com/>
Find out more about Muzzy's at http://www.muzzys.com <http://www.muzzys.com/>
Find out more about Schnitz Racing at http://www.schnitzracing.com <http://www.schnitzracing.com/>
Find out more about the NHRA at http://www.nhra.com <http://www.nhra.com/>
This team report was prepared by Tim Hailey, http://www.eatmyink.com <http://www.eatmyink.com/>
Photo by Matt Polito, http://www.dragbikephotos.com <http://www.dragbikephotos.com/>
Tom Bradford made two strong, consistent laps on the Balbayis
Asset Consulting/Hal's Speedshop Buell in the second day
of Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying for the Pontiac
Performance NHRA Nationals near Columbus, Ohio.
qualifying round 3
10th Tom Bradford left lane 7.110 at 186.69 mph
qualifying round 4
10th Tom Bradford right lane 7.114 at 191.18 mph
"
We're really happy," said Bradford. "We ran
real consistent— two .11s. We had the best the
60 foot (1.078) of the session in the final round, and
it was our second pass of the weekend in the 190 mph
zone.
"
We're just taking little slivers out of the pie and moving
on. Right now we're seeing some of the toughest competition
in the class and we're right in the middle of that. As
far as I know, we're the only team that didn't fall off
in that last round, so I feel like we picked up.
"
We've got G.T. Tonglet in round 1," finished Tom. "I'm
0-1 against him so I'm looking to put the winlight on.
Our sponsor Bernie Cohen of Balbayis Asset Consulting
is here this weekend and we're glad to have him back.
Maybe we can get our first win for him here."
Tom thanked sponsors Balbayis Asset Consulting, Hal's
Speedshop, Hal's H-D/Buell, Vanson Leathers, Stitch-it-Embroidery,
CRD Inc., T-N-S Machining, S&S Cycle, Buell Motor
Co., Mustang Shelly's Roadhouse, Red Line Oil, MTI Coatings,
Autolite, Simpson, Wiseco, Rinehart Racing, and The Carburetor
Shop for their support of the Hal's/Thunder Eagle team.
Find out more about Hal's at http://www.halspa.com
Find out more about the NHRA at http://www.nhra.com
This team report was prepared by Tim Hailey, www.eatmyink.com
A glitch in the National Trail right lane timing system
left Ryan Schnitz with no time for his round 3 pass in
Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying at the Pontiac
Performance NHRA Nationals near Columbus, Ohio. Antron Brown suffered
the same problem in the same lane just before Ryan. "There
was a problem with the lights and the track tried to blame
it on the riders, but it wasn't their fault," said
Rob Muzzy, the legendary builder/tuner who owns Ryan's
Trim-Tex Buell. "They had all kind of problems after
that and had to shut the track down for a while."
"
Antron was pretty animated about the whole situation," reported
Schnitz. "I knew they weren't gonna do anything
about it, so you just have to look at your data and move
on. It's a never-ending battle with computer systems."
qualifying round 3
14th Ryan Schnitz right lane no time
When Schnitz ran again in round 4, he didn't improve
on Friday's time and dropped back one position.
qualifying round 4
15th Ryan Schnitz left lane 7.189 at 181.91 mph
best run 7.149
"
We're hoping we finally figured out something, anyway" said Muzzy. "Clutch
setup has been a problem for us, and we weren't getting data so we've been
running blind since Atlanta. We have some ideas on what to change, but until
we run it Sunday we won't find out if it's right or not. We changed some parts
that we hadn't had to change before and now the clutch is completely different.
We have to adjust to that."
"
I think we've eliminated a lot of things and we'll make a pass tomorrow," said
Schnitz. "After first round we'll have an idea about whether we're moving
in the right direction or off in left field." Schnitz faces two-time champ
Andrew Hines in round 1.
Ryan thanked Trim-Tex Drywall Products, Muzzy's, Schnitz Racing and NGK.
Find out more about Trim-Tex at http://www.trim-tex.com
Find out more about Muzzy's at http://www.muzzys.com
Find out more about Schnitz Racing at http://www.schnitzracing.com
Find out more about the NHRA at http://www.nhra.com
This team report was prepared by Tim Hailey, http://www.eatmyink.com
Photo by Matt Polito, http://www.dragbikephotos.com
Tom Bradford started day 1
of Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying at the NHRA
Springnationals slowly, but improved to a mid-pack
position by the end of the day. “Nothing really changed
from Atlanta to here,” Bradford said about his Q1
pass, which posted a 60 foot time of only 1.15.
qualifying round 1
17th Tom Bradford left lane 7.217 at 192.58 mph
“We’re still struggling to get off the starting
line. It was instantly spinning the tire, I mean a ton
of wheel speed.” That wheel speed carried through
to the end and gave Bradford big MPH, but killed the
ET. Tom was not qualified.
The team had tried to address the problem in the shop,
but their changes didn’t help. “We dug a
little deeper and it was a setting on the 2-step,” said
Bradford, who leapt off the line with a 1.08 60 foot
in round 2
qualifying round 2
11th Tom Bradford right lane 7.148 at 186.41 mph
“
Nothing made sense in Atlanta,” continued Bradford. “We
could not get a tune-up. But I’m ecstatic we found
it and punched back in the show in eleventh. And now
Jim Schneider can work with the clutch. He was pulling
his hair out ‘cause nothing was working. I’m
looking for Jim to put us in the 1.07 range again and
we’ll run 7.0s tomorrow.
“
All in all, it was a good first day. We’re eleventh,
we’d like to be stepping it up, but we just need
more runs.”
Tom thanked sponsors Balbayis Asset Consulting, Hal's
Speedshop, Hal's H-D/Buell, Vanson Leathers, Stitch-it-Embroidery,
CRD Inc., T-N-S Machining, S&S Cycle, Buell Motor
Co., Mustang Shelly's Roadhouse, Red Line Oil, MTI Coatings,
Autolite, Simpson, Wiseco, Rinehart Racing, and The Carburetor
Shop for their support of the Hal's/Thunder Eagle team.
Find out more about Hal's at http://www.halspa.com
Find out more about the NHRA at http://www.nhra.com
This team report was prepared by Tim Hailey, www.eatmyink.com
Ryan Schnitz and the Trim-Tex/Muzzy's
team got off to
a disappointing start in day 1 of Pro Stock Motorcycle
qualifying at the Pontiac Performance NHRA Nationals near
Columbus, Ohio.
"
The first round, we just kinda made a pass," said
Schnitz, whose Buell broke in the last race in Atlanta,
leaving the team with no data for that lap. "We
didn't know where to start out here with this motor."
qualifying round 1
14th Ryan Schnitz right lane 7.174 at 179.52 mph
"
We improved with our second qualifier, but not as well
as we should," continued Schnitz. "We're losing
power on the top end. We're putting in a fresh motor
and we'll see if that helps."
qualifying round 2
12th Ryan Schnitz left lane 7.149 at 180.02 mph
"
We're having a problem with the chain and the sprocket
and it's robbing us of some ET. We made some changes
and it doesn't seem to be helping us. We're the only
team who seems to be having this problem, so it must
be the parts or something we're doing. It's like the
chassis is flexing, but it's not. Nothing's threaded,
the bike runs straight down the track and feels just
like it always has. And our 60 foots have not been where
we've been this year.
"
We hate to change too many things at one time 'cause
we still need to qualify better and go some rounds," added
Schnitz. "None of this is for lack of effort, that's
for sure. Everybody's doing the best they can."
Schnitz thanked Trim-Tex Drywall
Products, Muzzy's, Schnitz
Racing and NGK.
Find out more about Trim-Tex at http://www.trim-tex.com
Find out more about Muzzy's at http://www.muzzys.com
Find out more about Schnitz Racing at http://www.schnitzracing.com
Find out more about the NHRA at http://www.nhra.com
This team report was prepared by Tim Hailey, http://www.eatmyink.com
Photo by Matt Polito, http://www.dragbikephotos.com
Though Ryan Schnitz cut the
better light (.027), and his Trim-Tex/Muzzy's
Buell ran
its best pass of the weekend (7.126), the advance of
eventual winner Antron Brown couldn't be stopped and
Schnitz lost in round 1 of Pro Stock Motorcycle competition
in Atlanta.
eliminations round 1
(W) Antron Brown .064 7.045 at 188.75 mph
Ryan Schnitz .027 7.126 at 184.70 mph
"Yeah, I got him on the tree," said Schnitz. "But he back-halfed
us. Antron ran really good on the top end and we didn't. It was our quickest
pass of the weekend. We were there, we were close, but we were a pass behind
everybody else (after a Q3 breakdown) and ultimately I believe that's what cost
us this weekend. When you qualify 16th and run number 1, you have to really be
on your game."
The weather in Commerce (where the Atlanta Dragway is located)
changed from warm and sunny to rainy, cool and clammy. "All
the teams had to go back and look at their notes to jet and map
for today's conditions," said Schnitz. "Army (Brown's
U.S. Army sponsored team) did a very good job on that and, obviously,
we didn't. We'll just have to take it on the chin and move on."
The truck, trailer and bike headed to Schnitz Racing's Decatur,
Indiana headquarters for the two week break before the next round
in Columbus, Ohio. "This is the first time I've had the
chance to do that since we got the bike," said Schnitz.
The Buell is usually maintained at either Muzzy's shop
in Oregon or at a satellite shop in North Carolina. "I'll be able
to go over the bike and change some settings around more to my
liking: the seating position, handlebar position . . . maybe
change a few things on the bike to help maintenance at the track.
The motor's going back to Oregon to look for more power."
Schnitz thanked Trim-Tex Drywall Products, Muzzy's, Schnitz
Racing and NGK.
Find out more about Trim-Tex at http://www.trim-tex.com
Find out more about Muzzy's at http://www.muzzys.com
Find out more about Schnitz Racing at http://www.schnitzracing.com
Find out more about the NHRA at http://www.nhra.com
This team report was prepared by Tim Hailey, http://www.eatmyink.com
Photo by Matt Polito, http://www.dragbikephotos.com
Tom Bradford got the round
1 monkey off of his back, advancing off the first wrung
of the Pro Stock Motorcycle ladder for the first time
in '06. Still, Bradford was not thrilled with the pass,
which nonetheless outperformed Matt Smith's Buell after
Smith redlit.
eliminations round 1
(W) Tom Bradford .055 7.232 at 192.77 mph
Matt Smith -.016(R) 7.253 at 186.85 mph
"We struggled all weekend with the setup for this race track, and the rain
didn't help," said Bradford. "That was obviously not the performance
we were looking for."
The bike improved for round 2 and so did Bradford's riding, as
he nailed a .012 light on two-time champ Andrew Hines. But Hines
made up ground quickly and drove around for the win.
eliminations round 2
(W) Andrew Hines .043 7.077 at 189.50 mph
Tom Bradford .012 7.160 at 182.40 mph
"I feel really good about my light," said Bradford, a five-time
AHDRA
champion. "After Gainesville and Houston, where both losses were reaction
time related, I was dealing with things like getting comfortable on the bike
that I'm not used to dealing with. But personally, this round did a lot for me.
I feel a lot better coming out of this race than I did Houston or Gainesville.
"Our problems here were all on the starting line. Though we were running
back-half numbers as well as the top 5 in the field, we just never got a hold
of the starting line all weekend.
"The tune-up is forever changing with these bikes. Any change you make,
no matter how subtle, can change things dramatically. If you can keep up with
that, then you're doing OK.
"This was a crew chief's race and we were working without our crew chief,
Rob Schopf. It was the biggest event of the weekend back at Hal's
Speedshop and
we had to make the tough decision for him to stay back. I know this motorcycle
had 0's in it this weekend and we just couldn't find it."
All in all, it was a positive weekend for the Balbayis
Asset Consulting/Hal's Speedshop team. "We got excellent, excellent
coverage in "National Dragster" this week," said
Bradford. "Brad Littlefield wrote it and did an excellent
job. And we're in the top 10 in points, and we definitely want
to stay there."
Tom thanked sponsors Balbayis Asset Consulting, Hal's Speedshop,
Hal's H-D/Buell, Vanson Leathers, Stitch-it-Embroidery, CRD Inc.,
T-N-S Machining, S&S Cycle, Buell Motor Co., Mustang Shelly's
Roadhouse, Red Line Oil, MTI Coatings, Autolite, Simpson, Wiseco,
Rinehart Racing, and The Carburetor Shop for their support of
the Hal's/Thunder Eagle team.
Find out more about Hal's at http://www.halspa.com
Find out more about the NHRA at http://www.nhra.com
This team report was prepared by Tim Hailey, www.eatmyink.com
"Well, we're qualified," said
Ryan Schnitz, who was hoping for more on his Trim-Tex/Rob
Muzzy Racing Buell, but also felt lucky to be in the
show at all in 16th spot. Schnitz qualified number 1
in the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Gainesville season opener
and would, of course, prefer to lead the field into raceday
here as well.
qualifying round 1
6th Ryan Schnitz right lane 7.184 at 184.77 mph
qualifying round 2
9th Ryan Schnitz left lane 7.220 at 184.42 mph
qualifying round 3
16th Ryan Schnitz right lane 11.250 at 69.73 mph
"We put a fresh motor in for the third round this morning," said Schnitz. "But
the timing plate came loose to the point where the ignition couldn't tell where
the crank was and shut the bike off.
"We needed to get the data from that run, which we didn't get. But we got
some of that in the last round. It was a nice clean pass in the left lane, which
from what we've seen is not the best lane for Pro Stock Motorcycles."
qualifying round 4
16th Ryan Schnitz left lane 7.179 at 180.55mph
"We're not sure right now what the problem is," continued Schnitz. "I
believe it's some fuel injection tuning that we need to adjust for. Rob wants
to make sure we're not getting bad data from anywhere, or that our motors are
going away. Tomorrow we'll make some tuning changes and, as long as the weather
holds out (the forecast is for rain), we'll see if we can outrun the #1 qualifier
(Antron Brown).
"But tomorrow is supposed to be completely different, much cooler and more
humid. We'll probably have to look through some notes from last year for a set-up.
We'll see. We'll get it."
Schnitz was excited that Trim-Tex boss Joe
Koenig made the trip
to Atlanta. "We're working really hard to make a nice impression
on Joe, and so far we haven't done a very good job with that!" said
Schnitz. "But he knows what we're about. And he's offered
us some suggestions from his seven years of racing, which is
good. He's got some really great ideas. It might help us with
our consistency and make us quicker, faster, and get some wins
under our belt."
Schnitz thanked Trim-Tex
Drywall Products, Muzzy's, Schnitz
Racing and NGK.
Find out more about Trim-Tex at http://www.trim-tex.com
Find out more about Muzzy's at http://www.muzzys.com
Find out more about Schnitz Racing at http://www.schnitzracing.com
Find out more about the NHRA at http://www.nhra.com
This team report was prepared by Tim Hailey, http://www.eatmyink.com
Photo by Matt Polito, http://www.dragbikephotos.com
After a string of impressive Pro
Stock Motorcycle qualifying efforts that led to round 1
losses on raceday, Tom Bradford is pleased to have run
consistently mid-pack throughout timed runs at the Atlanta
NHRA event. "We're not doing bad, we're not doing
great," said Bradford. "But we're in the thick
of things and feeling good about tomorrow."
qualifying round 1
9th Tom Bradford right lane 7.213 at 179.35 mph
qualifying round 2
12th Tom Bradford left lane 7.334 at 185.15 mph
"We're chasin' the tune-up a little bit," Bradford admitted. "We
had a real good hold on the last two tracks because they weren't all that great
on traction. But we came here and the track has some real grip to it."
Photographer and Dragbike.com editor Matt Polito noticed that
Bradford's Atlanta qualifying passes were not yet the eyebrow
raisers that Tom laid down in Gainesville and Houston, where
he qualified seventh and fourth, respectively. "When's your
'I'm Tom Bradford!' run coming?" asked Polito.
"Do I have to do that every time?" laughed Bradford, who promptly
went out and jumped, temporarily, to third on the charts. By the end of the round,
Bradford was back in ninth, mid-pack
qualifying round 3
9th Tom Bradford right lane 7.136 at 183.54 mph
Mike Berry crashed past the finishline in the other lane
qualifying round 4
11th Tom Bradford left lane 7.183 at 188.20 mph
"We're qualified eleventh and we're real happy with that," Bradford
said at the end of the day. "It's gotta be one of the tightest Pro Stock
Motorcycle fields ever. But we left a lot on the table. We made aggressive moves
with the tune-up for the last round it and it showed us the other side of the
fence, so to speak.
"So we're looking forward to tomorrow. We've got Matt Smith first round,
and the field is so tight that it's anybody's game. Anybody could win tomorrow."
Bradford thanked sponsors Balbayis Asset Consulting, Hal's Speedshop,
Hal's H-D/Buell, Vanson Leathers, Stitch-it-Embroidery, CRD Inc.,
T-N-S Machining, S&S Cycle, Buell Motor Co., Mustang Shelly's
Roadhouse, Red Line Oil, MTI Coatings, Autolite, Simpson, Wiseco,
Rinehart Racing, and The Carburetor Shop for their support of
the Hal's/Thunder Eagle team.
Find out more about Hal's at http://www.halspa.com
Find out more about the NHRA at http://www.nhra.com
This team report was prepared by Tim Hailey, www.eatmyink.com
Race day at Houston started out
promising for Ryan Schnitz and the Trim
Tex/Rob Muzzy Racing Buell with a round 1 win over Joe DeSantis.
eliminations round 1
(W) Ryan Schnitz .070 7.135 at 186.61 mph
Joe DeSantis .577 7.241 at 186.33 mph
The first 60 feet of round 2 looked pretty good too, with Schnitz nailing an .008 bulb on former teammate Chip Ellis. But as soon
as Schnitz punched second gear, his race was done.
eliminations round 2
(W) Chip Ellis .028 7.205 at 186.38 mph
Ryan Schnitz .008 22.519 at 31.07 mph
"We had a cam failure," reported Schnitz. "It happened just about
the top of first gear. I shifted into second and the bike started running on
one cylinder.
"I think we broke three cams last year, so it’s something we really
need to address. It can be catastrophic, but luckily it didn't do much damage
this time.
"Because of the complexity of it, it's something that S&S will have
to do. We'll work with them to try and make it stronger. The cam is driven from
the crankshaft, and this one particular camshaft drives all the others. The gear
is welded on to the camshaft, and that's where it's breaking. So we'll either
have to make that weld stronger or use more material or something.
"We weren't fully prepared for this event as we were in Gainesville," added
Schnitz, who qualified no. 1 at the Florida race. The Buell he rides for Rob
Muzzy was on it's way back to Muzzy's shop in Bend, Oregon following the Gators.
With no sponsorship, the bike was being parked. But then Trim-Tex Drywall
Productsstepped in with sponsorship, and Muzzy's truck turned around and headed to Houston. "We
came to this race on short notice for points, but that won't be the same for
Atlanta. At Atlanta, we'll do better."
Ryan Schnitz and the Trim Tex/Rob
Muzzy Racing Buell race next
at Atlanta Dragway May 4-7.
Schnitz thanked Trim-Tex Drywall Products, Muzzy's, Schnitz Racing
and NGK.
Find out more about Trim-Tex at http://www.trim-tex.com
Find out more about Muzzy's at http://www.muzzys.com
Find out more about Schnitz Racing at http://www.schnitzracing.com
Find out more about the NHRA at http://www.nhra.com
This team report was prepared by Tim Hailey, http://www.eatmyink.com
Photo by Matt Polito, http://www.dragbikephotos.com
After his best NHRA Pro
Stock Motorcycle qualifying position
ever (4th), Tom Bradford was looking to avenge his round
1 Gatornationals holeshot loss. But with lane choice against
G.T. Tonglet in Houston, Bradford was just a hair too quick
on the tree, lighting a -.003 redlight.
eliminations round 1
(W) G.T. Tonglet .036 7.168 at 187.65 mph
Tom Bradford -.003 7.377 at 186.36
"What are you gonna do?" said Bradford, obviously personally disappointed
but looking, professionally, towards the future. "It's frustrating, but
that's drag racing. On to the next one we go.
"The thing about it is, there's so many positives and so many highs that
it's hard to be bummed out. You gotta take the highs and the lows. Drag racing
is
a very humbling sport. You can go from the pinnacle to an ultimate low in a
very short amount of time. But the reality, is I know we're out here doing
a good job and it's gonna come around sometime.
"Hats off to Rob Schopf and Jim Schneider," continued Bradford. "We're
definitely getting a handle on the bike and its all a testament to their ability.
I know that this team is gonna find success soon. We're gonna get all the pieces
aligned soon at one of these races and get it all to come out on top.
"We definitely understand the qualifying scenario, we've just got to get
better at the race day scenario. We had a good tune-up but the redeye ended the
whole
thing. So we'll pick up our chins and focus on Atlanta."
Bradford and the Balbayis Asset Consulting/Hal's Speedshop Buell race next
at Atlanta Dragway May 4-7.
Tom thanked sponsors Balbayis Asset Consulting, Hal's Speedshop, Hal's H-D/Buell,
Vanson Leathers, Stitch-it-Embroidery, CRD Inc., T-N-S Machining, S&S Cycle,
Buell Motor Co., Mustang Shelly's Roadhouse, Red Line Oil, MTI Coatings, Autolite,
Simpson, Wiseco, Rinehart Racing, and The Carburetor Shop for their support
of the Hal's/Thunder Eagle team.
Find out more about Hal's at http://www.halspa.com
Find out more about the NHRA at http://www.nhra.com
This team report was prepared by Tim Hailey, http://www.eatmyink.com
Ryan Schnitz pushed Rob
Muzzy's Trim-Tex Buell back into
the 7.0's today with a 7.063 in round 3 that moved him
up to sixth in the qualifying order. The team broke in
a new tire in the final round and, like many, failed to
improve.
qualifying round 3
6th Ryan Schnitz right lane 7.063 at 190.14 mph
qualifying round 4
6th Ryan Schnitz left lane 7.134 at 187.73 mph
"We kind of got a handle on the track and weather
conditions," said
Schnitz, who wasn't so confident with
where they were yesterday. "We're now comparable
with everybody else and I'm comfortable for tomorrow.
We should do fairly
well."
Breaking in the new tire in the final round was a race
day strategy move that also gave the team a ready excuse
for not improving. But a number of teams had a lot of
trouble getting down the track that round. "I think
a lot of teams broke some transmissions," said Schnitz. "Gary
Scelzi, the Funny Car champion, didn't even qualify,
so that gives you an idea about how difficult it was
to tune to this track this weekend. It's gonna be a tuner's
race, and whoever doesn't make a mistake is gonna win."
Schnitz will face Joey DeSantis in the first round of
eliminations. "He has a Vance & Hines motor,
so he'll be tough. We were looking at the ladder and
there's no easy side of the ladder at all. This field
is so tough."
Schnitz thanked Trim-Tex Drywall
Products, Muzzy's, Schnitz
Racing and NGK.
Find out more about Trim-Tex at http://www.trim-tex.com
Find out more about Muzzy's at http://www.muzzys.com
Find out more about Schnitz Racing at http://www.schnitzracing.com
Find out more about the NHRA at http://www.nhra.com
This team report was prepared by Tim Hailey, http://www.eatmyink.com
Photo by Matt Polito, http://www.dragbikephotos.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AMA/Prostar Funnybike champion Korry
Hogan electrified the atmosphere at Indianapolis
Raceway Park with a 6.498 ET at 213 mph on
his turbo/alcohol Honda. Run in round 1 of
eliminations during Prostar's Pingel Thundernationals, it was
the first time a Funnybike has lapped in the
6.40's since Gary Clark ran 6.48 and 6.45 at the 2000 World Finals
in Gainesville.
The crowd was already titillated by Chris Hand's personal
best 6.07 Top Fuel lap, run just before Hogan
and the Funnybikes hit the track. "Tony
Williams did a fantastic job of prepping the track," said Korry,
a 27-year old resident of Arvada, Colorado. "We
saw Chris run the 6.0 in the left lane and we thought we would
run a low 6.60. The tire shook 'til about 100 feet out and then
it hooked up. We never thought it had anything like that in it
right then."
Indeed, the Hogan Speed team's testing and qualifying
sessions on Friday and Saturday hadn't given any indication that
they would nearly break the longstanding ET record on Sunday.
The Honda was chronically breaking its axle
adjuster during Friday's test 'n tune. "Because we couldn't
get another torsion sprocket, we went to a rigid sprocket and
new chain, and that changed made the bike chew up the axle adjusters," said Hogan. "That
was the new weak link, and we've never had that happen in two
and a half years of racing that bike. The bike would try and
layover as soon as I sat the front wheel down. It would move
a foot over to the left and try and layover, that's why my qualifying
was off." Korry ran a 6.951 at 205.57 in
round 1—a good lap for most of the field, but not for Hogan.
"We were slowly getting the problem solved on Saturday. My dad Dennis, Mark
McNichols and my friend Preston Morinville (Korry's co-worker at EssentiaLink)
ended up just working on that, and I honestly don't know what they did, but they
took care of it." Hogan's second round MPH stayed consistent at 205.38,
but his ET lowered to a 6.693—on the high end of average for the team.
"The problem was gone on Sunday." True enough, as Hogan ran
the .49 at a quickest-ever 213 in his first round scheduled bye run. "Jim
Kizer came up to me at the end of the track and said 'You ran a .49!' Then Keith
Lynn got there and congratulated me on the run, and then my dad got there and
he was all excited! As unexpected as that .49 was, we still feel there's more
room for improvement. I had a 1.13 60-foot time and Gary said his .45 had a 1.07
60-foot time. So we left so soft, it's ridiculous." Hogan was
being conservative with the clutch tune-up after the change to the rigid sprocket
and the resulting axle adjuster issue. Still, he ran a record 177 mph in the
eighth mile, eclipsing Steve Stuter's 175.06 mark from 1999, and his 4.25 eighth
mile ET was just short of Clark's record 4.248.
Hogan stayed strong in
round 2, ousting former champ Travis
Davis with a 6.541 at 212.33—fast
enough to back up the record 213.00, breaking
the 210.18 mark that Chip Ellis set on Steve
Rice's Kawasaki in 2001.
Really dialed in now, Hogan ran another 6.54
at over 212 in the semi to put Norwalk winner Keith
Lynn on the trailer. And that's where the Indy race left off,
as rains postponed the Funnybike final 'til
the next event in Memphis. There, Hogan will face Norwalk runner-up
Perry Hollie. "We still have the final round to break the
ET record," Korry said confidently.
The weekend after Indy, Hogan displayed the bike at the Honda
Cyclefest in Copper Mountain. Honda president
Mr. Kato flipped his hat around backwards and proudly posed for
photos on the record-setting Funnybike.
Back at Hogan Speed headquarters, the team set
about replacing the aluminum axle adjusters with steel parts,
preparing the bike for a further assault on the record book at
the last two rounds in Memphis and Gainesville.
And after the World Finals, the record-setting Honda could go
home in your trailer. Hogan—who loves the smell
of nitro in the morning. "It's the current Funnybike
World Champion, the current MPH record holder, and the first
Honda to run 6.60, 6.50 and 6.40 quarter-miles.
Korry thanked all of the companies and individuals that made
the parts and pieces that went into the record-setting bike:
Schnitz Racing (http://www.schnitzracing.com) for the Pro Series
2 box, Gary Clark Race Crankshafts and Fuel Systems, MTC (http://www.mtceng.com)for
the pistons, block and multi-stage lock-up clutch, Bill Robinson
Industries (http://www.robinsonindustries.com) for the 3-Speed
Transmission, Harry's Machined Parts for the billet clutch hub
and rocker arm assembly, Vanson Leathers (http://www.vansonleathers.com)
for the suit and gloves that "fit right and look great," Colorado
Powersports (http://www.copowersports.com) for "all the
components that are such a help," AAI Speed Equipment (http://www.virtualtechnologygroup.com)
for the expert machining and fittings, PMFR (http://www.pmfronline.com)
for the front and rear sprockets, World Wide Bearings (http://www.worldwidebearings.com)
for the ceramic bearings on the entire bike, NLR for the NLR-spec
turbocharger and AMS-1000 boost controller, Mile High Crankshafts
for all of the terrific support and service, Dynatek (http://www.dynaonline.com)
for the data-logging capabilities to ensure consistent passes,
Fitz Graphix for the terrific 213 mph paint, Acme Vinyl Graphics
for the terrific graphics, and Sha-Sha Shoes (http://www.sha-sha.com)
for all the Xtremely great looking shoes for the team.
"And I want to thank my mother and father and family. Without them this
wouldn't be possible. And Wendel Douthat, the '2KTuner,' for knowing exactly
what to do and when to do it, even over the phone. I want to thank Gary Clark,
Steve Rice and Steve Suter. Without these terrific racers, we wouldn't have anything
to shoot for at each race! I also want to thank Prostar (http://www.amaprostar.com)
and Keith Kizer for giving us a great racetrack and Tim Hailey (http://www.usridernews.com)
for the terrific coverage at each race this season."
This release was prepared by Tim
Hailey, http://www.eatmyink.com Checkout
the Drag Racing Video's for Sale at an
incredible price!!
-
