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Race to the Sixes
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Will
it happen this year? Who will do it?
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By Greg Guarinello Photos by Roger Richards |
Since the inception of organized drag racing, the term “barrier” has been bantered about. The first to break the 100 MPH barrier, the first to break the 150 MPH, the first blue bike to run 7.50 seconds on a Thursday afternoon during the rainy season before a full moon following a solar eclipse during an odd numbered year where each Wednesday was a giveaway day at the local drive-in. I think you get the message here. For the most part, barriers can be looked at as the artificial hype of sanctioning bodies and promoters looking to fill the stands. In fact there are precious few barriers that really mean anything. In Top Fuel Motorcycle competition the race to 200 MPH was vicious, complete with name-calling, animosity, even a lawsuit. The race to the five-second zone was widely thought to be locked-up before Elmer Trett lost his life in his attempt to break what he often called “The last great barrier in my lifetime.” Since Trett’s protégé, Larry McBride broke through a few years ago he has been the only rider in the fives although there are a couple of riders on the brink (Ron Webb from Alaska and Roel Koedam from the Netherlands come to mind).
So why has the race to the Pro Stock Bike Six-Second zone been so long in coming? After all Matt Hines ran a 7.092 in Maple Grove on October 7, 2001. Why has the barrier stood the test of time since then despite the fact that nine other racers have made their way into the seven-zero range since Hines did it? There are many theories. The fact that so many riders are using power plants that come from the same sources. The idea that so much R&D has been done on the V-Rods that it has taken away from innovation on the Suzuki side. The fact that NHRA wants…no…needs another brand to step up and add a little chocolate to the homogenized milk that Pro Stock Bike had become. Is that a bad thing? No, not really. After all variety is the spice of life. Is it fair? That depends on whom you talk to. Does the VHR Team have the NHRA Technical Department in their back pocket? Perhaps, some speculate. But in the reality of the six-second barrier, everyone has had thirty-one months to find that little oomph that it’s going to take to turn him or her into the answer to a trivia question. But will it happen? Well we spoke to some racers and industry leaders to see just what they thought. Jerry Francis – Vice President of Sales for Mickey Thompson
Joe Koenig – Co-owner/Sponsor Trim-Tex Suzuki NHRA fans will know Joe Koenig as the partner and sponsor (Trim-Tex) of current NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Bike #1 Geno Scali. Motorcycle drag racing fans will know Joe Koenig as “Seven Oh Joe” the first Pro Stock Bike rider to ever run 7.0 seconds. Koenig was a very successful regular on the AMA/ProStar tour for many years. His years of competing on the level that he did makes him more than capable of giving his expert opinion.
Koenig noted; “Naturally the Harleys of VHR have a good shot. As far as the Suzukis I think we (Geno Scali) have as good a chance as anyone. Angelle is also a good bet. I would look for the barrier to be broken at Englishtown, Reading or Sonoma. I thought it was possible to do it at Joliet earlier this season. The track was repaved and ground as smooth as a billiards table but at 660 feet up it wasn’t going to happen in that heat.”
Geno Scali – Co-owner/Rider Trim-Tex Suzuki
In his first full year as a team owner/rider Geno Scali surprised all the prognosticators by winning he NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Bike Championship. After years of competing on many different motorcycles Scali has a handle on what it takes to go fast and just how hard it is to improve. “I really feel it’s going to take a track at sea level or under with a slight tailwind to get this thing done”, said Scali. “I think the Suzuki could be 15 horsepower shy as they are right now. I don’t think it’s realistic for this year except maybe for the Harleys (Hines & Tonglet). I really don’t think it’s going to happen this year”, said a very candid Scali.
Matt Hines – Team Manager Vance & Hines/Screamin’ Eagle H-D
“I think we have the inside track at this point”, said Hines. “We were looking good at Gainesville but it seems like everybody has caught up to us. I really think it’s going to take an outstanding run to break the barrier and I think Reading may be the track. The sixty-foot needs to be perfect, the air has to be there, and the rider has to do his job.”
Angelle Savoie – Rider U.S. Army Suzuki
Angelle is in her second year as a rider of the Schumacher Racing/U.S Army Suzuki. She is a past three-time Pro Stock Bike champion as the rider for Star Racing and George Bryce. She is also the current ET National Record holder having set the record on May 19, 2002 in Englishtown, NJ. She still holds that record at 7.049 seconds. “I think it’s realistic, but it is going to be really hard to do,” explained Savoie. “A lot of things, including the weather, are going to have to fall in line perfectly. The track, bike, rider and everything are going to have to be perfect. It’s a really tough thing to do. I ran a 7.04 at Chicago (editor’s note – the record was actually set in Englishtown according to NHRA records.) two years ago and no one has broken it yet. The record hasn’t even been broken.” “The incremental times are going to be a large part of it.” Savoie believes the feat could be accomplished this season and predicts the site as Reading since Englishtown was rescheduled. She also adds that if it were to become unseasonably cool in Sonoma that it could transpire there. “I think we have the inside track, me and Antron and quite possibly since Craig Treble is back out here on that ‘pink’ bike he could do it. There are a number of riders that could do it. The excitement of the first six-second run has been brewing since Mickey Thompson announced the six-second club. Everybody wants to be the first, whether there’s an award. It’s the prestige.”
Antron is also in his second season as a rider of the Schumacher Racing/U.S. Army Suzuki. He is an eleven-time NHRA Pro Stock Bike winner. His lightening quick reflexes and superior riding style make him a favorite to win every time he comes to the line. Antron believes that a cool weather front in Englishtown could make it happen but he’s more confident of it happening in Reading. “I think it’s going to be really tough,” explained Brown. “We are running such awesome numbers to half-track. It will probably take a 4.46 to half-track to make it all happen. No one has ever run that yet. I think our team is capable of doing it. It will take the right conditions and a perfect ride.” Antron feels that reaching the six-second zone is much akin to running a 15-mile marathon and the last half-mile being the toughest. Antron feels they have to take baby steps. He’s quick to point out that the Suzuki’s are pretty much tapped out, but the Harleys can make big gains. His assessment is that the Suzuki’s have been tested since the mid-Eighties, but the Harleys having double the cubic inches, fuel injection, and a 25-pound weight-break, leave a lot of room for improvement. He feels the Suzuki’s can make baby steps in performance increases while the Harley’s can make major improvements. Antron feels the U.S. Army team has the inside track. If not in Reading, definitely next year it will happen. This is Antron’s formula for a 6-second run: Mineshaft air, track at sea-level, corrected altitude at 0 or in the negative numbers, barometer has to be around 30 to 30.9, temperature has to be about 65 degrees, no humidity and a little tail wind...then it will be possible. Will the six-second barrier be broken? Eventually yes, but even the experts cannot agree on who or where. So we will all have to hang in there and root for our favorites. One thing is for sure; whoever it is that captures the lightning in a bottle will have earned it!
Members of the 7.0 Club 1. Angelle Savoie 7.049
The Mickey Thompson Pro Stock Bike Club will be open to the first eight riders to make an official six-second run during either a qualifying or eliminations at an NHRA/POWERade event. Along with the prizes listed below the first one to run the number will be able to say that they broke one of the last great barriers of their lifetime. The first to break the barrier will receive a special trophy
and a check for $10,000 for their efforts. The second rider will
receive a team plaque and $3,000. Number three gets a plaque and
$2,000. The fourth rider gets $1,000 with their plaque. Numbers
five through eight will receive $500 each along with their plaque.
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