Just days before arriving to defend his Pro Stock motorcycle crown at Englishtown, N.J., Craig Treble has been put in scramble mode.

On Monday, Don Schumacher Racing parked its Pro Stock Motorcycle team leaving Treble without a ride. The decision by DSR was due to the inability to secure major sponsorship. Treble captured the No. 1 qualifying position at the NHRA Route 66 Nationals in Chicago last weekend.

“This is an unfortunate situation,” Treble said. “Don (Schumacher) didn’t have funding to keep the bike going. Steve (Tartaglia) (Treble’s crew chief) was finally getting a good handle on this thing and it was a fast machine and it still is a fast machine. But, unfortunately, now it is for sale. Personally, I believe he (Schumacher) pulled the plug a little too soon, but business-wise I guess he did what he had to do. It’s disappointing that this happened, but I have no hard feelings toward Don and I’m grateful for the opportunity he gave me.”

Just days before arriving to defend his Pro Stock motorcycle crown at Englishtown, N.J., Craig Treble has been put in scramble mode.

On Monday, Don Schumacher Racing parked its Pro Stock Motorcycle team leaving Treble without a ride. The decision by DSR was due to the inability to secure major sponsorship. Treble captured the No. 1 qualifying position at the NHRA Route 66 Nationals in Chicago last weekend.

“This is an unfortunate situation,” Treble said. “Don (Schumacher) didn’t have funding to keep the bike going. Steve (Tartaglia) (Treble’s crew chief) was finally getting a good handle on this thing and it was a fast machine and it still is a fast machine. But, unfortunately, now it is for sale. Personally, I believe he (Schumacher) pulled the plug a little too soon, but business-wise I guess he did what he had to do. It’s disappointing that this happened, but I have no hard feelings toward Don and I’m grateful for the opportunity he gave me.”

Treble drove DSR’s Valvoline Motorcycle Oils Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle entry for the first six Pro Stock Motorcycle national events, concluding in Chicago last weekend. Actually, Valvoline only signed on to sponsor Treble’s DSR bike for the season’s first two races at Gainesville, Fla., and Charlotte. Schumacher, however, extended Treble’s deal for him to be able to compete at Houston, St. Louis, Commerce, Ga., and Chicago before closing the doors on the team.

Now, Treble is frantically trying to put a deal of his own together so he can compete at the 41st annual NHRA Supernationals at Englishtown, N.J., Thursday through Sunday. Treble is the defending champion at Englishtown.

“I’m currently in the process of getting a motor. It looks like the Geico (Pro Stock Motorcycle) team is going to be able to help out with an engine for the Englishtown race,” Treble said. “I also already have a truck, trailer and a bike ready to go, so my goal is to get to Englishtown. We’re working on trying to get a motor out there (to Englishtown), and put it on an airplane and all that good stuff. If all things come together, I should be there (at Englishtown) with a loaner motor on my old bike. My old bike is a Suzuki I’ve been on for years. I just had to blow the cobwebs off of my bike and make another attempt to defend Englishtown.”

Treble is presently eighth in the Pro Stock Motorcycle season point chase. Treble has been competing in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class since 1998 and he has won 14 national events.

“I believe in the big picture that this was coming down (even) if we would’ve won Chicago,” Treble said. “When there is nobody paying the bills, Don (Schumacher) is doing what he has to do. I think he (Schumacher) is pretty well selling the motorcycle program in general as well because he’s trying to sell everything. All the motorcycle stuff at DSR is for sale. That in itself is a tragedy because it’s kind of like Don Prudhomme quitting. It just kind of kicks NHRA drag racing right in the teeth. You can’t lose people like that. You lose a big guy like (Don) Schumacher who loses an interest in motorcycles, and that doesn’t help the bike class one iota.”

Treble says he and fellow Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Michael Phillips will be pitted next to each other at national events, however long Treble’s season continues.

“I do not have any financial backing just yet,” Treble said. “All of this (Schumacher parking his Pro Stock Motorcycle team) just happened Monday afternoon and I’m still picking myself up off the floor after that one, and getting ready to try and get myself to New Jersey. I’m in the process right now of setting up arrangements for shipping an engine (to New Jersey), so I’m going. One shape, form or another I will be there. I might be over there helping Michael Phillips work on his bike or helping Joe Desantis work on his bike or racing my bike, but I will be there.”