When team owner George Bryce left NHRA’s Pro Stock Motorcycle ranks following the 2008 season, it was on his own terms.

Bryce, a six-time world champion team owner, came back to the class in 2012 and had some strong results with his Sovereign-Star Racing Team.

Bryce is the co-owner of the team with Jeno Rujp. Rujp owns Sovereign, a large European sugar distribution company.

Bryce said he is working on finalizing a deal with Rujp to sponsor the team in 2013. And, Bryce was quick to point out the team has big plans for the upcoming season.

“We are working on a new Suzuki so we can try out that avenue because now there should only be two sets of rules,” Bryce said. “One for the four cylinder and one for the two cylinder. We are building a new Suzuki to see if there is an advantage with the Suzuki. We are also going to run Buells and continue to develop on where we were going last year. We want to run a two cylinder and a four cylinder and see which one is the fastest. We might run all three motorcycles (two Buells and a Suzuki) at the Gatornationals (March 14-17). We have a lot of testing to do yet, but we might do that.”

The Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., is the season-opening race for the Pro Stock Motorcycle competitors.

On Sept. 19, right before the Dallas race Sept. 20-23, NHRA announced some major changes to the Pro Stock Motorcycle class.

For 2013, Harley-Davidson and Buell will both be allowed a maximum 160-cubic inch displacement (cid), for a 60-degree, two-valve, pushrod engine. Minimum weight for both motorcycles will be set at 625 pounds. The four-valve Harley-Davidson engine combination will no longer be allowed. Suzuki will still have a maximum of 107-cid, for a two-valve engine. Minimum weight on the Suzuki will be 595 pounds. NHRA also will discontinue the four-valve option on the Suzuki motorcycle.

“I feel like NHRA finally got it right,” Bryce said about the 2013 rule changes. “This is the right thing to do at the right time. If they stick to the new rules that they (NHRA) laid out like they are supposed to then there will only be two sets of rules, one for the four cylinders and one for the two cylinders. I’m on a rules advisory committee with NHRA and I’m going to keep voicing my opinion as loud as necessary.”

This past season, Scotty Pollacheck and John Hall rode the Sovereign-Star Racing team Buell motorcycles, finishing seventh and 11th in the points.

“We are planning on doing more of the same as we did last year,” Bryce said. “We are continuing to advance on our engine program. We were going a little faster at every race last year. At the end, (the NHRA Finals) we (Pollacheck) qualified third and that was a good place for us to end the season. We are still talking to Scotty Pollacheck and John Hall about being our riders in 2013, but nothing is finalized yet. Then, we are working on a new rookie who has yet-to-be named who is a potential third driver.”

According to Bryce, his team is hoping to have its first offseason test next week at Gainesville.

From 1990-2002, Bryce’s Pro Stock Motorcycle riders for Star Racing won six NHRA championships in 1990, 1992, 1995, 2000, 2001, and 2002. Also in those 13 seasons, Bryce’s riders finished no worse than second in the points standings. Bryce’s team has won 78 NHRA national events with 11 different riders.

Bryce’s team has not entered a Suzuki in an NHRA race since 2003. In 2004, his team debuted the Buell in NHRA competition.

“With the new Suzuki, we have a chassis and we have the engine in the works, and parts are on the way,” Bryce said.

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