Return to Top

MORE DETAILS
Qualifying Qualifying was what you call slow and uneventful. Everybody sat around looking out from under their canopies through the rain for two days. The good news is that we got a chance to visit with racing friends and catch up on the latest news. When the AHDRA officials finally cancelled pro qualifying on Saturday night, setting the ladder according to last year’s national points standings, we were more than ready to race.
Eliminations Round 1 Going up to the line for Round One of eliminations, we were optimistic. We felt we had a solid tune-up in the bike, and we had softened it up for the track. But it turned out not to be soft enough. To our disappointment, the rear tire spun and went up in smoke right off the line. Chris got off the throttle and got back into it nice and easy, hoping to catch Hildenbrand. After spinning the tire, the bike took the long way around, heading over to the right-hand wall. Chris kept it off the wall, but didn’t get to the finish line in time to beat Hildenbrand. Hildenbrand took the win with a sluggish 7.861 of his own at 180.79 MPH to Chris’ 8.701 at 164.20 MPH.
Semi-Finals Despite our own disappointment, the Pro-Fuel field as a whole was making a strong showing, with most of last year’s top contenders getting to the Semi-Finals. Defending champion Armon Furr had run a disappointing 7.16 to take out Pro-Fuel newcomer Willie Herschberger in the first round, but Jay Turner and John Breckenridge both set a nice pace with a 6.694 and 6.82 respectively. Turner and Breckenridge both improved in the Semi-Finals. In fact, Turner set a new national record with a 6.580 at 209.49 MPH to take Furr out of the competition, while Breckenridge improved to a 6.695 at 205.05 MPH against Hildenbrand, who broke.
FINALS Jay Turner kept up the pace in the Finals to back up his national record in both ET and MPH, running a 6.631 at 211.71 MPH and took the race win. Breckenridge was disappointed when something went away for him and he took runner-up with a 7.544 at 145.53 MPH. Congratulations to Turner on a stellar season opener and two new national records!
Upcoming Events While the Gainesville race didn’t turn out quite the way we had hoped, there was one good thing about it. It signaled the start of another race season! Hopefully rain will not be a problem for our next race out in sunny Phoenix, AZ. Lake Erie Racing will be heading out west for the Screamin’ Eagle Performance Parts® Arizona Nationals Presented by Arrowhead and Chandler Harley-Davidson® March 31 – April 1, 2007. By that time we hope to have our new Barnett Clutches canopy installed to keep ourselves cool in the shade and give the pits a more professional look (we sure could have used that canopy for the rain in Gainesville). Phoenix is one of our luckiest tracks, and we have lots of friends and family to see there, including Phoenix area sponsor Redding Appraisal, who sponsors our uniforms. Chris has taken two wins and two runner-ups out of five races since we started making the westward swing in 2002, so we are looking for good things!
Until next time, Matt@LakeErieRacing.com
Pro Fuel - Ohio's Fastest Highgear Harleys

Contact: Chip@LakeErieRacing.com for Web Site Info

[Home Page] [Hot News] [The Team] [2008 Races] [Pictures] [Merchandise] [Sponsors] [Contact Us]

Return to Top