Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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CN III ARCHIVES BY LARRY LAWRENCE M otorcycle drag racing is the definition of narrow focus. While many forms of racing call for 30 minutes or more of concentration, drag racing distills all of that intensity into an explosive few seconds that some of the best say plays out like slow-motion virtual reality. Among the legends of the quarter-mile, the late-great Dave Schultz stood out as one of the true masters, who harnessed the skills to turn those highly-concen- trated microseconds into a Matrix-like realty, at times making the specialized talent of his sport look almost routine. Schultz, who passed way from cancer in 2001, was a leading motorcycle drag racer of the 1980s and '90s. He won a record six NHRA Pro Stock Bike Championships (1987-'88, '91, '93-'94, '96) during a spectacular 10-year stretch. His 45-ca- reer NHRA National event wins made him the win- ningest motorcycle racer in NHRA history. He was the first to turn an elapsed time quicker than 7.60 seconds and faster than 180 mph. He finished in the top five of the NHRA Pro Stock Bike series standings for 14 consecutive seasons. Over a 23-year career, Schultz won 15 series championships and had more than 140 victories including the U.S. Nationals six times. And cap- tured championships in NHRA, Prostar and IDBA. Perhaps the most memorable victory of Schultz's illustrious career was his last. It came in October of 2000 at the Matco Tools SuperNa- tionals in Houston, Texas. Schultz had already been diagnosed with cancer and was undergoing chemotherapy, yet he still mustered the strength to score victory. When Schultz entered the world of pro mo- torcycle drag racing the scene was owned by Terry Vance. Vance was the first racer to garner major big-time factory support for his racing efforts and Schultz knew if he was to compete with Vance he would have to take a path all his own. Schultz built his racing career by beating down the doors of corporate America and se- curing outside sponsorships. Indeed, besides his outstanding career on the track, Schultz's biggest legacy was being one of the first to consistently bring non-motorcycling sponsors to his program such as Eagle One, National Car Rental and Sunoco. "I'm drawn to sponsors who can advertise my presence as well as my performance," Schultz said in a 1988 interview in Cycle World. "That way my value goes beyond what I do on the track and my livelihood doesn't depend on win- ning a particular race. I want to market drag rac- P98 Quarter-Mile Master