Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126975
Kawasaki-mounted Jim Cooper garnered top honors in the Pro Comp
class. downing Neal Lane. who redlighted. in the final.
T.J. Hofmeister set both elapsed time and speed records on the drag
strip at Edgewater Sports Park. He turned in two 200-plus mph runs.
Floridian Dave Schultz downed Terry Vance in the Pro Stock division.
Schultz was also the top qualifier aboard his Kawasaki Ninja.
IDBA National Championship Drag
Race Series: Round 3
Hofmeister sets
records at
Sunshine Nationals
By Nina Holmes
CINCINNATI, OH, JUNE 20-21
T.]. Hofmeister surprised everyone with a
record-breaking 7.12-second, 207.37 mph
pass to defeat Bobby Baker in -the Funny
Bike final at the Vance & Hines Sunshine
Nationals, held at Edgewater
Sports Park in Cincinnati.
I
Hofmeister's winning ride
followed his 7.16/200.44 re-
cord breaker in the semi final. The
two runs set IDBA records, putting
Hofmeister in the books with a new
ET record at 7.12 seconds and a new
mph record at 200.44 mph. Since his
ride marked the first rime a Funny
Bike has traveled more than 200
mph, Hofmeister may never come
down from the clouds.
In the Pro Stock division, Dave
SChul~wered his new fairingequip
Kawasaki Ninja to an 8.53secon run (.492 reaction time) to top
the rider many consider the nation's
best drag racer, Vance & Hines
Suzuki pilot Terry Vance. Vance
stopped the clock at 8.50. Terminal
speeds were not recorded due to
equipment malfunction.
Connecticut's Jim Cooper turned
in a 7.66/168.85 in the Pro Comp
class to beat 1982 number two plate
holder Neal Lane, who won the
first two rounds of IDBA competition.
eal's quarter-mile pass
clocked in at 7.69/168.22, but the
time was unofficial since he jumped
the lighL
Fast-qualifier Hofmeister, a
Suzuki rider from Illinois, clocked
a 7.42/181.08 to win his quarterfinal
run in the Funny Bike class over
Suzuki-mounted Charles Israel of
Georgia, who stopped the clock at
7.56/172.41. Kawasaki-mounted
Baker claimed his quarterfinal by
outrunning Rusty Quesenberry of
Virginia, 7.35/183.67 to 7.64/172.41.
Other quarterfinal winners included
Kawasaki-mounted 'Keith Lynn
(7.39/178.92) and Suzuki rider Steve
Tracy (13.086).
Hofmei ter left with a .546 reaction time in the semi, went way
ahead of Lynn and crossed the finish
with his record 7.16/200.44. Lynn
finished with a 8.96/92.02. Tracy was
unable to make his semi pass, so
Baker took a solo, fini hing with a
7.7111141.06.
Baker, the 1986 Funny Bike Champion, made a 7.35/186.33 pass in the
final, but his run wa no match for
Hofmeister's record 7.12/207.37.
Florida's Schultz was top qualifier
in the Pro Stock divi ion even
though it was only the econd time
he has ridden his new Ninja in
competition.
Schultz beat George Bryce in the
quanerfinal with a 8.2VI59.85 run.
Suzuki's Vance, who qualified
fourth, shot straight down the track
and passed Virgina's Lester Jenkins
to win the fourth quarterfinal with
a pass of 8.45/156.79. Rounding out
the quarterfinal winners were Sid
Pogue (8.44/155.7) and Mike Keyte
(8.35/157.34).
.
Pogue was first out of the hole in
the opening semi,. but Schultz rode
straight and narrow to win with a
8.25/159.29 after passing Pogue at
midtrack. Vance won the second
semi by almost nothing, turning in
a 8.373/157.06 to Keyte's 8.372/
157.06. Keyte was considered the
favorite going into the run, but
Vance exited the lights with a
reaction time of .491 to Keyte's .528
to win by a hair.
Vance went into the final the
underdog and Schultz went into the
final with two wins under his belt.
Both men were anxious. Schultz
could win on his second time out
on a new bike. Vance had a new bike,
too, and could be the winning
underdog.
The tree came down and the green
£lashed. Vance was first out of the
hole. Both riders went after the finish
as hard as they could. Vance finished
with an 8.502, while Schultz took the
win with an 8.53. Schultz had a
reaction time of .492.
Kawasaki rider Cooper qualified
first in the Pro Comp class, then
defeated Floyd Huntz in the quarterfinal with a 7.69/167.59 pass.
Suzuki of L.A.-backed Steve Drake
of Ohio won the second quarterfinal
over Bob Lytton with a 7.95/165.74
run. Neal Lane, riding .a H&P
Performance Kawasaki, crossed the
finish line much quicker than Georgian Buddy Forbus to win the third
quarterfinal; Lane clocked in at 7.76/
167.59. The fourth quarterfinal went
to Texan Harold Windham aboard
a Kawasaki when Pro Comp rookie
Keith Crabtree redlighted on the BG/
N Kawasaki.
Cooper and Drake had reaction
times one-thousandth of a second
apart in the first semi run, with
Cooper the quickest. Cooper soared
through the finish with a winning
7.88/162.74, while Drake lost with an
impressive 7.92/166.35. Lane was
quicker off the line than Windham
(.466 to .501) in the second semi, and
went on to win the race with a 7.711
168.22. Windham completed his day
with a 8.14/163.63.
The final would be Cooper's first
of the season and Lane's third. Lane,
holder of the Pro Comp number two
plate in 1986 and winner of the first
two IDBA rounds in 1987, got too
anxious for the third round and
redlighted. Cooper turned a 7.66/
168.85 to take home the win.
•
Results
F/BK: 1. T.J. Hofmeister (SUl. 7.12/207.37); 2.
Bobby Baker (!Caw. 7.35/186.33); 3. Kei'h Lynn
(Kaw. 8.96/192.02); 4. Steve Tracy (SUl. no time).
PRO STK: 1. Dave Schultz (Kaw. 8.53); 2. Terry
Vance (SUl. 8.50); 3. Mike KeVle (Suz. 8.372/
157.06); 4. Sid P~ue (Kaw. 8.79/153.06).
PRO COMP: 1. Jim Cooper (Kaw. 7.66/168.85);
2. Neel Lane (Kaw. 7.69/168.22); 3. Steve Drake
(SUl. 7.92/166.35); 4. Harold Windham (Kaw.
8.13/163.63).
TOP GAS: 1. Ron Ayers (SUl. 8.15/160.17); 2.
Pe,e Barnhart (Kaw. 8.21/146.57); 3. Spero
Lazrarou (Kaw 8.26/158.45)4. Ronald Craig (Kaw.
8.58/122.61 ).
S/COMP: 1. Dave Page (Kaw. 9.70/149.75); 2.
Linton Nunes (Suz. 8.78/136.36); 3. Brian Te"ell
(no time); 4. Miller Neisler (Kaw, no time).
PRO GAS: 1. Mike Phillips (Kaw. 9.22/142.18);
2. Mike Bianco IKaw, no time); 3. Larrv Rigntnour
(Kaw. 9.16/133.31); 4. Richard Vearain (Kaw,
9.29/146.81).
S/ELIM: 1. John Pearson (Kaw. 11.01/88.66);
2. Randy ease (SUl. 12.05/138.03); 3. Michael
Dring (Kaw. 8.53/151.26); 4. Steve Jacl