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/127220
Rusty Quesenberry won the Top Fuel Eliminator class at the D ragbike! USA Na t io nal Finals with a 7 .28-second. 190.51 mph run . - --- ~ - .. - • ~ =--:: -, ,, - - £ Dragbike! USA National Drag Race Finals Quesenberry's top gun in Gainesville'finals By George Hoffman GAINESVILLE. FL . NOV. 12 Twen ty-fou r National records, including the worl d' s fastest P ro Stock mark, fell at the 12th running of the Dragbike! USA Natio n a l Finals at N H RA Gainesville Harley -Davidson- mou nted Dave Bartley won the Super Fue l Pushrod crown w it h a w in over Mario n Owens in Ga inesville. Florida . Jon Meyers (near lane) beat Guy Guaragna (f ar lane) in .the f irst rou nd of t he Pro Stock El im inator class and went on towin the f ina l. 18 Raceway in north Florida .as '368 teams celebrated at th e season-ending even t. Top Fuel Eli minator actio n pitted th e new high-tech turbocha rged dragbikes aga inst th e traditio na l. supercha rged nitro-burning d ragbikes, and th is tim e - despite excellent representation by th e likes of Sam Wills. Na tio na l Ch ampion Mike Mal on e a nd o ther nitroburners - ' the turbos came o ut o n to p. In the openi ng round of th e sing le- . elimina tio n event, Wills an d hi s Ka wa sa sk iWi lls-Na fflGrey spo nsored nitroburner topped Bill Ti m mo ns' turbo , 7.10 /1 62.89 to 7.34/ 183.22. Ron Krol 's amazing gas o n ly ca rb ure te d 1770c c S uzuki clocked a 7.21/ 186.41 to advance. Wor ld record ho lder Mark Miller and his Kawasak i th en defeated Charles ISrael and his 1325cc turbo , 7.19/ 185 to 7.76/167. 53. The ro und ended with Rusty Quesen berry 'o f Virginia kn ocking off th e Ford Raci n g sponsored Suzuki of Marvin George, 7.23/187.69 to 8.20/150.52. The second round saw Wills edge Krol, 7.52/191. 53 to 7.70/1 64.23; Quesenb err y ups et Mill er with a gate-job .625-.697 leave with th e Virginian winning with a slower tim e, 7.18/191.24 to Miller 's 7.11/ 185.5. The finale was an all Kawasaki test with su percha rged nitro facing .off aga inst tu rbo. Wills left first with a .494 launch to Quesenb erry 's .571 reaction tim e. and th e turbo clipped a fine time of 7.28 seconds at 190.51 mph . T he supern itro machine ended with a high er top speed at 191.20 mph, but slower ET - 7.47 seconds. A record turnout in OHC Fu nn ybike co mpe tition yielded tremendous co mpetition and record-setting times by Bill Hahn Jr. in SF/B at 7.26 seconds, and in FB Gas Nitro us ' by J ohn Sachs J r. a t 7'.82/170.26; both were.Kawasaki mounted. After scaring the rest of th e field wit h his 7.26-second run , Han ran into mi sfortu ne during th e first ro und as his tire came off the rim during a burn-out, sending Mike