Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

~ D RACE NHRA Winston Championship Drag Race Series: Round I RAG ~ John Myers, in the n ear lane, downed John Madao, far lane; in th e final at Houston. Myers set a new NHRA Pro Stock Na tional record with a 7.73 second ru n . Star Ra cing's Myers and bike owner George Bryce acknowledge th e ch eers of th e crowd following the wi n . Myers dominant in Houston By T od d Veney HOVSI OK IX, M 1·4 AR. ro S to ck Bike ra ce rs lea vin g H ou s ton R a ce wa y P a r k wer e p robabl y fill ed wi th th e sa me se nse o f d read th ey had a t th e sa me lim e la st year, because J ohn Myer s was as do m in ant in w in n ing th e 1990 Fra m Super n at ion a ls as "Pizza J ohn " Mafar o wa s in 1989. M yers , l ike Mafaro a year ago , qua lified o n the po le, a nd set th e NHRA Nati onal reco rd in th e fin al ro u nd w ith th e best el apsed lime in P ro Stoc k h istory, a 7.73 seco nd ru n . (Ma faro had IUn a 7.82. ) Maf aro , w ho h ad wo n just o ne NHRA race in h is ca ree r 10 th at po int , won fo ur o f th e remaining seve n 1989 races a nd th e overa ll P ro Stoc k Bik e P 14 cha m pionsh ip . Myer s has given every ind ica tio n he' II do th e same - a nd m o re. Since tea m ing up w ith G eorge Bryce in H OUSlOn exact ly o ne yea r ago, Myers has been OI l hi s best wh en it 's a ll o n the lin e. H e m ad e the quick est run o f hi s lif e in hi s first ca reer fina l (th e m ost prestigious race of the yea r, th e. U.S. Nati onal s ), H e 's wo n th ree of four NHRA Nat ion al races since th en - sell ing th e track record in th e la st rou nd every lime - a nd the re 's no end in sig ht. Bryce has p rov ided hi s rider wit h th e qui ckest bi ke in the co u n try , the Sta r Racing Suzu ki G SX R, and Myers ha s bett er refl ex es than a nyone. AI H o u s ton , h.. was awav horn th.. starri ng li nt', o n averag... just s ix hundredths of a second aftt'r lilt' gret'n lights on the C h ris tmas tree starti ng sys tem flashed , T hose- w itho ut lilt' power 10 ca tch h im , w hich is 10 sa y just abo u t e-veryone. wert' a lready ' beat en before thev let the d u tch OUI o n th e star t ing lil;e. Bu t before th e raci ng got underwa y, Myers was al rea dy a hea d o f lilt' pack. W ilh the ca rb uretors im prope rly st'l a nd th e eng ine runnin g 100 lean , Myer s still rode th « yellow a nd red Suzu ki G SX R 10 a 7.8 1 second s, 169.45 mph for the n u m ber o ne q ua lifying pos ilion. ' I m m ed ia te ly behin d M yer s a n d a hea d o f traditiona l Iron t-run ner s suc h as Mala ro a nd David Sc h u ltz were Veli Ma lin a n d P aul Ga st , Ma l in , o f Veilkola . Fi n la nd, rook hi s Ni nja 10 a ca ree r-b es t 7.8 3/ 166 .9 7 fo r t h e number two p osi tion : Cast was third aI7 .8'1/ 166.97. Two -t i m e N H R A C ha m p io n Sc h u ltz was fourth a t 7.87/ 171/ 85. Mafaro , who had n ever tak en a ride o n h is brand-new Vance & Hines Suzuki Kat ana until he got 10 H ousIOn; finall y got th e ill -h andling bike 10 launch well enoug h for a fifth -best 7.9 1/1 68.00 - far bel ow the 7.78 he ran o n h is o ld o ne. Keith G ray, who bought Mafaro's cha m p io ns h ip- w in n ing '89 Katana, was sixt h w ith a 7.92/ 166.82. Norman Devine (7.93/ 170.87) a nd Ri ck C er o ( 7 . 94 / 1 69. 5.~ ) filled o u t th e Iast ha lf of t h e fi eld . T ho u g h onl y 15 ra cer s showed Ior tilt' lfi-hik e fiel d , 12 o f th em found th e st'''''II-St'COlHI zon e , a n d eve ryo n e ran a t least all 8. 10. Mvt'rs , as th e fast rid er in th e o nebike:shon field , ea rn ed the fir st -round bye. H e m a tched h is 7.8 1 qua lify ing best , a nd did il aga in in the seco n d set 10 heat th e o ther F inni sh rider, Hel sinki 's Keij o Ruuskan en , w ho ran a n 8.0 1/ 166.88. Schultz an d Ma faro a lso survived th e o p r n i u g roun d o f e l i m i n a t i o n s. tho ugh Mafaro just ba rel y d id so . H e ra n o n ly a n 8.09/ 166.85 , b UI was spared w hen o p pone n t Lance Bo yer 's tra nsm ission jumped fro m firs t 10 fourth gear j ust off th e sta rt ing line. " P izza J ohn " lu rked out in the seco nd ro un d as well when Sc h u ltz' s fa ster Ka wasa ki ZX- IO stri p ped the tee th o rr firs t gear. T he lo ss was th e latest in a string of disa p poi n unen ts for Sc h u lt z, w ho won eve ryt h in g in 1987 a nd I 98!!, hut ha sn 't won a n yth ing since. Mafaro 's lu ck fa iled h im in th e semi finals against Myer s - right w he n the p erforman ce fina lly ca me arou n d . " P izza J ohn 's" far-from-perfect ed ne w Su zu ki ran like il never had before, bUI he was be h ind th e who le wa y down, Myers left th e line j us t six- h u nd red th s o f a second a fter th e g ree n, as usu al, rh en h eld o ff th e s lower-re acti ng Mafaros 7.78-second run w ith a 7.79. Gra y, ridin g th e Ka ta na Mafar o took 10 victo ry OI l th e 1989 Supernat ional s, bea t Malin 's 7.82 in the o the r semi final h eat with a s lo w er 7.84. Mal in ' s winning fir st round time o f 7.78 was ' th e fastes t of th e even t unti l M yer s' fina l round , 7.73. Tha t record -selling run , more tha n a ny th ing else, so lid ified Myers' sta tus as th e hei r a ppa re nt 10 Mafa ros NHRA Champi on ship cro w n. H e's got th e bi ke a nd th e refl exes, a nd in d rag racing.uhat goes a lo ng wa y. CN

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