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/127722
.EVENTS ..Edited by Scott R ousseau (Above) Michael Phillips (near lane) strapped a holeshot on Dave Schultz (far lane) for the Slick 50 Nationals win. (left) Eric Hess (background) reeled in David Garner (foreground) for the AA win at the Gholson Cross Country. NHRA W inston Drag Racing Series: Round 1 Schultz upset at Slick 50 Nationals By Todd Veney BAYTOWN, IX, MAR. 10-12 n ly Da ve Sch u ltz co uld lose th e only race of the yea r, NHRA's season-opening Slick 50 Nationals, yet still be number one. Michael Phillips, a semifi nalist at the last three eve nts of 1994, mad e it all the way to the fina l round of the season- . openi ng Slick 50 Na tionals at Houston Raceway Park, and in wha t likely w ill hold up all year as the upset of 1995, bea t the unbeatable Schultz in the mo st gratifyingly possible manner for any rid er - with a holeshot. Phillips, astride th e Bell Additives Suzuk i owned and tun ed b y fo rm e r rider Harry Lartigue, cut a nearly per fect 0.012-secon d rea ction time for a n ot ice abl e lead on th e rarel y late Sch ultz, who sle p t w ith a 0.116. Lon g before th e finish lin e, th e roar o f th e crowd grew as it became clear that this was one lead Phillips, of ne arby H ou ston, was going to make stick. Phillips did and won with a slower time, 7.63/ 170.71 to 7.57 /180 .95, but eve nthat wasn't enough for a Winston point s lead . Schu ltz, outsco red by Phillips in eliminations, 110 to 90, out- . qualified him by one point and collected 20 na tional-record bo nus p oints for a 118-117 lead he almos t certa inly w ill not relinquis h before season's end. O tn 0\ 0\ rl .... - I.I':l l-< 0... < 42 The extra 20 came for Schultz's unbelievable 7.503-second charge on his first official lap of the season - the quickest pass in Pro Stock his tory. The five-time Pro Stock World Champion remained in the 7.5s on every run but one a n d topped th e 180-mph mark on hi s last three runs, which represents to Pro Stock racers what a 3D-point average or a .300 batting average does to baseball players. Phillips' 7.598 /176.36 in qualifying left him n e a rl y a ten th of a seco nd behind Schultz's landmark 7.50/177.97, bu t ahead of everyone else. Phil lips sen t home Pa ul Gast in the second fra me with a 7.600/179.35 an d elimi na ted Rick Ward a round later in the semis with an almost identical lap (7.599/177.44). He . slowed considerably to the 7.63 in the fina l, but after his telepa thic 0.012 reaction, it really didn' t matter . "When my w in light came on at the end, it was incred ible. I we nt nuts," sai d the usually reserv ed Phillips. 'T almost too k m y hands off the han dlebars to celebrate. "To beat Schultz, I kne w I was go ing to have to tak e him on the light," sai d Phillips . "I was jus t afrai d 1 was going to red -ligh t trying too hard. When we we re go ing down the track, I kept thinking, ' W h e r e is h e ? W hy is n 't h e p a ssing me?'" eN Results FINAL: Michael Phillips (Suz ) 7.63/170.71, d ef DaveSchultz (Suz) 7.57/180 .85. NH RA WINSTON PRO STOCK POINTS STAND INGS (aft er t of 11 rou nds): 1. David Schultz (118);2. MichaelPhillips (117);3. (TIE) Rick Ward/John Myers (74); 5. Steve Johnson 56; 6. John Smith (55); 7. (TIE) Joh n Mafara and Pau l Cast (52); 9. (TIE) Russ Olmstead / KerryLarkin(33). Hess best at Gholson CC By Darryl Smith GHOu;QN, IX, FEB. 26 Eric Hess, riding a Husqvama 610, made a laterace charge to capture the AA Expert class du ring the seaso n ope ner of the Texas Cross Country Racing Associa tion nea r Gho lson. T racy A n ders gra bbe d th e AA Exp ert ho leshot and ope ne d up a comfortable oneminute lead . Hess. backed by Sun shine Racing. battled with David Gamer for much of the race while And ers kep t his distance . Late in the race, Ga m er and Hess's battle brough t them within sigh t of Anders. Hess turned it up and managed to pa ss An ders a coup le miles from the finish w hen he crashed . Anders held on to seco nd while David Cu lpepper mad e h is own last-lap charge to p ass Gamer for thi rd . It was not with-