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Round 2: Atlanta Dragway AMAIPROSTAR DRAG RACING SERIES o By Matt Polito COMMERCE, GA, MAR. 27-28 11 he Kerker 600cc Super Sport class has become one of the most exciting and hotly contested classes on the AMA/Prostar motorcycle drag-racing tour. Last season, the class was owned by three riders: Kei th Dennis on the F&S/MSP ZX6R, Michael Phillips on the Cheese Steak Racing ZX6R and Kawasaki factory rider Rickey Gadson. The trio accounted for all the final-round matchups in 1998, with Dennis scoring five wins and taking the class championship. Chip Ellis, a scrappy independent from Columbia, South Carolina, was the odd man out. Although he never made a final in 1998, he had enough round wins to score a number-four plate. In the off-season, Ellis was named to the newly formed Team Green Kawasaki 600cc Super Sport team, along with Marty Ladwig and Chris Williams. In front of factory brass at Atlanta Dragway during 20 round two of the AMA/Prostar series, Ellis proved he was a good pick, najJing the top qualifying spot and taking his first-ever victory. For the fourth year in a row, Atlanta Dragway has hosted an AMA/Prostar . national event. This year's meet, sponsored by Star Performance Parts, got off to a shaky start when a tirning-eomputer malfunction, oil-downs and 11 pair of crashes canceled one of Saturday's three scheduled qualifying rounds. Sunday's eliminations went much smoother, and in the end the wiruier's circle saw some veterans, some up-and-coming racers, and of course, little-guy-made-good Ellis. Ellis looked sharp right from the beginning, setting the pace with a 10.32 elapsed time at 130 mph to lead the pack of 24 bikes. Ellis, known as one of the hardest leavers in the. class, got by Williams and Gadson in early rounds before facing Dennis in the final. Dennis got off the line first, but Ellis drove around him, taking the victory with the quickest lap of the event, 10.30 to 10.41. In the Top Fuel division, Larry "Spider-man" McBride captured his third straight win, getting by three-time defending champion Tony Lang in the final. The supercharged nitro burners had trouble keeping the power to the Atlanta surface, as was evidenced by Lang's number-one qualifying effort of 6.50/225 - over four-tenths of a second off the national record. McBride ran the quickest time of the event in the final, running 6.43 seconds at 215 mph to turn back Lang's 6.64/214. The Orient Express Funnybike series saw Keith Lynn and crew chief Roger Gordon take their first win since the 1997 U.S. Motorcycle Nationals. Lynn qualified his turbocharged, gas-powered, nitrous-fed Kawasaki on the pole with a 7.48/181 and stepped his performance up to 6.90 numbers in eliminations. But Lynn was overshadowed by his eventual final-round opponent, number-three (Above) Chip Ellis proved a good choice for Kawasaki's Team Green, turning back the class standouts en route to his first 600cc Super Sport win at Atlanta Dragway during round two of the AMAIProStar Drag Racing Series. (Left) Larry "Spiderman" McBride (near lane) is on a tear this season. McBride took out three-time defending champ Tony Lang (far lane) in the Atlanta Top Fuel final for his third straight win. qualifier Bryan Bennett, who put down a string of shmning 6.70 elapsed times in the early rounds of competition. Bennett, who has not had a Funnybike victory since 1994, had too much power in the final, breaking the rear tire loose and crossing into Lynn's lane, nearly hitting Lynn and causing a disqualification. Lynn cruised to a 6.98-second elapsed time for the victory. Tony Sabino continued his impressive streak in the Fast By Gast Pro Modified Series, making his ninth strajghl final and his second win of the year or the Franco's Performance Suzuki. Like the other high-hor epowe classes, the Pro Mod bikes were havin: a tough time in Atlanta. Sabino, who held the low elapsed time of every even last season as well as the opening race c 1999, kept the string alive, qualifyrn number one at 7.07 and turning in a 6.9 in the first round of e1jrninations. In th final, Sabino' met Bernard Johnson, mal< ing his first-ever final on his Billy VOSE tuned Suzuki. Sabino got the holeshot i the final but spun the tire in fourth gea and slowed to a 7.21 as Johnson brok early in the run. Sophomore rider Antron Brow scored his first-ever victory, bringin. the Team 23 SuZuki to a final-round wU over defending champion Paul Gast iJ the Lectron Pro Stock series. The top qualifyIDg spot was held b: rookie Fred Collis on the Star Perfor mance Parts four-valve Suzuki at 7.3~ seconds, followed by Dave Schultz Steve Johnson and Brown. Colli! stepped it up in eliminations, running ~ quick as 7.25 before losing to a Browr holeshot, 7.26 to Brown's 7.28 in the semifinals. Gast, working on a new clutch program on the Dynatek Suzuki, stepped it up as well with a pajr of high 7.20s in later rounds. In the final, Gast went red by eight-thousandths of a second, throwing away his quickest-ever lap, a 7.23, as Brown ran a 7.25 for his firstever win. New rules in the Superbike class, which allow nitrous oxide, square slicks, lock-up clutches and two-step rev limiters, have proved diHicult to master in the early part of the season, but the field is getting closer to realizing the potential of the new configuration. Kawasaki factory rider Rickey Gadson had the best handle on it, qualifying number one at 8.81 seconds and 154 mph, eventually setting the new record at 8.647/154.95 in eliminations. Gadson took his first Superbike win of the year in Atlanta, running a final-round lap of 8.76 to turn back the game 8.89 of Michaellantorno. Sportsman winners included Andy Baumbach in the Star Performance Parts Top Gas series; Mike Konopacki, taking his second win in a row in the APE Super Comp series; and Richard Gibbs with the win in the RC Components Super Gas series. _ Atlanta Dragway Atlanta, Georgia Results: March 27-28 (Round 2 of 8) T/F,1. Larry McBride (So2); 2. Tony Lang (So2). FNNYIBK: 1. Keith Lynn (Kawl; 2. Bryan Bennett (Kaw). PRO MOD: 1. Tony Sabino (Suz); 2. Bernard Johnson (So2). PRO STK: 1. Antron Brown (Suz); 2. Paul Cast (So2). SIBK: 1. Rickey Gadson (Kaw); 2. Michael lantomo (So2). T/G: 1. Andy Baumbach (Knw); 2. Craig Adams (Suz). S/COMP: 1. Mike Konopncki (Kaw); 2. Bruce Snuer (K.1W). SfGAS: 1. Richard Gibbs (Suz); 2, Tory Chapman (Knw). 600 5/5PT: 1. Chip Ellis (J(aw); 2. Keith Dennis (Knw). Upcoming Rounds: Round 3 . Columbus. Ohio. April 24-25 Round 4 - Rockingham, North Carolina, June 5-6