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/128183
I AMAIProstar U. S. Drag Racing Championships Round S: Gainesville Raceway STORY AND PHOTOS BY MATT POLITO GAINESVILLE, FL, NOV. 9-11 he AMA/Prostar motorcycle drag racing series held its annual season-ending pilgrimage to GainesvjJIe, Florida for the World Finals, by far the biggest event in the sport. While weather always seems to playa part in GainesvilJe, brief showers delayed Sunday's eliminations by just a few hours, and by Sunday night the season and all the championships were settled. For the first time this season, Top Fuel champion Larry "Spiderman" McBride failed to make the final round. McBride qualified on the pole with a 6.05 elapsed time at 231 mph but an electrical problem took rum out in the semifinals, and he lost to German Norbert Kutzera. Kutzera faced veteran Ron Webb in the final, and after a tire-smoking T Tom Perry went from the pole .. the wfn......s circle in Funnybllw. duel, Webb turned on the win light with a 7.59/207 to Kutzera's 8.75/1 06. It was Webb's first win since the 1996 World Finals. Funnybike veteran Tom Perry made his first trip to the Orient Express winner's circle since Indy 1999. Perry and crew chief Rhodney Dobson qualified the Dragbike.com/ BHP turbo Suzuki on the pole with a 6.80 at 206 and then marched through eliminations with bracket-like consistency, recording a string of 6.79 passes, including a 6.790/202 8 DECEMBER 4. 2002' cue • e final round winner over Travis Davis, who made it a race with a 6.88/189. Former champ Gary Clark had the head-shaker of the event, running a low e.t. 6.53 negated by a three thousandths of a second red-light foul in round one. The Fast By Gast Pro Mod series had some drama as three riders had a shot at the championship coming into Gainesville. Points leader Ashley Owens saw his chances evaporate as he failed to qualify, having a shutoff run on his first qualifying attempt, n e _ so crossing the centerline on the second and breaking in the waterbox in the third and final session. That left John Sachs and Charlie Farrar to duke it out for the plate. Farrar. riding the C&W Kawasaki, took the pole with a 6.86 to edge out Sachs' 6.89. Farrar looked to be the man to beat but red-lighted in round two, handing the championship to Sachs. Then Sachs brought it all home for the Franco's Performance team, taking his third win of the year with a final round victory over Steve Drake, who was appearing in his fourth-straight final. Sachs' title gave bike owner Joe Franco his third championship and second in a row. Two-time champion Fred Collis has been the late-season spoiler in Pro Stock, and he took his second win at Gainesville. Taking over the seat for Paul Gast at Atco, New Jersey, Collis has been an instant player, messing with the points battle between Todd Doege and Joe Koenig. Collis showed up at Gainesville with a brand new PMFR TLl 000, and on his second lap on the bike he .recorded a stout 7.06/186 during Thursday's test session. Collis eventually took the pole with a 7.08, followed by Koenig on the Trim- Tex TLlOOO (7.12) and Doege on the Ward Performance Hayabusa (7.13). The three battled it out for hot laps during eliminations. The championship was settled by the semis, as Koenig lost to Collis on a red-light, and now two-time champ Doege got a bye into the final. Doege's bike wouldn't shift in the final, giving the win to Collis, who recorded a 7.10 at 187 mph. Team Muzzy Kawasaki's Rickey Gadson had an uphill battle in the Streetbike Shootout class. Trailing defending champion Kent Stotz on the mighty Hahn Racecraft turbo Honda Blackbird. Gadson and his Muzzy ZX-12R had to take out Stotz