Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

was solidly in the 7.1-second zone, including a 7.16 in the semifinals that was enough to beat Savoie's teammate Antran Brawn, preventing an all-Team 23 final. "We split the cases on one of our engines and stayed up until 2 a.m. on Saturday, taking apart two engines to make one good one," Treble said. "Getting to the final is a tribute to my crew; they never stopped working and never gave up. I'm pretty sure I could have beaten her, but my bike wouldn't go into high gear. I held down the [airshifter] button, and it finally went, but by then it was too late. On the factory front, the Scream in' Eagle/Vance £, Hines team proved that its stellar performance at the season opener in Gainesville was no fluke by qualifying for its second straight NHRA national event at Houston - once again, a record for Vtwin-powered equipment. Team rider Andrew Hines put one of the two VRods in the number 15 spot, with a 7.260 at 183.05 mph, only to red light against Gann in round one. Also, although it did not qualify, the Houston event featured the long awaited debut of Rob Muzzy's all-new factory backed Kawasaki ZX-12. Unlike the current crop of Suzukis and Kawasakis, which are built using 15-year-old GS- and KZ-style engine cases and two-valve cylinder heads, the Muzzy entry features a highly modified 1500cc version of the current ZX-12 powerplant. It has taken Muzzy nearly two years to complete the bike, as most of its parts had to be fabricated by hand. The team did not have an opportunity to test prior to their arrival in Houston, so the crew wasn't too disappointed when rider Ryan Schnitz ran an 8.01 the first time the bike turned a tire. Schnitz made just one more run during qualifying before a broken transmission ended the team's weekend. "We knew coming in that the bike probably didn't have enough power to qualify, but it went from point A to B under its own power, so that's a good start," Muzzy said. "We still need to work on the transmission, and the oiling system has been a problem because the engine sits so low in the chassis, but we're definitely moving in the right direction. We plan to do some testing before the next race, and hopefully when we get there, we'll be a little quicker." eN MAy 1 &-1 S, ZDDS THE EVENT HAS A NEW NAME THAT'S SURE TO BRING OUT THE TOP DOGS. THE SUZUKI SUZUKI. SUPERBIKE SHOWDOWN PRESENTED BY DARK DOG WILL BE A KICK-ASS TRUCKS EVENT U.S. THAT INCLUDES SUPERBIKE SERIES AMA CHEVY RACES BOTH SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. FOUR OTHER AMA PRO RACING SANcnONEO RACES ARE ALSO SCHEDULED FOR THE WEEKEND, MAKING THE "ORIGINAL DOUBLEHEADER" ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR EVENTS ON THE CALENDAR. FACTORY AND INDEPENDENT RIDERS FROM SUZUKI, HONDA, KAWASAKI, YAMAHA AND DUCATl WILL COMPETE IN THIS INCREDIBLE DISPLAY OF TWOWHEEL RACING THAT WILL LEAVE YOU BREATHLESS. IT's THE c "CAN'T MISS" EVENT OF THE YEAR! .-- //Bat/II/allla WWW.ROADATLANTA.COM w BOO-B49-RACE LIMITED EDITION MOTORCYCLE ART BY HARRY MILLER This Series: • Full-Color, Umite

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