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I GaInesville. FL • Mar-ch 3-5. 2000 AMA,/Prostar MRE Sunshine Nationals Round 1 : Gainesville Raceway By MATT POLITO W ith only one of the 1999 professional champions able to score a win during the drag-racing-season debut, it looks like there may be a changing of the guard in Prostar competition. Larry McBride qualified his supercharged nitro machine on the pole with an off-pace 6.82-second elapsed time, but came alive in eliminations, recording a 6.21 at 227 mph, a 6.22 at 230 mph and a sizzling 6.16/225 to take the win over Chris Hand, who shut off early. Bryan Bennett looked to defend his number-one plate in the Orient Express Funnybike class by qualifying in the top position with a strong 6.73/203 time slip and scoring the low elapsed time of the first two elimination rounds. The only man in his way to the winner's circle was Gary Clark, who had his three-year championship reign snapped by Bennett last season. Clark, trying to wring out a new tire combination on his HMP alcohol turbo, came from the number-three qualifying position and steadily improved as eliminations progressed, edging Bennett for finalround lane choice with a semifinal 6.78/199. Clark took the holeshot in the final and rode away from Bennett, 6.77/199 to 6.82/191. Both Billy Vose and Tony Miceli recorded identical 6.827 elapsed times in Pro Modified qualifying, but Vose, who ran 201 mph, was given the number-one spot due to a higher top speed. Vose and Miceli stayed neck and neck during eliminations, recording nearly identical elapsed times in the early rounds of eliminations. But Miceli got hot when it counted, hitting the quick lap of the event at 6.823 against Dave Beck in the semifinals to gain lane choice for the final, and then turning back a Vose holeshot with a 6.83 to take his second Pro Mod win for bike owner Joe Franco. Last season Geno Scali debuted the Cope Racing Pro Stock Suzuki at the World Finals with a stunning alltime-best elapsed time of 7.13 seconds. In only his second event on the bike, Scali was able to take the win and look very impressive doing it. Scali took the pole at 7.22 seconds, 184 mph, scored the low elapsed time of the class with a 7.20 in round two of eliminations and then got busy, taking out current Lectron Pro Stock champion Fred Collis in the semis, 7.22 to 7.25 and then 1998 champion Paul Gast in the final, 7.24 to 7.34. 48 MARCH 22,2000· eye I (Above) Geno Scali took the pole and the win in his second event on the Cope Racing Pro Stock Suzuki. (Left) He was a bit off earty on in Top Fuel, but La")' McBride (left) improved in this final against Chris Hand (right). He was the only defending champion to score a win at the opener. (Below) Keith Dennis scored the win in the Quickest Streetblke Shootout on the Joe Marasco MSP GSX-R, recording the bestever elapsed time of 8.048 seconds in the process. Muzzy Kawasaki factory rider Rickey Gadson scored a double win at Gainesville, leveling the competition in the Superbike class, and turning back the largest field ever in 600cc SuperSport. Gadson took the Superbike pole witli a new record 8.23 seconds on his nitrous injected ZX-7R but was challenged by strong 8.30 numbers turned in by the Suzukis of Phill Davis and Brock Davidson. Gadson slowed during eliminations, but still won rounds facing Davis in the final. After a nearly dead-even start, Gadson pulled away for an 8.47/160 win as Davis, who hurt the motor earlier in eliminations, could only muster an 8.69. In the 600cc class, Michael Phillips qualified a Yamaha on the pole for the first time, bringing the R6 of Keith Davis to the front of the pack with a 10.23/J 34 performance, but he suffered a freak red-light foul in round two. By the semifinals there was nothing left but green bikes. In the semis, number-one plate holder Marty Ladwig pulled a red light against Gadson, and the newest Team Green member, Ryan Schnitz, got a bye into his first final. Gadson got the holeshot over Schnitz in the final, and that was the difference as both riders recorded 10.34 times. Matt Smith led the inaugural Sportsman Top Eliminator field with a 7.52/182 on the Timblim Suzuki, but could not fire the bike against Terry Adams in the semifinal. The final saw Ryan Schnitz, running the ex-Tony Mullen Top Gas bike, take the win with a 7.50 to Adams, 7.76. Brock Davidson took the first shot at the Schnitz Quickest Streetbike Shootout, qualifying in the numberone spot on his Bandit 1200 at 8.07/173. Randy Waters lowered the e n e vv s number to 8.05 on his GSX-R early in eliminations, and then Keith Dennis set the all-time mark of 8.048 on the MSP GSX-R of Joe Marasco. Dennis was unable to back up the time for the record, which is now held by Waters. Dennis was able to take the win, scoring an 8.16/174-to-8.29/172 decision over Johnnie Locklear. Two sportsman champions were able to start the season with a win, with Rob Schenz taking the title in the RC Components Super Gas series, and Doug Emge winning the Pingel Pro ET series. Other winners include Ron Legault in the Star Performance Parts Top Gas series and Mike Konopacki in the APE Super Comp series. Tom Summers took the win in Street ET and Debbie Knebel brought her Honda Hawk to the winner's circle in V-Twin IT. eN Gainesville Raceway 6ainesville, Florida Results: March 3-5, 2000 T/F: I. Larry McBride (Sw): 2. Chris Hand (Trej. FONNY BK: I. Gary Clark; 2. Bryan Bennett (Kaw). PRO MOD: 1. Thomfls Miceli (Suz); 2. Bill Vose (Su,). PRO STOCK: 1. Geno Scali (Suz); 2. Pflul Gast (Suz). S/BIKE: 1. Rickey Gadson (Kaw); 2. Phill Davis (Su,). STRTBK SHTOUT: 1. Keith Dennis (Suz): 2. Johnnie Locklear (Suz). 600 S/SPT: I. Rickey G.dson (K.w): 2.Ryan Schnitz (Kaw). TOP ELlM: I. Ryan Schniu (Kaw); 2. Terry Adams (Suz). . TOP GAS: 1. Ron Legault (Suz); 2. Mike Konopacki (Kaw). S/COMP: I. Mike Konopack; (Kaw): 2. Andy Baumbach (Kaw). S/GAS: 1. Rob Schne, (Kaw): 2. Rob Bland (Kaw). PRO ET: I. 0009 Emge (Su,): 2. John Markham (K.w). ST ET: I. Tom Summers (Yam): 2. Norman Jackson (K.w). V·TWIN ET: I. Debbie Knebel (Hon); 2. Chris Summer (H-D). Upcoming Rounds Round 2: Atlanta, Georgia, April 1-2 Round 3: Columbus, Ohio, April 29-30 BRIEFLY•• • Five-time Top Fuel champion Tony Lang decided to sit out this season to focus on bUSiness and family. which makes Larry "Spiderman" McBride the odds-on favorite to claim the number· one plate for 2000. There is a real battle brewing in the Fast by Gast Pro Modified class between champion Billy Vose and the Franco's Performance team of Tony Sabino and Tommy Miceli. With Sabino waiting to take delivery of hiS new Koenig chassis. Miceli was the team' s best hope to dethrone Vose. So far. so good.. The Sunshine Nationals saw the debut of the new Sportsman Top Eliminator class. Running heads-up with no breakout. the class has three ruies: maximum seven-inch·wide tire. minimum SaO-pound weight. and either nitrous or turbo as a power adder. The Schnitz Quickest Streetbike Shootout was expanded to six events for the 2000 season. and for the first time the bikes had a crack at the ultra·sticky Gainesville surface. That. combined with the newly>developed Mickey Thompson DOT rubber almost every top competitor now uses. led to a shattering of the record book. In all. five riders recorded times better then the previous 8. 14-second record.