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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/142446
, . (Top) Elmer Trett turned in strong runs all weekend to take the Top Fuel. (Above) Larry Cook took his first-ever NMRA Pro Stock win. (Right) Craig ' Bums was the winner in Funny Bike., NMRA National Drag Racing Championship Series: Round 18 Trett,-Cookgetfirst wins at OC R By Steve Crosby Photos by Dale Brown and Skip Johnson IRVINE, CA, J ULY 31-AUG. 1 .Everything was ready: the bikes, the riders, the people. Everyone said it was going to' happen. That first 200 mile per hour run, that had eluded the sport since Russ Collins ran 199.55 in 1978, was going to 'h ap pe n .' The Terry Vance and Byron Hines ' team, with. their Top . Fuel Suzuki, was 8 going to do it . During the first qualifying session the bike ran 198.23. In the evening they ran 192 and 195. Elmer Trett then entered the picture with his best runs ever in Top Fuel, including passes at 190 and 195 on his Kawasaki. During the Pro time trial Sunday morning Vance left the line on a very strong run with a smooth shift into high gear. Everyone was looking at the clocks for it to happen. But the clocks stopped at 198 again. Then it was going to happen in the Top Fuel final between Vance and Trett. Byron leaned on the motor and Vance predicted that he would get the task done. But the end result was a victory for Elmer Trett arid shredded pieces of the blower belt off the Suzuki strewn across the track. Afterwards Vance said he was on the 200 mph run . But the belt which powers the supercharger off the crankshaft let go and forced him to coast the last half of the race and still run a 7.85 second elapsed time. Trett's winning time was 7.43 at 190.67. The event was the Vance &: Hinespromoted National Motorcycle Racing Association Western Nationals and just like last year it was an event that included a great amount of drama and especially close racing. While Trett took his first Top Fuel crown in , quite awhile, Craig Burns rode the Burns, Berry and Hahn Funny Bike into the winner's circle for the third ' time this year. And Larry Cook, at his first NMRA event of the year, topped 'a tough Pro Stock field for his first NMRA victory. Top Fuel T here were two stories in Top Fu el whe n th e weekend began. One was the assault on the 200 mph barrier. The o ther was th e debu t of Russ Collins ' Honda-sponsored " Ba ttlestar," the 136-inch long rear-engine Goldwing. A third story emerged as the crowd became endeared to, the progress of Treet, a racer most of the fans hadn 't seen before. Qualifying for the four bike field put Vance on top with a 7.31. Trett startled the first-time fans, but not the veterans, when he ran 7.33/195.22. The Battlestar, which sounded better than in any previous testing sessions, ran a respectable 8.27/168.22 for a new bike and qualified third. "Dirty" Dave Caldwell aboard his double engine Harley rounded out the field with a 8.43/161 . In the first round Vance metCollins in a grudge match of sorts since Russ had put away Terry the last two times they met, both. in the final round and both at OCIR. Collins was late in arriving at the track and barely made the round. Not because of any problems but because they thought first round was going to begin an hour la ter than it did. Vance took the win with a strong 7.44/191U3. Russ shut off the new machine and coasted to a 9.14/123.45. Trett met Cauldwell and took control at half track with a 7.50/189.47. Cauldwell also shut down after he saw he co uldn' t catch Elmer. The final was between Trett and Vance. It was a very close race to th e eighth-m ile mark when Vance's blower belt let go . Trett'screw celebrated at the starting line as Elmer ran a 7.43,to a 7.85 for Vance at only 132.54. Twas the run that could have been . Funny Bike The low qualifier in Funny Bike was to receive an extra $250 award from CarnzOil. Ii just so happened that the bonus went to the Cam2/ MTC-sponsored machine of Mo Parsons and Terry Kizer with a 7.59/ 178.57. Craig Burns was second with .a 7.87 and the Orient Express machine of Jon Baugh was third in the six bike field with an 8.13. In thefirst round Kizer had a single as his competition, Dale Walker on Rick Wright's Suzuki, broke earlier in the morning. Baugh ran a 8.33 to defeat Russ Glashan's 9.28. Burns faced last year 's National Champion, Vince Santangelo, in the first round. Burns won the close race , 8.09/175.43 to Santangelo's 8.29/172.08. But the action began beyond the finish line as Santangelo's bike went into a wobble as he tried to slow it down. The bike eventually threw the rider and sent him skidding face-first down the track. The emergency crew was right on the ~ene and Vince hadn't