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/1542393
The Army Marches ln Atlanta fhe U.S. Army Pro Stock l4olorrycle I leam conlinued its perfect stan to the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series with a win at the Summit Southern Nationals in Atlant4 Georgia, on May 7. However, this time it wa5nt AnSelle Sampey who was celebrating, but rather her teammate Antron Brown, who won his l5th career NHRA title. ln the frnal round, Brown Bot rhe holeshot against his biggest rival - Screamin Eagle Harley-Davidson's Andrew Hines - and won with a 7.098, holding off Hines' quicker 7.089 elapsed time. .There is no doubt that the Harley team is the team to beat out here, and aq/time you beat them, you know you've accomplished somethint special," Erowh said. "l knew the final was going to be a close race, so lgave it all lhad. lhad my best .eaction time of the weekend, and I needed all of it." Brown ran lhe rable a! Allanla Dragway by qualifying his Suzuki in the top spor with a 7.080. After a le.glhy rain delay on Sunday, Brown extended his edte over the fleld when he ran a 7.045 in his first-round win over Muzzy Buell's Ryan Schnitz. Crait Treble tave Erown all he could handle in round two wirh a 7.106, but Brown responded with a 7.065, and later ran a 7.060 in his final-four win over Geico Suzuki's Karen Stoffer. "We have a lot of new people on our team this year, but we're all workint totether, and the results have shown it," Brown said. "Ri8ht now' I think Pro Stock I'lotorcycle is the most exciting class in NHRA Drag RacinS. The new rules have made it more equal than ever Ritht now, the Suzukis, the Buells and the Harley- Davidsons are very evenly mat.hed. Right now rider skill means ever,,thing, and that's wha( makes wins like this one so rewardanS." Short ofwinninS the linal. Hines did,ust about eveD/thing right in Atlan6. After qualifying third, the reigning tvvo-time NHRA champion defeated his Screamin' Eatle teammate GT Tontlet, Tom Bradford, and Micha€l Phillips to reach his second consecutive flnal round. "\rye haven't been pleased with our performance in the last two events. and that's made us screw our heads back on a little tiShter and get in the shop and find more horsepower for these V- Rods," Hines said. After Houston, we went home and iust tested ahe wheels off my bike, and it has paid ofi this Brown's teammate Sampey won the first two races of the year in Gainewille and Houston, but lost at round one in Atlanta against Geno Scali- Sampq/ elso surrend€red her points lead to Brown, who took over the top spot by six points, 272-255. Hines dropped to third. but he is iust two points behind Sampey after three of 15 rounds. Mike Berry suffered a broken foot and broken finter afcer crashing his MB Precision Suzuki during qualifying. Berr)/ had slowed to approximately 120 mph when he came off his bike. "l still don't know what happened; the bike just came olrt from underneath me," Berry said. "l probably won't make the next race in Columbus, but I'll be back The next event on the NHRA POWERade tour will be the Pontiac Per{ormance Nationals at National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio, l'4ay 18-21. Revin Mct(3nno o -?e- = --aP <-l rF 3,.; I qrH -- tr 6 r c W Anlron Brown won lhe Summit Soulhern Notionols in A onto on his Suzoki. Six Straight For fuha KTH's.Juha Salminen made it six wins in a row in the Suzuki Grand National Cross Country Series after topping Am Pro Yamaha teammates Barry Hawk and Charlie Mullins at an extremely muddy sixth round of series in Seymour, Missouri, on May 7. Salminen, Hullins and Hawk swapped the lead position severaltimes over the courle of rhe eight-lap race, before Salminen finally put his factory KTM out front for good mid- way through the final lap. Mullins, a 2o-year-old GNCC rookie Pro, appeared to be in position to take his first-ever Pro win in Missouri, takinS a stronS lead on the final lap arter Salminen stopped for a splash-and-go pit stop, but Mullins fell halfway through the lap and badly cut his forearm, allowing both Salminen and Hawk to go by. ln the end. Salminen crossed the linish wilh 15 second to spare over Hawk, while Mullins limped in for third. Finishing founh was Suzuki-mounted Jimmy Jarrett, while New Zealander Paul Whibley, riding a Honda, edted Yamaha-mounted lustin williamson for flfth. Tearfi Suzuki's Glenn Kearney, who had been sitting in second overall in the series standings before the event, watered out hir bike in a creek crossing on the first lap and lost two laps trying to get it dried out. Keamey ended up in l6th place, dropping him into a tie with Mullins for third overall in the standings. Salminen holds a commandinS lead in the standings with 180 points, followed by Hawk wirh 97, with Mullins and Kearney tied for third with 96 point each. Shon ,/Iloore Juho Solminen did it qgoin, winning o 5ixth strqight GNCC finol. CYCLE NEWS . MAY 17, 2006 I ia - (:. r* * = L\ _q ts l tf,ir: , \i\ /'-'e 4 1.) \i \ r ..\ /.' ir ! E E. , I