Redwood Harley-Davidson /
Sportsman Motorcycle Class
Cloudy skies, a swamp-like pit area during the morning, and
hours of delays due to computer problems and a “dead Christmas tree” did little
to dampen the excitement of (13) motorcycle racers who turned out for the 26th
Annual “Competition Eliminator” at the Samoa Dragstrip.
During qualifications, Kirk Speelman
captured the #1 qualifier award with an outstanding .022 reaction time. A delay in the action occurred a short time
later when George Brooks Jr’s Suzuki turned violently
to the left as he accelerated away from the starting line. Brooks Jr. crashed through the timing lights,
which flew through the air into Louie Henninger’s
path. Amazingly, both riders managed to
keep their motorcycles upright and neither were
seriously injured.
Mike Pires, making his first
entry this season on his 1997 Honda CBR900RR bested “Bomber” John Widmann in the final round.
Pires earned enough points with his win to
jump to 3rd place in the overall standings and proved that “sportbikes” can beat full race bikes, even when the
opponent is as accomplished as Widmann!! Semi-finalists were Greg Pfau
and Mike “Sport” Burns.
In the “Full Throttle” Gambler’s Bracket, Wayne Cox of
Black & White Motorsports narrowly defeated Hans Tautscher. The next
race, the 1st Annual “Grand Slam Eliminator” is scheduled for June 5th
and should prove to be very exciting as several racers are closely placed in
the points standings.
Current points standings for the
Sportsman Motorcycle Class can be accessed by clicking “RACE RESULTS” at www.blackandwhitemotorsports.com.