| Vancil, Houniet share Top Fuel
honors At AHDRA's "JIMS Las Vegas Nationals" LAS VEGAS, NV - Ron Houniet, Doug Vancil, Larry "Drums" Brancaccio
and Marc Augustine will have to wait another day to see who is quickest.
Just before the final runs of the day - the ones that would
have determined the fastest riders in the most competitive field ever assembled - a light
but continuing rain forced cancellation of the final two passes in the "JIMS Las
Vegas Nationals" at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Sunday, Oct. 22.
All but two class champions had been decided.
Following a delay, All Harley Drag Racing Association
officials determined that the track was too slick for racing, and that the rain - the
first in this desert town in a month - would continue.
Therefore, the day's final two events were declared a
"tie," and Houniet and Vancil will split winner and runner-up money for the JIMS
Top Fuel class; while Brancaccio and Augustine will do the same for the S&S Cycle Pro
Dragster class.
It was an anti-climatic end to a weekend of record-setting
racing - the AHDRA's final event of the season - which featured the biggest and fastest
field of Harley motorcycle racers ever assembled. Earlier in the day, AHDRA officials cut
the racing distance from the standard quarter-mile to 1/8th mile because of high winds.
A record field of 265 race teams teched-in at the facility,
including 29 Top Fuel bikes, 10 Pro Fuel riders, 17 Pro Dragster riders and 11 Pro Gas
teams.
Just how competitive did that make things?
This competitive Venerable Ray Price - who was winning
motorcycle drag races before some of this weekend's competitors were born - didn't make
the JIMS Top Fuel field. The North Carolina rider was 19th-quickest in Saturday
qualifying; three notches out of Sunday's 16-bike field.
Saturday, 11 riders got in the 6-second range, and nine broke
the magic 200-mph barrier.
Houniet, a Canadian rider, and Vancil, from New Mexico,
reached the JIMS Top Fuel finals by marching through a field that included Jim McClure
(who went out in Round Two Sunday), Johnny Mancuso (also a Round Two victim) and Bill Furr
(whose bike broke at launch in Round One).
Brancaccio beat Steve Smith, Mark Derrickson and Chris
Gartman to advance to the S&S Cycle Pro Dragster finals; while Augustine had to best
E.T. Rockefeller, Terry Stewart and Steve Frisbee.
Augustine was able to wrap up the Pro Dragster national
riding championship when defending No. 1 plateholder Scott Truett went out in an earlier
round.
The JIMS Top Fuel national riding championship went to Dale
Nungesser, a soft-spoken Kansas rider who picked up an extra $10,000 bonus for qualifying
at all 14 AHDRA events this season.
Steve Lundstrom locked up the Ballistic Bike Wear Pro Fuel
national riding title despite one of the scarier moments Sunday. Approaching the end of
his first elimination pass - a bye run, ironically - Lundstrom was buffeted by the
20mph-plus headwinds that greeted the riders on this chilly day. The wind lifted the visor
on his helmet (at about 170 mph), twisted Lundstrom's head around, and caused him to drive
into a speed reflector..
In the Super Gas Class, three riders entered this event
locked in a tie for the national riding championship. Paul Smith came away with the title.
He ended up in a tie with Junior Pippin, but Smith won the tie-breaker because he won more
competition rounds in the AHDRA formula.
In Super Sport, Brett DeGood lost in Round One of Sunday
eliminations but an unofficial count showed that he had enough points to win the national
title over Dale Tyson and David Doremus.
Give the unofficial "Frequent Flyer Miles" award to
Brett's father Dan DeGood, who interrupted a business trip to Portugal to fly to this
event to defend his No. 1 plate in the Andrew's ET series. Despite being knocked out in
Round Two Sunday, DeGood still took the title over Shawn Vantucci, who also went out in
Round Two.
FINAL RESULTS
JIIMS TOP FUEL
Champion: Tie due to weather; Doug Vancil and
Ron Houniet
Low ET: Doug Vancil 4.291
Top Speed: Jim McClure 219.12
BALLISTIC BIKE WEAR PRO FUEL
Champion: Steve Heidner 4.628 seconds, 157.23
mph
R/U: Mike Romine 4.692, 139.18
#1 Qualifier: Steve Lundstrom 6.950, 188.31
Low ET: Mike Romine 4.588
Top Speed: Tim Kerrigan 192.25
JOKER MACHINE PRO STOCK
Champion: Matt Guldera 5.613, 117.22
R/U: Dirk Higgins (no time)
#1 Qualifier: Dirk Higgins, 7.936, 168.79
Low ET: Dirk Higgins 5.075
Top Speed: Dirk Higgins 168.79
S&S CYCLE PRO DRAGSTER
Champion: Tie due to weather; Drums Brancaccio
and Marc Augustine
#1 Qualifier: Steve Huff 7.698, 172.70
Low ET: Marc Augustine 4.835
Top Speed: Marc Augustine 178.52
PRO GAS
Champion: Mark Biernbaum 5.641, 118.42
R/U: Dave Boss 5.814, 114.67
#1 Qualifier: Dave Boss 8.853, 151.29
Low ET: Mark Biernbaum 5.641
Top Speed: Mike Klosinski 154.67
ZIPPERS/RED LINE OIL MODIFIED
Champion: Cliff Dwy 5.600, 123.22
R/U: Darren Mauldin 5.615, 119.02
#1 Qualifier: Cliff Dwy 8.727, 153.54
Low ET: Cliff Dwy 5.600
Top Speed: Cliff Dwy 153.54
STREET PRO
Champion: Earl Burley 6.582, 105.91
R/U: Rod Cavanaugh 6.729, 106.72
#1 Qualifier: Earl Burley 10.321 132.14
Low ET: Earl Burley 6.582
Top Speed: Travis Lummus 137.04
SUPER GAS
Champion: Gene Thomason 10.229, 110.80
R/U: Jeff Lange 10.292, 130.32
#1 Qualifier: John Jenkins 10.136, 139.82
SUPER SPORT
Champion: J.R. Bickmore 10.859, 110.84
R/U: Marvin Nelson 10.926, 118.48
#1 Qualifier: David Doremus 10.735, 124.26
STREET ELIMINATOR
Champion: Robert Drapp 11.270, 110.63
R/U: Dale A. Miller 11.160, 111.18
#1 Qualifier: Tim Johnson 11.147, 120.55
SCREAMIN' EAGLE PERFORMANCE
Champion: Joe Perry 11.848, 106.65
R/U: Roger Sebastain 11.868, 107.47
#1 Qualifier: Kim Swank 11.700, 114.36
JUNIOR JUNIORS (8-10 years
old)
Champion: Zach Watts 13.981, 39.81
R/U: Justin Sneed 14.675, 39.42
#1 Qualifier: Zach Watts 50.60 mph
JUNIOR SENIORS (11-16 mph)
Champion: Tyler Dawson 15.393, 40.41
R/U: Chris Smith 9.882, 60.68
#1 Qualifier: Michael Owens 56.24
ANDREW'S ET
Champion: Stan Sheppard 12.592, 104.78
R/U: Cal Percy 12.739, 100.40
"SHOWDOWN AT SUNSET"
*cancelled due to weather |
