Chevy Trucks/Team Green Goes to Three
Finals
By: Jack Korpela
Photos: DragBikePhotos.com
The good news for
Chevy Trucks/Team Green Drag Racing is that its members advanced
to three final rounds at the AMA/Prostar Schnitz Fall Nationals
from Montgomery, AL. The bad new is, for only the second time
this year, Chevy Trucks/Team Green comes away from a Prostar
race without at least two event victories.
The most notable
final round defeat came in the Street Bike Shootout category
when Rickey Gadson's 8.09 wasn't enough for Barry Henson's
8.01. The loss marks the first time Gadson has been beaten
since August of 2002.
"That ZX-12
is one bad bike," said Gadson, who was still upbeat after
the loss. "Coby Adams and Rob Muzzy gave me the ability
to put together quite a streak. Now are focus is strictly
on winning this championship."
Gadson heads into the final race of the year with a 233 point
lead in the championship series.
In the Formula Super Bike class, Chip Ellis rode his ZX-12
to a pole position and posted low elapsed-time of the event,
but fouled out against Tom Miceli in the final. Ellis' heartbreaking
reaction time was a .399, just one-thousandth of a second
away from a perfect light.
"I just reacted
a little quicker than normal. That's a tough way to lose,"
Ellis said. "The upside is that the bike ran flawlessly
all weekend long and we still have a big lead in the points.
The championship is what is important to us."
Ellis enjoys a
comfortable 126 point lead over second in the points Miceli.
600 Super Sport
points leader Chip Hunter had a trying weekend but got some
critical help from his teammate. Hunter entered the race with
a six point lead over Yamaha's Ed Krawiec and was defeated
by John Hall in round one. Fortunately for Hunter, Krawiec
was unable to capitalize and was defeated in round two by
fellow ZX-6 rider Chad Millholland.
"That's racing,"
Hunter said of his misfortune. "We'll regroup and head
down to Florida to win the championship."
Hunter will enter the season's final tied for first in the
championship series, deadlocked with Krawiec at 653 points
each.
Ellis, merely intending
to act as a blocker for Hunter, took home the team's lone
victory by defeating Chad Millholland in the 600 Super Sport
final.
"It was awesome,"
Ellis said. "It was unfortunate that Chip (Hunter) went
out so early but it was nice to prove I still got it in 600.
These young guys are calling me the old man of the class."
Chevy Trucks/ Team
Green Drag Racing will look for a sweep as they attempt to
lock up the Street Bike Shootout, Formula Super Bike, and
600 Super Sport championships at the tour's final race in
Gainesville, FL, November 13th -16th.
Team Kawasaki
expressed its appreciation for all of its dedicated sponsors;
Motul, Muzzy's, Thunder, Progressive Suspension,
Cometic Gaskets, NGK, Air-Tech, Dyna, and Kawasaki Accessories.
