Successful
Season for Team Orient
By: Jack
Korpela
Photos: Dragbikephotos.com
Team Orient Express Yamaha capped off a highly successful
2003 season with a runner-up performance by 600 Super Sport
rider “Steady” Eddie Krawiec at the AMA/Prostar
World Finals from Gainesville, FL.
During the event Krawiec astonished many of his adversaries
by recording the quickest Yamaha R6 600 Super Sport pass in
the history of the sport with an impressive 9.79.
“It’s a great feeling to have the quickest R6
Super Sport in the country,” Krawiec said. “We
got a little quicker at every race this season. The bike has
always had the capability; it was just a matter of figuring
it all out. It took a lot of work on our part to go from running
9.90s to 9.80s, but that’s the reason I started riding
this bike. I like challenges.”
Krawiec finished the season solidly in second place, just
a mere 25 points away from winning the championship in what
has long been a Kawasaki dominated class. Despite missing
the number-one plate Krawiec remains upbeat and views the
season as a success.
“We came so far this season on the research and development
of this motorcycle,” Krawiec said. “We tried to
do something that has never been done before by attempting
to win this class on something other than a Kawasaki. People
said that I had no chance at the start of the season, but
I think we showed we had the performance to run for the championship.”
Krawiec also competed in the Hot Rod Cruiser category on one
of the three Orient Express Yamaha Road Star Warriors.
“We had a lot of fun with those bikes,” Krawiec
said. “We just ran into some hard luck throughout the
season. We would test at the local track and run consistent
9.50s. Then we go to the races and run 10.0s. It was frustrating,
but the bikes definitely have the ability to run with anyone.
My hat is off to Orient Express for prepping such an awesome
bike.”
Although eager
to make another run for the 600 Super Sport championship in
2004, Krawiec is unsure where he will end up next season.
“I’m
going to do what will benefit my future,” Krawiec said.
“I’d love to take another shot in 600, because
based on the amount of progress we made in one season, I know
we’d have a very fast bike next year. However, I’d
also like to go NHRA Pro Stock at some point.”
Krawiec finishes
the year with three wins and six final round appearances.
Ed Krawiec
and all of Team Orient Express Yamaha thanked all of its sponsors
for their support; Yamaha, Arai Helmets, Dynojet, Vanson Leathers,
Orient Express, World Wide Bearings, Yamalube, Zero Gravity,
TiForce, NuTech Racing Fuels, Sharkskinz body work, and Dragbike.com.
Krawiec
extended a special thanks to Mike and Keith at Yamaha, Joe
Hahn, his friends, family, and his girlfriend Anne Marie.
