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WINSTON-SALEM, NC, February 3, 2009 — "The times, they are a- changin'"…and in these times, what does everyone do? They tighten their belts. And that is exactly what Craig Tharpe, AHDRA General Manager, has done. He has revised the 2009 AHDRA Screamin' Eagle Performance Parts Championship Series schedule to reflect the current times and to remain racing at the events and locations which have proven themselves to be successful. These first-class facilities are in St. Louis, IL; Commerce, GA; Norwalk, OH; Kansas City, MO; Sturgis, SD; Bristol, TN; Woodburn, OR; and Rockingham, NC-and they will be on the 2009 Tour. "The tightening of our belt has also changed some of the staffing here at the AHDRA. With the current team, our plans are to put on the AHDRA events efficiently, and as professionally as ever, and give our competitors a safe and fun place to compete and to win events and ultimately the 2009 championships!" stated Craig.
Currently, the 2009 Rulebook is ready and online, and the racer registrations and mailings have been sent out for the upcoming season. Grass roots efforts will be utilized to spread the word in the many racing circles about upcoming AHDRA events and promotions.
SPEED Magazine will have the most dramatic change. AHDRA has decided to make the publication an "e-zine," or Internet magazine. This will still be a four-color publication, available online for everyone and anyone to enjoy at no charge to ahdra.com users. Plus, the advertising rates have changed, reflecting savings to be passed on to many. A full page is $200, ½ page $100, ¼ page $50. There will be six issues published in 2009: January/February, March/April, May/June, July/August, September/October, and November/December. SPEED E-zine will be available to anyone from the website; the AHDRA will be able to quantify the pages that are read and then they can pass this info on to advertisers and sponsors. Check out the October issue and click on the ad to see how it "links" to the advertisers' websites!
Currently, seven events have a title sponsor, leaving the Northwest Nationals available. Only a couple of events don't have presenting sponsorships, and they are noted on the attached schedule. These events and their locations have proven statistics for racer and spectator turnout. "The hard part is giving up so many events in the West, but we hope to return strong in the future and hope to see our friends and competitors from the West at the Woodburn Northwest Nationals," said Craig. Currently, there is only one class - Pro Drag - which would love to have a class sponsor name by its side! Plus, the Nitro Outlaw Class does not have a title sponsor just yet. Owning or sponsoring a class gives you incredible exposure everywhere. Whenever that class is spoken about, especially at the track when the announcer is calling classes to the staging lanes-well, think about it…it's fantastic exposure.
AHDRA competitors are spending money and rebuilding old and new bikes for the coming race season. They are looking forward to opening day on April 18 & 19 for the Screamin' Eagle Performance Parts Gypsy Rendezvous Nationals at Gateway International in St. Louis, IL. Gas and diesel prices are down and the riders are excited to get back on their bikes for the season.
The growing contingency program is another aspect of AHDRA's focus. The administration fee has been adjusted to $800 to reflect the eight events in 2009. This program grew from $300,000 in 2005 to $1.2 million in 2008 and is a direct reflection of sponsor support in the industry.
Tharpe has also announced the changing of the spec fuel for the new season. VP Racing Fuels will be the supplier and their spec fuels will be VP, C-25 for Pro Stock, Pro Modified, Street Pro, and SSC124 (SSC124 class was previously C-10). C-10 will be the spec fuel in the Hot Street Class. And last, V-Rod Destroyer's spec fuel will be VP, U-4.2.
Other information from corporate headquarters tells us that of the eight AHDRA events in 2009, seven will count towards a racer's 2009 AHDRA Championship title, as the Sturgis event is not a points race.
AHDRA and Crescent Moon Productions are working together to produce 13 TV segments, each 21 minutes long, featuring lifestyle segments about the AHDRA, the riders, and racing. This will not be a race results show, but a focus on teams, fun, and camaraderie-plus the stiff competition between those teams. It will be a five-to six-camera shoot. The 13 shows will be televised on ION Cable Network throughout the 2009 season.
Thunder Press Magazine and the AHDRA have partnered together to do a AHDRA-2 page-spread in their monthly publication. This spread will contain results, condensed stories and photo's from each of the AHDRA 2009 Events, on one page, and the 2nd page will cover other exciting racing such as flat track and NHRA motorcycle competition. Thunder Press has been around for almost 20 years and they are the Largest Exclusively Harley Davidson & American V-twin Motorcycle monthly newspaper in the USA. This is a FREE Action-packed publication, for the readers that want to have a magazine in their hands and it is readily available at more than 1900 Harley Davidson Dealerships and Bike Shops in the US and Canada.
About the AHDRA
In 2009, AHDRA is entering its 32nd year of drag racing. With sixteen different classes - ranging from the 232-mph Top Fuel Nitro methane class to the highly competitive Sportsman gas classes - competitors have a wide range of choices in AHDRA competition.
What started out as a club racing organization in the late seventies has now grown into a national racing sanction that hosts hundreds of competitors and thousands of spectators at state-of-the-art facilities across the United States. This extreme sport is unique in motorsports today, giving fans direct access to the competition. Each event ticket is a "pit pass" that allows fans to circulate the pits, meet the race teams, and get an up-close look at their high-powered machines.
For more on AHDRA, visit us online at www.ahdra.com.
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2009 AHDRA Screamin' Eagle Performance Parts Championship Series
April 18th & 19th
Screamin' Eagle Performance Parts Gypsy Rendezvous Nationals
Gateway International Raceway, Madison, IL
April 25th & 26th
Stone Mountain Harley-Davidson Southern Nationals
Presented by Charles W. Watwood, Jr. and Associates
Atlanta Dragway, Commerce, GA
June 6th & 7th
Screamin' Eagle Performance Parts Ohio Bike Week Nationals
Presented by Harley-Davidson Dealers of Northern Ohio
Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, OH
June 20th & 21st
Blue Spring Harley-Davidson Midwest Nationals
Kansas City International Raceway, Kansas City, MO
August 4th & 5th
Screamin' Eagle Performance Parts Race at the Rally
Sturgis Dragway (non-points event), Sturgis, SD
August 8th & 9th
RUSH Thunder In The Valley Nationals
Bristol Dragway, Bristol, TN
August 22nd & 23rd
Northwest Nationals
Woodburn Dragstrip, Woodburn, OR
October 9th, 10th, 11th
Screamin' Eagle Performance Parts Jim McClure Nationals
Rockingham Dragway, Rockingham, NC
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