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Sunshine, Excitement, Upsets, National Records, and More ... at AHDRA's Season Opener!

Photo credit: Mike McAdoo, Scott Odell

March 12, 2008

After last year's partial rainout at Gainesville Raceway, the sight of abundant sunshine, warm temperatures, and just over 300 eager racers lining the pits was a positive indication that AHDRA's season opener was set to be a good one.

The Screamin' Eagle Performance Parts Nationals Presented by Gainesville Harley-Davidson kicked off the brand-new season on Friday, February 29th. A round of qualifying, followed by two more sessions on Saturday, led up Sunday's big, action-packed show that brought a few upsets along the way.

Season opener competitor meeting

Photographer, Mike McAdoo captured the photo of the weekend when Armon Furr opened with a fiery bang!

Screamin' Eagle Top Fuel In Screamin' Eagle Top Fuel, '05 and '06 Top Fuel champion Mike Romine was most impressive in Friday's opening qualifying round with a 6.39 at 222 mph off the trailer. In Saturday's pair of rounds, though, it was the defending '07 champ, Doug Vancil, who stole the spotlight. He did so with a 6.35/212 mph in the second round, followed by a 6.31 at 219 mph in the third that secured his No. 1 qualifying spot out of the twenty entries competing for a spot in the 16-bike field. Things took yet another turn, when Vancil was paired with No. 16 qualifier Tony Ruggiero on Sunday. Ruggiero, who traveled from California for the season opener, was the underdog headed into the match with the national champion. After a slow .165 reaction from Vancil and more trouble to follow, Ruggiero was out with a .088-and while both riders struggled, it was Ruggiero hanging on for the win light with a 7.17 to a 7.58 from Vancil. Ruggiero made his way past Rick Erdman in the second round and met up with No. 4 qualifier Mark Conner on the Edge Motorsports ride for the semifinal round. For Ruggiero, his valiant effort ended there. Conner, of St. Louis, MO, got the decisive win with a 6.94 over Ruggiero's 7.21. "There was a friend looking over me," said Conner, pointing to his t-shirt with the late Jim McClure's photo on it. "The way the bikes are now, when you activate all the timers and system, it then waits until you open the throttle. But as soon as I activated it, I didn't need to have the throttle open and it just went through its cycle. So in the semi, it was in high gear and the fuel system was all done," he explained. "I definitely had a horseshoe in that round." In the final, he was paired with Joe Timmons, Salt Lake City Harley dealer and No. 10 qualifier. Timmons earned his way there after upsetting No. 2 qualifier Romine in the first round and the No. 3 qualifier, Steve Dorn, in the semi. Conner was out first with a .030 and made his win look easy with a 6.68 at 189 mph over a troubled 8.82 at 108 mph from Timmons. Conner said that the win was anything but easy for the Edge Motorsports team. "Basically the bike didn't have good brakes for the past few days," he stated. "Jim Smith (the builder) pulled the high idle plug off and I couldn't hold the bike with the brake and I knew I was in trouble, so I let go of the throttle and grabbed the rear brake-then re-grabbed the front brake and went back to the throttle and by then I was deep staged." Conner (thinking that the deep stage may activate the tree and give him the red-light) said he thought he had blown it in the final.	Mike Romine and Doug Vancil Ruggiero Brothers
He noted that he has a three-race deal with bike owner Rich Papiese. "I'm happy for him," Papiese said. "He's had this program together for four years and I hope it's successful and that he's happy with it. We will sit down after the three races and discuss things and hopefully it all goes well." Conner thanked Papiese along with Markham Cycles, Edge Motorsports, Lucas Oil, and Alamo City Harley-Davidson. Mark Conner
Rush Performance Exhaust Pro Fuel The qualifying sessions in Pro Fuel proved to be as exciting as eliminations with a last- round upset. The defending champ, Jay "The Bulldog" Turner, came off the trailer with his usual consistency and clocked a 6.671 for the No. 1 spot that he would keep in the second round. In the third round of the day, he wasn't able to improve, and Randal Andras of Amelia, LA, laid down a 6.674 at 206 mph, edging in front of Turner to secure the pole position. Andras said that the team had small problems earlier. In the first round he got out of shape and aborted the run and on the second pass, a plug wire came off after the burnout. "We changed it and came back out there and it was a good track, a simple bike, good comrades, and we were looking for the Bulldog!" The upsets continued on Sunday when the 6th qualifier, Texan Rick Casas of BMC Racing, got by John Breckenridge (3rd qualifier) in the opening round before an even bigger spoiler-a semifinal win with a 6.80/201 mph for Casas over Jay Turner's 6.88 at 194 mph. In the final, Casas faced Rick Moore of Reading, PA. Weighing in at 98 pounds, Moore may deserve the perseverance award of the weekend. He rode three bikes, all of them making it to the semis and a pair of them to the finals! Moore declared that the Pro Fuel bike is the toughest of the three. Under the leadership of bike owner and former champion Mike Bahnmaier and the Mid-Continent Motorsports banner, Moore-who was riding the bike for the first time in Gainesville-ran his first-ever six-second pass in the final (6.98/198 mph). It came up short, though, to the 6.86 at 200 mph from Casas, who earned his first-ever win on the pass. It was a monumental round for both riders. About his first 6-second pass, Moore said that it's a lot different than the 7.05 he ran before. "Oh yes, there's a difference-I knew I was going fast on that 6.98," he said. On his first win, Casas said he just closed his eyes and hit the throttle. "We are taking baby steps and getting better and better every round," he added. Casas thanked his crew chief, Tommy Sloan, and his sponsors Aggregate Haulers, Track Pro, and ARC Angel Tattoos.	Rick Moore Turner and Casas
Kresto Pro Drag Terry Stewart continued his winning streak from last season's final two races and grabbed his third consecutive with the win at the Gainesville season opener. He started his weekend with the top qualifying spot on Friday (7.43/168 mph) before defending national champ Rick Moore bettered it on Saturday with a 7.35 at 179 mph to take over and keep the No. 1 qualifying spot. Stewart started his journey to the eventual win on Sunday when he eliminated Scotty Hooper (7th qualifier) and Rickey House (6th qualifier). On the other side, it was Florida-based rider Willie Herschberger advancing through the field by Mike Nolen and later upsetting the champ, Moore. In the final, Stewart was out first (.039) and led all the way for the winning 7.49/172 mph over Herschberger's .057, 7.52 at 173 mph.	Stewart and Herschberger
Stewart, who traveled from Anaheim, CA, to compete on the Movers and Shakers 121ci dragster, said the team hasn't changed anything to the set-up for the new season. "It's just all working now," he commented. "I want to send a thanks out to my crew that wasn't able to make it this weekend. Tony and Mike Ruggiero kidnapped me and brought me here to this race. I didn't have a penny to spend on this trip-this is the Lord's work right here. Mike (Ruggiero) was helping his brother Tony out this weekend and he floated over to help me out along with my friend from Florida (Jonesy). I just took it round by round and everything fell into place. I'm very happy I made the long trip, but I know next time: the quickest way through Texas is to go around it!" Stewart thanked his sponsors Shaker Products, CP Pistons, Dynatek, Rock and Roll Custom Paint Works, Cracker Racing, and Bike Sentry.
S&S Cycle Pro Stock James Surber came out strong for his 2008 season debut, but not without some tough competition that tried stopping him along the way. Surber opened up the Pro Stock qualifying session with an 8.19 at 157 mph for the No. 1 spot that stayed in place for two rounds. Shaun Reno of Gloucester, VA, was No. 2 with an 8.24/156 mph best after a pair of rounds. As Surber sat in the water box waiting for his third and final lap of the day, he witnessed Reno jump to the top spot with an 8.16 at 157 mph. Unable to beat this, Surber surrendered his No. 1 qualifying spot to Reno. But the No. 3 plate-holder from Shelter Cove, CA, would rebound in Sunday's eliminations when he advanced over Rick Clutts in the first round and earned a bye in the semis after a redlight from opponent Bruce Beltramini in the second round.

Reno and Surber

Krenik

On the other side, No. 1 qualifier Reno made it through two rounds. Then Greg Krenik stopped him on a pass that began with a .001 reaction and finished as a new national MPH record at 164.53 on an 8.18 ET for the round win over Reno's 8.19 at157 mph. Krenik, the No. 2 plate-holding "Desert Dawg," backed up his record with an earlier and faster 166 mph pass in the second round. Matt Smith had held the record at 163.28 since 2006. In the Surber-Krenik final-round match, Krenik was impressive again at the tree with a .017 to a .114 from Surber, but Surber charged to the stripe first with an 8.32 at 157 mph after Krenik shredded the teeth off the motor belt and finished with an 8.62 at 161 mph. Surber credited his win to a lot of luck and a little bit of work. "We will have traveled 3200 miles (each way) to compete here and it was worth it," he said. When asked if he planned to go after the championship, he replied, "This race was our deciding factor on whether to chase the points this year since it was the longest distance for us to travel." I'll take that as a "Yes." Surber thanked South County Cycles, Guidera Racing, Mohegan Sun, Rick Maney, Monterey County Harley-Davidson/Buell and class sponsor, S & S.	Surber
Rush Performance Exhaust Pro Gas In Gainesville, Rick Moore of Reading, PA, was often spotted being transported via the return road on a pit-bike and hopping off to saddle up on one of the three Pro classes he juggled over the weekend. In the Pro Gas competition, it was Banky Racing's 159ci bike that Moore saddled. He opened qualifying with a 7.77 at 161 mph for the top spot before Dale Raudenbush (who rode the Jon Miller/Thiel's Wheels '07 championship bike) took over the top spot with his 7.21 at 180 mph. On race day, Raudenbush (from Macungie, PA) had the early break with a first-round single. He faced Mike Lozano (#4 qualifier) in the second round and advanced easily to the final after Lozano left early.
For Moore, the road to the final was made easier by the demise of his opponents. He won the opening round over a broke run from Keith Williams (#6 qualifier); in the second round, Jay Wagner (#7 qualifier) was unable to make it down the track, either, and Moore was set for the final against Raudenbush. The final was over quickly. With the flash of a red bulb (-.041) from Raudenbush, it would toss out a pass that got off with a shaky launch and ended with a 7.67/171 mph score, handing the win to Moore with his slower 7.96 at 144 mph. When asked if riding the three bikes made things tough, Moore said it wasn't really too bad. "We had a lot of good team coordination as far as making sure I got back and didn't hold up the program," he explained. He went on to say that, thankfully, it wasn't too hot outside and he was able to catch his breath between classes and focus on the next run. Moore thanked Banky Racing, Wallace Landscaping, Steen Racing, Harley-Davidson of Maryland, Dave Pressley of Pressley Machine, and CMMR.	Raudenbush and Moore
Pro Modified The defending national champion, Randy Borho, came out fighting on his opening pass of the season. Clocking an 8.638 at 151 mph in the first round and repeating that same number in the third round, he was on top of the field at the end of qualifying. On Sunday, he advanced over newcomer Sturgis Fields in the first round and followed with a second-round win over Donnie Huffman to earn his bye in the semis. On the other side of the ladder, No. 2 plate-holder Greg "The Desert Dawg" Krenik was leading a charge of his own through the field. Krenik (No. 2 qualifier) advanced over George Futch in the opener and ousted No. 5 qualifier Stephen Galati in the second round, and defeated Tommy Hannum (3rd qualifier) in the semis-all of which led to a familiar pairing for the final: Borho and Krenik. No surprises here when the contest between the No. 1 and No. 2 men proved to be a race from start to finish.
Borho was out of the gate with a .025 and Krenik with a .028. At the eighth-mile it was a 5.600 for Borho and a 5.606 for Krenik; at the 1000' they were dead even at 7.330. Both bikes spun their tires, but it was Krenik who nosed the stripe first, taking the win with an 8.826 to an 8.832 from Borho. Margin of victory? Three-thousandths of a second! Krenik would have to put the celebration off momentarily, however, because he had yet another final ahead of him on his Pro Stock bike. That final ended with a runner-up and a secured national MPH record. "What a way to start the season," Krenik said. "Steve Allstaedt did an awesome job figuring out the bikes on Sunday. He worked on one bike between a round and the other bike the next round. We just didn't have time to work on both bikes between rounds". Are you having fun yet? That's the new motto for the Desert Dawgs this year-and with two final-round appearances, one win, one runner-up, and an MPH record, the Dawgs say, "Absolutely!" Krenik thanked Thunderbird Harley-Davidson, SA Racing, Unique Services, Leading Edge Customs, and Custom Coating.	Krenik and Borho
Street Pro No. 2 plate-holder Andy Simon of Fairless Hills, PA, led things off in qualifying in a light four-entry field of Street Pro bikes with an 8.89 at 151 mph-his best of three laps in the first round, which earned him the top spot. Stacey McMillan, the only other competitor in the field to make it down the track in qualifying, finished the day in the second spot with a 9.95 at 129 mph. For Danny Worth and Charlie Douglass (3rd and 4th qualifiers), it was a problem-filled day. Facing Douglass in Sunday's eliminator, Simon should have easily been the favorite, since Douglass was competing in the Street Pro class for the very first time and operating without a clean pass on the new bike after blowing a head in his qualifying attempt. Both riders were off to a rocky start-Simon with a .169 reaction and Douglass with a slightly better, .146. After the pair seemed to recover from the less-than-perfect launch, it was a race to the finish that ended with the Douglass upset of 9.39/145 mph to Simon's 9.46 at 148 mph. For Danny Worth, mechanical problems continued on Sunday, but he was handed a trip to the final when his semifinal-round opponent, McMillan, reported in broke. Worth paired with Douglass for the final where both were slow at the tree, but Douglass made his way down the track on his new ride (138ci Sportster) with a 9.52 at 146 mph to another early shut-off run for Worth. Douglass (hailing from Staunton, VA, and the defending national champion in Hot Street) said that he owes a lot of thanks to many people. "Half the people around the pits showed up to help me put my bike back together after blowing the head in qualifying," he said. "I also want to thank my family that's here-my Dad and his girlfriend, my girlfriend, Tammie, my sister Jody, and my cousin." Energy One Clutches and Muggs sponsor Douglass. Douglass and Worth
Dragmasters Hot Street Charley Douglass achieved several "firsts" in Gainesville. He rode his Street Pro bike for the first time, winning it, and in his championship title class, Hot Street, he earned the No. 1 qualifying spot for the first time. "First time ever!" he crowed about being at the top of the pack. "I have won plenty of times, but never been the top qualifier in anything." Making it extra special was a top spot for his dad in Super Eliminator competition and the two were able to join each other on the starting line for opening ceremony introductions. Again, a first. Douglass advanced his way through eliminations to the semis, but was notably off his pace. In the semis, Mike Roberts, No. 4 qualifier, and a former Hot Street champion himself, ended the day for Douglass. Roberts was headed to the final-his third of the day! Riding the bike under Lenny Wisniewski ownership, Roberts was paired in the final with another former champion, John Burdynski of Houston, TX. Burdynski competed conservatively in 2007, but says he's back in the chase for 2008. Known as "The Juggler," Burdynski qualified in the second spot with a 9.72 at 133 mph. He rode his way through eliminations to a bye in the semi that easily put him in the final against Roberts. Roberts missed the chance at a triple winning weekend with a sleepy start (.246), and he was tree'd by Burdynski (.043) for the win. Roberts clocked a 10.02 at 126 mph and for the holeshot winner, Burdynski, it was a 10.22 at 129 mph. Roberts later noted that although they were 44 pounds overweight in the class, they were happy to be able to keep up with the numbers the others were running. Burdynski said that he struggled all weekend. "We entered four classes and went out first round in all of them except this one," he noted. "But I did set out on a mission and I at least accomplished that here. I didn't set any records, but it was still good." He said that Hot Street is most important to him. "Why is that?" I asked. "It's Hot Street," replied Burdynski. "It's my pride. I used to have a record. I think I still have an MPH record, but that's it." He went on to say, "We built a brand-new motor and we're still playing with it and trying to figure it out. Thanks to Cycle Rama for helping me out with it and building me a bad-ass set of pipes. And thanks to KT Cycle for their help, too, and also Chucky's Choppers." Burdynski sent his best wishes out to Terry McConnell, who is recovering from surgery, and then he dedicated his trophy to his newborn son, Zachary. "This is Zachary's first trophy," he added with a smile. "My daughter Sabrina usually gets them, but this one will be his."	Charley and Gary Douglass Burdynski
Screamin' Eagle V-Rod The defending national champion, Larry Edmondson, Jr., came off the trailer with the best pass in the opening round of V-Rod competition with a 9.54 at 139 mph. Then Lou Gerencer took over and secured the top spot with a 9.28 at 145 mph. That No. 1 qualifying spot awarded Gerencer the bye in Sunday's opening round, and he advanced to the semis before No. 9 qualifier, Jamie McNaughton, defeated him. Mike Roberts of Clinton, OH, with a name heard three times in the finals at Gainesville Raceway, qualified No. 2 and sailed through to the finals in the V-Rod class to face McNaughton. Roberts checked this first of three finals off the list as an easy win after a redlight from McNaughton. The 2003 82ci V-Rod is owned and was built by John and Nila Wise, also known as "Team Nila." Team Nila is sponsored by Hoosier Harley-Davidson, Lou and Gail Gerencer, Power Shield Coatings.com, Simeris Tavern, and Cutter's Foam.	Roberts
S&S 124 Challenge And there is yet more from Mike Roberts' outstanding season debut. He's the defending national champion in the class flying under the name "Bandit Racing" He started the weekend with championship consistency when he easily secured the No. 1 qualifying spot and clocked the first of his two (ET) record passes with a 9.207 at 144mph. He had no problem advancing in the opening round over a troubled run from Tom Levak, Jr., and that win would earn him the semi final round bye and hand him a trip to the final round. Did we already mention-it would be his 3rd final of the weekend? Roberts paired with No. 2 qualifier, Lou Gerencer and while Gerencer came out first with a .152 to a .216 from Roberts- it was all Roberts as he blasted down the strip with an ET national record, his 2nd of the weekend, clocking a 9.179 at 139mph. Roberts, who also collected a 1/8th mile record at 120mph, thanked bike builder, Joe of Joe's Hawg Shop, Barnett Clutches, Swiss Tlax, Brush Bandit Tree, Dragon Fly Custom Painting and his girlfriend, Amy.	Roberts
Screamin' Eagle V-Rod Destroyer It was a rare occasion in the Destroyer field, something we didn't see a lot of in 2007: L.E. Tonglet was not on the starting line for the top qualifier introductions. Instead, it was Nick Gonatas, Jr., of Youngstown, OH, who earned the position with a 9.15 at 141 mph on his Warren Harley-Davidson ride. Tonglet, the defending national champion in the class, grabbed the second spot with a 9.17 at 142 mph. Another surprise for the champ was a second-round end to his day when 7th qualifier Wanda Poff got him on a holeshot (.030 to a .089). A 9.27 at 140 mph on her Brian's Harley-Davidson Destroyer beat the 9.24 at 140 mph from Tonglet. Poff would go on to defeat 11th qualifier Chuck Kennedy in the semis to advance to the finals. Meanwhile, Gonatas was maintaining impressive consistency through rounds and the No. 1 qualifier found himself in the finals against Poff. The pair left with nearly identical reaction times-a .046 from Poff and a .049 from Gonatas-and in a nice race to the finish, Gonatas got there first with a 9.26 at 139 mph to a 9.30 at 139 mph from Poff. Gonatas thanked his dad, Nick Gonatas, Sr., along with their primary sponsor, Warren Harley-Davidson. They also thanked motorcycle attorney Ralph C. Boss, Paula Montgomery, Tony Frandanisa, Warren H-D mechanic, Rick George who did a lot of work on the bike and Jamie McNaughton and Larry Edmondson for their help during the winter. Gonatas and Poff
Super Gas (9.70) Jim Sweet of Osceola, IN, was the early front-runner in qualifying with a 9.716 against the 9.70 index. He held the spot for two rounds until Justin Kopcak of Jeannette, PA, climbed to the top with a 9.710. The No. 1 qualifier was finished in round one when Nate Miller clocked a 9.703 on his 9.770. Sweet was able to hang on with some consistent numbers until the redlight got him in the third round and advanced Jay Wagner of Warsaw, IN, who earned his way to the final. No. 14 qualifier Ronnie Fensick of Seaford, DE, worked his way through the field to face Wagner in the final. The pair left with close reaction times-a .025 for Fensick on the Harley-Davidson of Seaford ride and a .030 for Wagner-but Fensick broke out with a 9.66 and Wagner clocked a 9.71 for the win-his first AHDRA career win. Wagner's ride (D & G Chassis model) is owned by Bill Edwards and was built by Bob Wagner and Jeff Flora. Wagner thanked his sponsors, Maverick Motorcycles, Joe Baker, B & K Racing, and Flora Racing Heads.	Wagner
S&S Super Sport Gary DeGrange of Ewing, NJ, held the top qualifying spot for all three sessions with a 10.33 against the 10.30 index, but on Sunday, the No. 1 qualifier was defeated by the No. 2 plate-holder, Larry Maynhart, in the second round. No. 14 qualifier Maynhart stayed in the show until a fourth-round upset, courtesy of Sam Lowery of Pembroke, NC, who posted a 10.38 to Maynhart's 10.46. Lowery advanced to the final against Bryan Lewallen of Decatur, IL. Lewallen, the No. 13 qualifier, had a nice reaction time, (.077), but Lowery was even better (.006) and he clocked a 10.39 to a 10.48 from Lewallen for the win. This marked a first AHDRA career win for Lowery, who said that his thanks go to God first. He is sponsored by Cape Fear Harley-Davidson, Valley Auto World, and Smokin' Joe's Tattoos.	Lowery and Lewallen
Screamin' Eagle Performance Curtis Talbott of Forest, VA, left little doubt that he was ready to go racing when he arrived in Gainesville and started his weekend with an 11.503 against an 11.50 index in SEP. Talbott held on to the top spot for all three rounds with Florida rider Larry Krause giving it a good shot at catching him in the third round with an 11.504 to take the No. 2 spot. On race day, Talbott stayed close to his number all day, opening with an 11.504. In the second round he had a bye and came in just under the number, 11.49, to advance. He defeated No. 2 plate-holder Greg Best in the third round (11.53), and in the semis he met up with his son, Joey Talbott. In the father-son match, the youngster was quicker than Dad at the tree-.082 to a .103-but age prevailed at the end, when Curtis clocked an 11.51 to the 11.54 from Joey. The No. 1 qualifier had lasted throughout the field of 30 entries to earn his way to the final. His opponent was No. 3 qualifier Keith Carper of Laurel, MD. Carper was returning to racing after an admirable, heartfelt year of caring for his wife and loyal AHDRA racer and friend, Maura Hall Carper, who lost her heroic fight against cancer in November. Carper's return to racing turned into a valiant effort when he started his way through the field, and round-by-round, took the win light. He said that his weekend on the Zipper's Performance/Thunder Max-sponsored bike began with some doubt when he wasn't getting the data readouts he needed during test-and-tune on Friday. He made a few adjustments on the chassis and added extra fuel on the tune and got the 11.52 for the third qualifying spot. Carper gives his own account of elimination day: "The first round came and not knowing what the track would hold, it is good to have last year's notes. I had good 60-fts and got the win light in the first two rounds. In the third round I got a .001 reaction and got to the stripe for another win light. In the semis, I had to race Kevin Winters and I knew it would be tough. He was in three different semis already that weekend. A good light was my focus. A clean 60-ft put me out first, .026 to a .067 from Kevin, and I got the win light with an 11.66 to an 11.63 from Kevin." Carper went on to say, "Wow, I did it. I'm in the final and I'm facing Curtis Talbott. He's always tough. I paired up with Talbott on his Lynchburg Harley-Davidson bike and with our almost identical reactions, I found myself chasing instead of leading-and the 1000-ft was coming fast! Curtis slowed to an 11.47 and I got the win with an 11.53." Carper closed by making a special acknowledgment. "I dedicate this race and the entire season to my late wife, Maura Hall Carper. Without her, this could not be possible. You are so missed. Godspeed." Carper
Pingel Super Eliminator Gary Douglass of Staunton, VA, was the front-runner on qualifying day with a 10.91 on the 10.90 number in Super Eliminator racing for the No. 1 spot. He earned a bye for his opening round on Sunday; in the second round, his opponent, Jimmy McMillan, handed him another round with a redlight. In the third round, it was Douglass who left early. Meanwhile, Danny Boyer's .007 and 10.83 sent him to the semis against Brent Garcia, of Cincinnatis, NY. Boyer had the better reaction against Garcia, but Garcia was closer to the number with a 10.84 to Boyer's 10.81. Garcia would face Donnie Huffman of Lakeland, FL, in the final. Huffman was the 16th qualifier and a two-time champ in the class. Garcia left with a .069 reaction to a .097 from Huffman and at the stripe it was a win for Garcia with a 10.95 to Huffman's 10.86. Garcia said that he had a lot of practice at the tree during the off-season. "I've done a lot of bracket racing, but I hardly ever run on a Pro tree," an excited Garcia said. "I want to be sure and thank my sponsors, Aaron and Larry Miller from Miller Motorworks in Ithaca, NY." Huffman and Garcia
Syn3 ET The Cinderella story starring Brent Garcia continued when the Miller Motorworks bike qualified No. 1 in the ET bracket field of around 60 entries with a .000 reaction time in qualifying. Garcia nailed the triple zero number, not once, but twice during the weekend in Gainesville. His off-season practice was evident not only in his impressive reaction times throughout the weekend, but in his consistency on the scoreboard as well. It's a rarity that a rider qualifies No.1 in a large field of ET bikes, and hangs on round after round to get the final-round win light. That's exactly what Garcia accomplished in Gainesville. After five successful rounds, he faced Kevin Winters for the sixth and final round. Garcia's reaction was .046 to a .099 from Winters, and it was the win light for Garcia with a 10.95 on a 10.84 dial-in to an 11.18 from Winters on a 10.95 dial-in. "A lot of luck made this possible," Garcia said of his double wins. "I want to thank my sponsors, Aaron and Larry Miller of Miller Motorworks in Ithaca, NY. They helped when no one else would. I couldn't get a penny from anyone else and they stepped up and made it all possible." Garcia also thanked his many family members and friends who joined him for the winner's circle celebration.	Garcia

Next up for AHDRA's 2008 Screamin' Eagle Championship Series is the Screamin' Eagle Arizona Bike Week Nationals Presented by Arrowhead and Chandler Harley-Davidson on March 29th, 30th in Wittmann, AZ.