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AHDRA'S "BIG FOUR JUNE" SETS UP A TIGHT NATIONAL POINTS BATTLE FOR 2ND HALF OF THE 2003 SEASON

WINSTON-SALEM, NC, JULY 10, 2003 - AHDRA President Craig Tharpe summed up AHDRA's big four-in-a-row June sweep this way: "We got rained on in Norwalk, barbequed in Texas, air deprived in Denver, and warm but pleasant conditions finished up the month in Seattle. Seattle wins the weather race? Just goes to show - you never know what Mother Nature has in store."

Despite the mixed bag of weather, Tharpe said the racers and staff pulled off the grueling month with little to complain about. AHDRA promises plenty of excitement ahead as the National Points Series enters the next half of the 2003 season.

Here's a look at the standings:

In Screamin' Eagle Nitro Harley competition, Doug Vancil's Vance & Hines/Drag Specialties team entered the 2003 AHDRA season with two IHRA championship titles under its belt. The team currently leads the battle for the AHDRA National Championship, which would be a first for Vancil. Trailing by 249 points is the reigning AHDRA champ Ron Houniet and the Fast Lane Racing team out of Maple Ridge, B.C.

Vancil (Albuquerque, NM) and Houniet both had a trio of final-round appearances in the AHDRA June sweep, with Vancil winning three out of three (Norwalk, Denver, Seattle) and Houniet finishing in the runner-up spot at his three consecutive final rounds in Denver, Texas, and Seattle.

Mike Romine of Sturgis, MI, upset Vancil's shot at a clean sweep with a win in Texas. Romine is currently third in the standings with younger brother Jack in a close fourth spot. The Romine brothers are part of the three-bike RMC Racing team that also includes Drums Brancaccio, who is in the seventh position.

In JIMS Pro Fuel ranks, Chris Streeter of Cleveland, OH, holds a commanding lead in the points race with a 365-point margin over second- place Mark Conner of Canyon Lake, TX. While Conner scored wins in Norwalk and Texas and landed new national records, Streeter's consistency in final-round appearances has given him and the FBM racing team the huge advantage on the scoreboard.

Matt Guidera of Rocklin, CA, has a narrow lead in S & S Pro Stock national points with two wins on the books at the mid-season mark; but Dirk Higgins of Kirby, OH, is stirring the pot with his three final-round finishes in June, which included a win in Denver for his Thiel's Wheels-Jon Miller racing team. Higgins trails by only 28 points behind Guidera and the Rocklin Harley-Davidson team.

Steve Dorn holds a well-deserved number one spot in Kresto Pro Drag competition after staging a full "Black Attack" in June, sweeping the competition with his four wins. Dorn, the only competitor with bragging rights to the consecutive four victories, also landed new national records in his victory quest. Chuck Jones of St. Petersburg, FL, is in the number two position, trailing Dorn by 97 points.

Bad Dave Boss and the Rose City Cycle team lead the Hayes Jewelers Pro Gas points following runner-up finishes in Denver and Texas, while Tom Bradford of Eagle, WI, is the number two man. Bradford's Thunder Eagle Racing team scored double-class wins in Norwalk, taking home the trophy in Pro Gas and Pro Stock competition.

Cliff Dwy, Darren Mauldin, and Junior Pippin dominated the Joker Machine Pro Modified field in June, with at least one of the three contenders in each final-round finish. Dwy, of Madras, OR, leads the standings following back-to-back wins in Texas and Seattle. He and the Sasquatch Racing team faced off against Mesa, AZ's Mauldin in both the Denver and Seattle finals, with Mauldin capturing the Denver win and taking the second-place points position. Reigning champion Junior Pippin of Conyers, GA, took the win in Norwalk and is currently third in the standings.

The familiar Lummus-Morrow battle seems to have taken a break while a new duo ascends the stage in Rivera-Primo Street Pro action. For now, at least, it's Lummus and Borho making the headlines. Travis Lummus of Asheville, NC, owns three consecutive national titles in Street Pro competition, and Randy Borho is hungry for a first-time championship. Both rode their way to finals in three out of four June races, with Lummus taking a pair of wins and Borho grabbing a win over the champion in Colorado. Following a weekend of unbearable heat for racers in Texas, Lummus and the Gene Lummus Racing team headed back to Carolina, electing to skip the long haul to Seattle, while Borho (of Beavercreek, OR) took advantage of a closer-to-home event in Seattle. He finished runner up to Oregon's Verl Smith, but his efforts gave him a slim ten-point lead in the national points series over Lummus. No word yet on Borho's plans for next week's Maryland event, but there is no doubt Lummus will be there to try to recapture the top position along with Doug Morrow of Daytona Beach, FL, who is expected to rejoin the competition.

Tripp Nobles and the Tilley Harley-Davidson team of Statesville, NC, are out front in Screamin' Eagle V-Rod racing while Jamie McNaughton of Racine, WI hopes his pair of wins and a runner-up finish in June will come in handy for improving his current third-place position. Shawn Vantucci of Frederick, MD, is in the number two spot.

David Atkins (Bradenton, FL) has a healthy lead in the Dragmasters Hot Street points - with records to boot - while Joe Perry (Kingsport, TN) and Nick Gonatas (Youngstown, OH) make up the two and three spots, respectively. Atkins, Perry, and Gonatas all made it to the winner's circle at least once during the June sweep.

Chris Rivas leads in Red Line Oil Super Gas, but Willie Herschberger of Bradenton, FL, made three final rounds in June, with two resulting in wins - and that leaves him fewer than twenty marks behind Rivas, of Fresno, CA.

It was "ladies month" in Nonpareil Super Sport action, with Susie Wevodau (Harrisburg, PA), Wanda Poff (York, PA), and Karen Wagner (Escondido, CA) all snatching wins in June. But it's J.R. Bickmore of Pocatello, ID, who leads the points with earlier season successes; and Tony Chicchirichi of CharlesTown, WV is in the number-two spot following a first-time win in Ennis, TX.

Larry Guy of Bradenton, FL is ahead in the Performance Corner Super Eliminator field with Donnie Huffman (Lakeland, FL) and Willie Herschberger making up the second and third positions, respectively.

Dan Degood of Mountain Top, PA, had no problems with the Texas heat in June, finishing the day with wins in Syn3 ET and Screamin' Eagle Performance classes. The first-time, double-event win for the multiple-time champion has given him the points lead in both classes of competition. John Hendrzak of Criswell, OR not only scored his first-ever win at an earlier Las Vegas appearance, but he also enjoyed a double-class trophy day and currently follows Degood in the Syn3 ET number two spot.

Brendon Griffin of Cibolo, TX was leading the JIMS Jr-Sr points, and Kash Silcox of Bristol, TN, was out front in Indian Motorcycle of Blackfoot competition, before AHDRA Junior competition was unexpectedly halted following the Denver, CO, event. Insurance concerns and sanction regulations were named as the reasons for pulling from competition the racers, who ranged in age from eight to sixteen. Understandably, this was devastating news for everyone involved; AHDRA officials say that efforts will continue to mend the situation.

Any further updates on the AHDRA Junior competition will be available on www.ahdra.com and in future releases as information becomes available.

AHDRA continues the 2003 National Points series at Maryland International Raceway, Budds Creek, MD, on July 19th and 20th.

For more information on the 2003 National Points series, please contact 336-924-2095 or visit www.ahdra.com.

Photo credits: Claude F McKee, Bill Jordan, Scott Odell, Jerry Cummings