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Sovereign-Star Racing Team receives Best Appearing Crew
Award
AMERICUS, Ga. - As
a newly assembled crew this season, the Sovereign-Star
Racing Team was extremely proud to take home a small
Wally for "2012 Best Appearing Crew" at the Summit
Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in Commerce,
Ga. The recipient of this award is chosen from the
approximately 400 team entries at each event.
After adding a co-sponsor
this season, the Star Racing Team transformed their
normally red and yellow ensemble to incorporate the blue
shades of the new Sovereign logos. The change can be
seen throughout the crew's presentation, including new
paint and decals for their 2010 S&S powered XB12R Buells,
custom racing leathers from Vanson Leathers, an
eye-catching logo addition to the team's transporter and
newly-designed crew shirts that were also made available
to the public.
The Sovereign-Star Racing
Buells and S&S Cycle engines, which competed in and won
the 2011 UEM European Championship with the help of Star
Racing owner George Bryce, were provided by the team's
Hungarian co-owner, Jeno Rujp. The Commerce race was the
second NHRA event that Rujp attended with the team. His
first visit to the Houston race was followed by an
opportunity to travel back to Americus, Ga., on the
Sovereign-Star Racing transporter with several of the
crew members.
"I
think Jeno had a fantastic time at his first two NHRA
races! He was able to get to know our team and racers,
and he got some great photos for us at the track. He got
to see a little bit of the country, too, while he was
here," Bryce said. "We're glad he'll be here again for
the next race in Englishtown."
At Commerce, the
Sovereign-Star Racing drivers, Scotty Pollacheck and
John Hall, qualified 9th
and 10th,
respectively, in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class, despite
running in the 7.0's during qualifying. However, the
crew improved both bikes' performances to run in the
6.90's on Sunday in Eliminations.
"Even
though the qualifying runs we made got us in the show,
they mainly just frustrated us because we knew the bikes
weren't performing at their best," Bryce said. "But, we
slept on it and pondered tons of data from winning
rounds in 2008 and found gearing, jetting and
round-by-round history with runs getting better each
time, instead of slower. After the changes we made, both
bikes picked up a ton! Scotty's bike made so much power
that it drove through the clutch for five gears. John
hit the limiter in second gear for a while and still
went 6.97."
Pollacheck said. "We
struggled a little bit in qualifying, but in the midst
of that we fixed some things. We went faster Sunday than
we did all weekend."
Pollacheck took the
hole-shot win in Round 1 with a 6.983/187.68 against LE
Tonglet on his GT Racing Suzuki. Hall, who redlit
against Karen Stoffer in the first round, ran a
6.971/189.34.
"In
the first round, we got our tune up right; everything
was right except for me," Hall said. "We both staged at
the same time and it threw me off a little bit. I just
anticipated the light, and it threw my timing and
concentration off just enough to mess me up."
In Round 2 Eliminations,
Pollacheck faced #1 Qualifier Hector Arana on his Lucas
Oil Buell. Arana took the win against Pollacheck with
the quickest run of the weekend at 6.863/195.28.
"I
think that the biggest and best thing was qualifying # 9
again and winning the first round again from the #9
spot," Pollacheck said. "We beat a very formidable
opponent in 2010 Pro Stock Champ LE Tonglet." Pollacheck
also qualified 9th
and won Round 1 at the Pro Stock Motorcycle season
opener in Gainesville, Fla.
"We've
made a lot of improvements since Gainesville - driving
wise, clutch wise, tuning wise," Hall said. "So, I think
we have a good shot of doing something at Englishtown.
Even though we went out in the first round, there are
still a lot of positives. We just need to get ready for
the next 13 races."
Pollacheck is currently
#8 in the Full Throttle Series Point Standings, and #11
Hall trails the Top 10 by only 7 points.
"The
future is bright and we are gaining on them pretty darn
quick. We ran as quick as the runner up - Michael Ray -
every round," Bryce said. "John had his career best run,
Scotty won a round, we got a small Wally - which is very
hard to get out of 400 cars and teams - and we qualified
at every race so far."
The team's next
appearance will be June 1-3 at the 43rd
annual Toyota NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, N.J.
The Sovereign-Star Racing
Team would like to thank the following sponsors:
Sovereign, Star Racing, S&S Cycle, Daytona Sensors,
Worldwide Bearings, Americus Motorsports Complex, Who's
Up Next?, and Quality Tire.
#
Star Racing Fast
Facts:
-
Based in Americus,
Georgia
-
Six-time NHRA Pro
Stock Motorcycle Championships
-
78 NHRA national
event wins with nine different riders
-
Owned by George &
Jackie Bryce
Sovereign Racing
Team Fast Facts:
John Hall Fast
Facts:
Scotty Pollacheck
Fast Facts:
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The
Sovereign-Star Racing Team received the '2012 Best
Appearing Crew' award during the May 4-6 Summit
Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals in
Commerce, Ga. |
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"After qualifying 10th,
Sovereign-Star Racing driver John Hall is shown during
his Round 1 run against Karen Stoffer at the NHRA
Southern Nationals." |
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"Sovereign-Star
Racing driver Scotty Pollacheck is shown during his
Round 1 win against LE Tonglet with a 6.983/187.68 at
the NHRA Southern Nationals." |
Sovereign-Star Racing teammates move to Top 10 in points
Racers look to "run
with the big boys" in Commerce
AMERICUS, Ga. -
The Sovereign-Star Racing Team riders, Scotty Pollacheck
and John Hall, not only racked up personal career bests
at the O'Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals in
Houston, Texas, but the duo also advanced to No. 7 and
No. 10, respectively, in the overall NHRA Full Throttle
Series point standings.
In Pro Stock Motorcycle
Qualifying, Pollacheck posted a new career best with a
6.871/194.27 to put him at #4 going into Eliminations.
"That
was amazing getting such a low ET and being the No. 4
qualifier in only our second race," Pollacheck said. "I
think that was huge progress for us and a pretty amazing
accomplishment."
Hall also gained a career
best in only his second NHRA event with a 6.990/193.16.
Hall ended up qualifying #13, putting him up against his
own Sovereign-Star Racing teammate, Pollacheck, in Round
1 Eliminations on Sunday.
"Even
at 13th
in qualifying we were only .014 behind with John," team
co-owner George Bryce said. "We never showed how
powerful John's bike is because we never got the clutch
to hook up once. He also had tire problems on two of his
qualifying runs, but still managed to run 193 (mph) with
it slipping. Of course, no one wants to have their own
riders against each other in eliminations, but that's
the cards we were dealt, so we just wanted to focus on
improving our overall performance."
On racing his teammate,
Pollacheck said, "I've raced with one of my best friends
for a long time, so I'm definitely used to that. At
least on the upside you know that someone on your team
is going on to the next round, and if it's not you then
you still support them. Plus, it was neat for John to
get his first NHRA round win."
In Round 1 Eliminations,
Pollacheck's slight starting line advantage of 0.042
against Hall's 0.049 wasn't enough to win the round
after Pollacheck's Buell broke a rocker arm bolt, giving
Hall his first round win in his second NHRA start with a
7.001/189.79.
"I'm
happy we both qualified," Hall said. "A round win is a
round win - even against your own teammate. It was
unfortunate that we had to race against each other, but
that's how it goes."
Hall advanced to Round 2
to face Andrew Hines on his Harley-Davidson Screamin'
Eagle/Vance & Hines V-Rod. Hines, who won in Houston for
the past two years, qualified fifth for the event with a
time of 6.877 seconds. With a big advantage at the line,
Hines defeated Hall and went on to win the event with a
perfect 0.000-second reaction time against Hector Arana Jr.'s Lucas Oil Buell.
"It
seems like the field has tightened up a bit. I think we
definitely have a chance to win, though. No one is
running away with it as far as times are concerned,"
Hall said.
Despite the ups and downs
of the Houston weekend, the Sovereign-Star Racing team
was pleased to see improvements in their program with
both Hall and Pollacheck moving up in the top 10 point
standings. Both racers are eligible for the 2012
Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the
Future Award, which honors the series' top rookies.
"We
are currently 7th
and 10th
in the points, so it was a great move forward for us,"
Bryce said. "I am very proud of our team and plan to get
all of our technical problems out of the way for this
weekend's race so we can show our true potential."
Hall said, "Once we get
this clutch issue straightened out I think we're gonna
be qualifying in the front - I know we are."
The team's next race is
the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals on
May 4-6 in Commerce, Ga. Both racers say that they
welcome the back to back races since it keeps the
competition fresh in their minds for this weekend.
Pollacheck and Hall are also encouraged by the team's
positive improvements after only two NHRA events this
season.
"I'm
really upbeat and excited about this weekend,
considering how well we qualified in Houston,"
Pollacheck said. "It really gives you confidence knowing
you can run with all the big boys out there."
The Sovereign-Star Racing
Team's Hungarian co-owner, Jeno Rujp, will also be
present at the Commerce race. The crew welcomed Rujp to
Houston for his first NHRA event and is hosting him
throughout the week in Americus, Ga., where Star Racing
is located.
"It's
been wonderful having Jeno here to support the team and
to experience what it's like to run in NHRA," Bryce
said. "We have been working our butts off to improve our
program, and we're just hoping to get the opportunity in
Commerce to really show what we can do. Our racers have
come a long way in a very short amount of time, and
we're excited to see what they can accomplish out there
this weekend."
The Sovereign-Star Racing
Team would like to thank the following sponsors:
Sovereign, Star Racing, S&S Cycle, Daytona Sensors,
Worldwide Bearings, Americus Motorsports Complex, Who's
Up Next?, and Quality Tire.
Follow on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/StarRacingGA
Like us on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/StarRacingGA
Watch on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/StarRacing6X
#
Star Racing Fast
Facts:
-
Based in Americus,
Georgia
-
Six-time NHRA Pro
Stock Motorcycle Championships
-
78 NHRA national
event wins with nine different riders
-
Owned by George &
Jackie Bryce
Sovereign Racing
Team Fast Facts:
John Hall Fast
Facts:
Scotty Pollacheck
Fast Facts:
 |
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Sovereign-Star Racing riders, John Hall and
Scotty Pollacheck, run against each other
during Round 1 Eliminations at the O'Reilly
Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston,
Texas. |
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Shown from left are Star Racing owner George
Bryce, Sovereign-Star racer John Hall,
Sovereign-Star racer Scotty Pollacheck and
Sovereign owner Jeno Rujp at the O'Reilly
Auto Parts NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston,
Texas. |
Sovereign-Star Racing Team hosts European guest for
Houston race
AMERICUS, Ga. -
The Sovereign-Star Racing crew is proud to welcome the
team's co-owner, Jeno Rujp, to America for his first
NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) event ever. Rujp,
who owns Sovereign, a large European sugar distribution
company, will be traveling from his home in Budapest,
Hungary, to join the team for the Houston and Commerce
races.
"We're
glad to have Jeno coming to the Houston race to finally
experience American drag racing at its finest," Bryce
said. "He's been around European drag racing with his
Sovereign Race Team that we led to a UEM Championship
last year, but this will be his first NHRA event."
Since the NHRA Full
Throttle Series first race this season at the
Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla., the Sovereign-Star
Racing Team has been working long hours to improve and
perfect the performance of their 2010 S&S Cycle powered
XB9R Buells, in addition to other team improvements.
"Since
the Gators, we've gotten shiny, new drivers suits from
Vanson Leathers, our trailer has gotten a new partial
wrap and after many hours of work on the bikes we've
made more horsepower than last time, so we're excited
about our potential for Houston," Bryce said.
With the first race in
Gainesville out of the way, the team's racers, John Hall
and Scotty Pollacheck, feel much more focused and
confident in their abilities going into the Houston
weekend.
"I'm
excited about this weekend and definitely less nervous
than I was before the last race," Hall said. "At least I
know what to expect going into this one instead of last
time when it was my very first NHRA race. I got the
first race jitters out in Gainesville and now it's time
to go fast."
"I
feel better than last time," Pollacheck said. "We're a
little more prepared and I think everyone's a little
more comfortable having one race under our belts. I
think the bikes will run better, John (Hall) and I will
run better and everything will head in the right
direction."
Both Pollacheck and Hall
have tried to stay mentally and physically prepared
during the six weeks off from racing.
"Since
I haven't been back on the bike since the last race,
I've been trying to improve by mentally going through my
runs since that's as close as I'm gonna get to the real
thing," Hall said.
"I
actually got to ride the electric bike (KillaCycle)
again the other day," Pollacheck said. "It's a lot
different than the Buell, but it's really easy to ride
because you don't have to worry about shifting. We
mainly show it as an exhibition too, so I don't have the
pressure of competition and getting good reaction times.
We're actually getting ready to reclaim our world speed
record for an electric vehicle."
The Sovereign-Star Racing
rider duo says they don't mind having races two weekends
in a row with Houston and Commerce. In fact, they
welcome it.
Pollacheck said, "I think
the back to back races will be really nice from the
standpoint that I've only made 11 passes on that
motorcycle and this will give me an opportunity to make
a good number of passes in a short time. I'll be much
more comfortable on the bike because it will still be
fresh in my head from the weekend before."
"I
don't mind it because you stay tuned into the bikes
better," Hall said. "If you run well in the first race,
you can carry it over to the other; or if you do badly
in the first, you know you better get your act together
before the next weekend."
After a positive start to
the Full Throttle Series at the Gatornationals, the
Sovereign-Star Racing Team has set the bar slightly
higher for the coming Houston race.
"Our
goal at the Gatornationals was set too low. Our goal
there was to run good enough to park on the pavement at
Houston!," team co-owner Bryce said. "But on a more
serious note, we did meet our goals of having our bikes
run well and our racers qualify at the Gators, so now
I've set our goals a little higher for Houston. What the
Sovereign-Star Racing Team would like to do in Houston
is to qualify both bikes in the top half of the field,
to win rounds and to get both riders into the top 10 of
the Full Throttle points standings."
The Sovereign-Star Racing
Team would like to thank the following sponsors:
Sovereign, Star Racing, S&S Cycle, Daytona Sensors,
Worldwide Bearings, Americus Motorsports Complex, Who's
Up Next?, and Quality Tire.
#
Star Racing Fast
Facts:
-
Based in Americus,
Georgia
-
Six-time NHRA Pro
Stock Motorcycle Championships
-
78 NHRA national
event wins with nine different riders
-
Owned by George &
Jackie Bryce
Sovereign Racing
Team Fast Facts:
John Hall Fast
Facts:
Scotty Pollacheck
Fast Facts:
As a
result of Star Racing's 2012 racing partnership with
Sovereign Racing, the team's truck and trailer received
an upgrade with added logos as it was en route to
Houston, Texas, for this weekend's NHRA Full Throttle
Series race. The team's riders will also be sporting new
racing leathers from Vanson Leathers.
Michael Ray & Star Racing Encouraged by
Gainesville Showing
Gainesville, Fla., March 13, 2011 -
Heading into Sunday's final eliminations of the
Tire Kingdom Gatornationals in Gainesville,
Florida, Michael Ray and the Star Racing team
knew they faced an uphill battle in their return
to the NHRA's Pro Stock Motorcycle category.
Although they had recorded a representative
6.933-second time in qualifying 13th, the
six-time championship team acknowledged they had
not yet reached their S&S powered Buell's
potential, and entered race day determined to
find the right set-up for the increased
temperatures.
Further complicating their
assignment was a lack of lane choice, which
meant they would be delegated to the left-hand
side of the track, which throughout qualifying
had appeared to be a disadvantage. Undeterred,
the talented tandem of team owner George Bryce
and crew chief Ken Johnson pored over the data
and came up with a plan that would give them the
best opportunity to advance against #4 qualifier
Karen Stoffer, who was riding the same bike on
which she had set the national elapsed time
record a year ago.
For the first time all weekend,
the beautiful Star Racing bike and its rider
seemed in sync, as Ray virtually matched his
more-experienced opponent on the starting line
and drove straight down the quarter-mile,
hitting his shift points and tripping the finish
line timers in 6.946-seconds at 190.03 mph, the
third-quickest time in the dreaded left lane,
where only two rounds were won all day.
Unfortunately, their valiant effort came up shy
of unseating their opponent's 6.844-second run.
Although naturally disappointed by their
premature exit, Bryce quickly dissected their
performance and found reasons to be optimistic
as he looked forward to the next race in
Houston.
"Considering this was our first
race back in two years, and our first with
Michael aboard our Star Racing S&S powered
Buell, we feel pretty good about our
performance," said Bryce. "Given all the
circumstances, being able to come back in
eliminations and make a good hit in the heat of
the day says a lot about this organization, and
the people we have supporting us.
"This was only Michael's third
start on a Pro Stock Motorcycle, and yet he had
a good .035 light, went straight down the track
and shifted on time. We spun the tires really
hard on the 1-2 shift, losing five hundredths
from our 330-foot time on Friday. That would
have brought us down to a 6.89. On top of that,
because he went so straight and so far, we went
into a new tuning range that we hadn't been in
before with higher rpm's so we didn't have the
fuel-injection set quite right, which cost us
another couple hundredths in the back half. If
you put it all together, it could have been an
interesting race.
"It all comes down to knowing
exactly what the bike needs. It would have been
nice to make that run yesterday, because we
would have been better prepared for today, but
we didn't, so we'll take the lessons learned
here and move forward. Right after we got back
to the trailer, we had a meeting with the entire
team, as well as Lister (Herrell, co-owner of
the Xtreme Rebellion eyewear and apparel
company) and all our other sponsors who were at
the track with us.
"We decided to practice a couple
times before Houston, flying Michael in so we
could go to SMGP (South Georgia Motorsports Park
in Valdosta, GA) and make some runs to see if we
can dig all the bugs out before we go to
Houston. We're excited about taking an
even-better prepared horse to Houston Raceway
Park, and picking up where we left off."
As his first race with the
legendary Star Racing team, rookie rider Michael
Ray acknowledged that the weekend had been a
three-day learning experience for all involved,
with a few growing pains along the way. Even
so, he quickly echoed his team owner's positive
sentiments about their initial outing, as well
as optimism about their program moving forward.
"As a racer, you never like to
lose, but considering that run in the first
round was our only straight pass of the weekend,
we have to be happy with the progress we made,"
said Ray. "Of course, we would have loved to
come out here made four great runs in qualifying
and go deep into eliminations, but all things
considered, we did okay. This was our first
actual race as a team, and we had to learn to
work together, yet we were still able to qualify
ahead of some racers that had been doing this a
lot longer than I have.
"This Star Racing team is
awesome, and I want to thank George and Jackie
for the opportunity. We're also lucky to have
the support of Lister Herrell and everyone at
Xtreme Rebellion and 2listers.com, GOTTSPEED,
Jet Aircraft Interior Services and all our other
sponsors. It was great to have them here with
us, and to see how excited they were about our
program. Thanks to them, we're going to do a
little testing over the next few weeks before
heading to Houston, where I hope we can put
ourselves in the thick of the battle. We know
the performance is there - we just have to find
it, and we will."
Michael Ray and Star Racing would
like to thank the following sponsors for their
support in this effort - Xtreme Rebellion,
2listers.com, GOTTSPEED Racing, Jet Aircraft
Interior Services, Javelina Harley-Davidson,
Gruene Harley-Davidson, Hot Licks Racing, S&S
Cycle, Mickey Thompson, Royal Purple, and
Diamond Bar Choppers.
Michael Ray will make his Star Racing Debut from 13th
in Gainesville
Gainesville, Fla., March 12, 2011 -
The Star
Racing team and rookie rider Michael Ray overcame the
odds on Saturday, qualifying 13th for
Sunday's final eliminations of the Tire Kingdom Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida. Fighting to
overcome the daunting challenge presented by a 27-bike
field and record-setting conditions at Gainesville
Raceway, team owner George Bryce, crew chief Ken Johnson
and rider Michael Ray coaxed their S&S powered Buell to
a best time of 6.933-seconds, 187.52 mph run, an
impressive accomplishment considering neither team nor
rider had entered an NHRA event in two years, and had
done limited testing prior to the event.
"Even though I believe we could have run
much better than we have so far, for the first time in
my life I'm pleased qualifying thirteenth," said Bryce.
"We had come here after testing at South Georgia
Motorsports Park, where we had run a 6.88 under much
worse conditions that we had here. We came out
yesterday morning and made a crummy run, rolling the
throttle and going up against the wall, and ran 6.93.
"We looked at the data and video and
thought we had a tenth left in our Star Racing Buell, so
we made some changes trying to make the bike go
straight, but we were never able to go as fast as we did
in Valdosta, even with the world record conditions. We
know our capabilities, so we felt we underachieved.
"However, looking at it from our
sponsors' perspective, it's their first race, and they
were absolutely thrilled that we were able to qualify in
the quickest field in Gatornationals history, so under
those circumstances I would have to say it's a good
start. We've taken the motorcycle completely apart,
made some changes and put it into race trim. We're
going to try and avoid making any mistakes, and
Michael's going to do his best to stay focused and make
our motorcycle go really fast tomorrow. We'll look to
throw a number on the board and see how the cookies
crumble. If we run the way the motorcycle is capable,
we could surprise our first round opponent and become
the spoiler in this field."
With numerous sponsors in attendance,
including Lister Herrell, co-owner of the Xtreme
Rebellion eyewear and apparel company, the pressure was
on Ray and the Star Racing crew to deliver a solid
performance. Despite experiencing some expected growing
pains, the team responded with a solid qualifying
performance, much to the delight of everyone connected
with the tight-knit team.
"If you
look at how many bikes tried to qualify for the 16 bike
field, I could complain about how we race, but in
reality I am just so excited for Star Racing and all our
sponsors to qualify for our first race with this rookie
team, with all of us coming together as we did," said
Ray. "Naturally, I would have loved to have made four
6.80 passes, but just making the top 16 going into race
day is all I could ask for. Tomorrow is when it really
counts. We made a bunch of changes to our Star Racing
Buell taking it back to square one to give both myself
and the crew a little confidence for tomorrow. Our goal
for tomorrow is to take it one round at a time and let
the cards play out the way they were dealt."
Michael Ray and Star Racing would like to
thank the following sponsors for their support in this
effort - Xtreme Rebellion, 2listers.com, GOTTSPEED
Racing, Jet Aircraft Interior Services, Javelina
Harley-Davidson, Gruene Harley-Davidson, Hot Licks
Racing, S&S Cycle, Mickey Thompson, Royal Purple,
Diamond Bar Choppers.
Ray, Star Racing Open
Gainesville Qualifying in 12th
Gainesville,
Fla., March 11, 2011 -
After a
two-year absence, the Star Racing team made a return to NHRA
Pro Stock Motorcycle competition on Friday at the Tire
Kingdom Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida. During the
first day of qualifying team owner George Bryce, crew chief
Ken Johnson and rider Michael Ray faced the daunting
combination of competing against 26 other teams in
near-perfect conditions, requiring they extract the maximum
from their S&S powered Buell. Despite not making a
completely clean run, the team was still able to make a
representative 6.933-second, 187.52 mph run, good enough for
12th midway through the qualifying procedure,
leaving the 26-year-old New Braunfels, Texas native
satisfied but looking for more.
"I'm glad to be back out here and feel really
good on the bike," said Ray. "George has been coaching me
to use these qualifying runs for testing, so we're keeping
the same routine, with nothing changed except these count.
As you can see by the numbers on the sheet, the conditions
were pretty good today. We just seem to be battling a little
bit of a directional issue trying to make it go in a
straight line.
"In our first run, I felt like a fuel bike
rider, leaning one way while the bike was trying to go the
other way, but we still ran a 6.93 which has us in.
Fortunately, everybody seems to be having the same
problem, so we are all playing in the same court. We're not
quite sure what happened on the second run when it decided
to go hard right. We're going to try something different
with the tire tomorrow to see if we can make it run better
in the morning.
"Although we certainly want to be closer to
the top of the page, we are still having a good time. We
have all our sponsors here this weekend, and we want to put
on a good show for them. Our plan for tomorrow morning is
to try and repeat some of the numbers that we had in testing
where we ran a 6.88. We had high expectations coming into
today, but had some issues that I would chalk up to growing
pains, being that I'm a rookie and this is our first race,
which we hope to put behind us tomorrow."
As the first race flying the colors of Lister
Herrell's Xtreme Rebellion eyewear and apparel company the
Star Racing crew had set the bar high in terms of
performance, despite the long lay-off and his rider's rookie
status on this type of motorcycle. Having yet to reach his
goals, the ultra-competitive Bryce saw today's showing as an
added challenge in his pursuit of a return to the
front-running form for which his organization is known.
"Although we're glad to be out here with our
friends, today didn't feel all that great," said Bryce "We
actually thought we would do better. In fact Ken (crew chief
Johnson) and I have been walking around with our tails
between our legs this afternoon because we know we have a
better horse than we have shown so far.
"We have a great opportunity with all our
friends from Texas putting their money together to get
Michael and Star Racing back out again, and then to sign the
deal last week Lister Harrell and his Xtreme Rebellion and
2listers.com companies was really cool, allowing us to put
them out in front of this Gatornationals crowd this
weekend. But we are in a performance-based program - if we
do well here, we get to go to another race, and if we do
well there, we get to go to the next one, and so on, so the
pressure is on us to perform.
"We're scrambling a little bit right now,
trying to get all our ducks in a row. We know it's there
for us - after all, we were No.3 at the eighth mile on the
first run before the bike decided to turn right. We did
find a few things we needed to correct including a little
Kurt Busch-style stagger in the back wheel, so we turned it
around to see if it will run straight, and if it does, we
should be in good shape. If we have similar weather, I
believe there is a tenth left in it, which would be a good
place for us to land on our first try after all this time."
Michael Ray and Star Racing would like to
thank the following sponsors for their support in this
effort - Xtreme Rebellion, 2listers.com, GOTTSPEED Racing,
Jet Aircraft Interior Services, Javelina Harley-Davidson,
Gruene Harley-Davidson, Hot Licks Racing, S&S Cycle, Mickey
Thompson, Royal Purple, Diamond Bar Choppers.
Legendary Star Racing & Michael Ray to Return at Gatornationals
Americus, Georgia, March 8, 2011 -
In
a move befitting the NHRA's 60th anniversary season, a
race team that is a cornerstone of the Pro Stock Motorcycle category
will be returning to competition as the Star Racing team and team
owners George and Jackie Bryce confirmed that they would be
participating in this weekend's Tire Kingdom Gatornationals in
Gainesville, Florida, ending a two-year absence from the Full
Throttle Drag Racing circuit.
Also making a comeback will be Star's trademark paint scheme made
famous by three-time champion John Myers featuring a large yellow
star on a red bike, which was last seen on an NHRA Pro Stock
Motorcycle in 1996. Finally, although the Star Racing S&S powered
Buell will still be tuned by multi-time championship crew chief Ken
Johnson, the final piece of the puzzle will be completely new, as
the team has named relative Pro Stock Motorcycle newcomer Michael
Ray as their rider for the East Coast season-opener.
"I
really got to know Michael when he came to our school in 2006," said
Bryce. "He was really fast and quickly learned the methods that we
teach. I then had the opportunity to travel to Curacao to work with
some of our Star Racing Pro Stock Motorcycle customers, who had
asked me to come down and bring a professional driver with me so we
could tune the bikes and show them just how fast they were. I
immediately thought of Michael so I asked him to join me for the
trip.
"We
had a great time, Michael did a tremendous job, and somehow we
started talking about each other's plans for the future. We agreed
that it would be great if we could get the sponsorship together to
go racing in the NHRA. He asked how much it would take, so we gave
him a price, and fortunately, he was able to come up with the
backing of several companies and friends from his home state of
Texas, allowing us to make it to the Gatornationals, after which
we'll evaluate the program and see where we head next."
Although the 26-year-old Ray has only a few Pro Stock Motorcycle
starts to his credit, a quick look at his accomplishments in other
series shows that he is more than capable of joining the eleven
other drivers who have scored national event wins aboard the Star
Racing entry. From his three championships and multiple national
records in the All Harley Drag Racing Association (AHDRA) to his
work as a crew member and test rider for other Pro Stock teams, the
New Braunfels, Texas native has the credentials to take on the best
in the NHRA. At the same time, he is appreciative of the
opportunity presented, as it allows him to follow in the footsteps
of one of his childhood idols.
"I
grew up watching Star Racing and John Myers, when Steve Evans was
calling the races on TNN," said Ray. "They were the picture of
dominance and a truly great team, so to be able to represent them,
as well as our sponsors GOTTSPEED and Jet Aircraft Interior
Services, is absolutely huge.
"I've known the Bryces for my entire life, as my father raced with
them in Pro Stock Motorcycle, and everything I've done to this point
in my career including the three AHDRA championship and twenty five
national event wins has been to get the sponsorship help to allow me
to race with Star Racing. You look at the names of the people who
have ridden for them and just to be on the list is a tremendous
accomplishment and a dream come true for me.
"As
for this weekend, this is our equivalent of the Daytona 500, so just
as Trevor Bayne went out with the historic Wood Brothers team and
took Daytona by storm, I'm hoping that Star Racing and myself can go
down to Gainesville, take it one round at a time and see what we can
do to match that performance on Sunday.
However, even with adequate sponsorship in place, resurrecting their
NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle organization was far from an easy task for
the Americus-based team. Having been off the circuit for two
seasons, team owner Bryce is realistic, yet cautiously optimistic
about their chances for this weekend.
"We
had a fast Pro Stock Motorcycle that Chris Rivas had ridden to two
wins in our last two races in Vegas and Pomona," said Bryce. "However, many of the pieces for it were scattered all over the
country as we had sold them to our NHRA customers trying to help
them out, so we had to come up with a plan to put it back together.
Fortunately we were able to do just that, after which we took it to
the track where it ran really fast, which has us all excited.
"We're looking forward to going Gainesville and seeing a lot of
friends and frenemies, as Darrell Waltrip calls them, that we used
to race with. It's also going to be special to participate in the
NHRA's 60th anniversary season, especially as it will be
the first time we come with the red and yellow colors on our bike
and transporter since the late great John Myers raced with us.
"As
for our goals for the Gators, I'm interested in seeing how we stack
up against our competition after all these races we have missed.
Even though we haven't been racing, we've continued to make
advances, so I want to see where we end up on the page after each
run. Of course, it would be really great to be able to come back
and win, but we're going to take things one step at a time. At this
point, we're just happy to be heading to Gainesville."
Michael Ray and Star Racing would like to thank the following
sponsors for their support in this effort - Xtreme Rebellion,
2listers.com, GOTTSPEED Racing, Jet Aircraft Interior Services,
Javelina Harley-Davidson, Gruene Harley-Davidson, Hot Licks Racing,
S&S Cycle, Mickey Thompson, Royal Purple, Diamond Bar Choppers.
Star Racing Fast Facts -
-
Based in Americus, Georgia
-
Six-time NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Champions
-
78
NHRA Pro Stock Motorcyle National Event Wins
-
Star Racing career best elapsed time: 6.84 seconds
-
Star Racing career best top speed: 194 mph
Michael Ray Fast Facts -
-
Birthdate: August 14, 1984
-
Hometown: New Braunfels, Texas
-
3-time AHDRA Champion
-
25-time AHDRA National Event Winner
-
Current SCTA Land Speed Record Holder for 3000 cc APS-BPG at 170.68
mph
-
Two
prior NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle starts
-
Career best elapsed time: 6.88 seconds
-
Career best top speed: 193 mph
Event Schedule:
Friday, March 11: Two qualifying sessions at 12
noon & 2:45 p.m.
Saturday, March 12: Two qualifying
sessions at 11:00 a.m. & 1:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 13: Final eliminations
starting at 11:00 a.m.
Television Coverage (all coverage on ESPN2):
Qualifying: Sunday, March 13
- 12:00 midnight -
1:30 a.m.
Eliminations: Sunday, March 13
- 6:00 -
9:00 p.m.
(All times Eastern)
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