Fri, 01 Mar 2013, 18:30 PM Top Fuel Harley Qualifying Notes, Session #1

By Larry Sullivan

BAYTOWN, Texas - Notes from round 1 qualifying in Top Fuel Harley at the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series, South Central Division, Showdown at Sundown at Royal Purple Raceway listing lane, rider name, elapsed time, top speed, and position in order following run:

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Left Lane: Brian Jernigan Runs 25.186/60.65, Now #2
Right Lane: Kevin Boyer Runs 12.461/82.70, Now #1

5:11 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 70 degrees, relative humidity 24 percent, barometer 30.06 inches, adjusted altitude 907 feet, track temperature 75 degrees.

No matter what they are called (Nitro Harley, Nitro Bike or Top Fuel Harley) these are exciting to watch, the riders balancing on the rear tire and the wheelie bars for most of the run, steering by shifting their body weight. However, they are also temperamental machines, as the first pair showed us. Both went about 60 feet, started to smoke the tire, then lost power because the nitro engines don't run without a load.

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Left Lane: Not on File No Time, Now #4
Right Lane: Alvin Kobernausz Runs 7.720/138.57, Now #1

The rider in the left lane is named McCabe (we think) but his tech card isn't in the tower yet. He was shut off at the line with a leak. Kobernausz made a more-or-less fullpass, but the front wheel was down for most of the run.

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Left Lane: Mike Scott Runs 6.559/206.99, Now #1
Right Lane: Rickey House Runs 7.022/203.68, Now #2

That's more like it. Scott is from Blind Bay, BC and House is from just up the road from here, Humble, Texas. Good run by House, very good run by Scott.

Mike Scott's incremental times: 60ft-1.145 sec., 330ft-2.910, 660ft-4.342/177.09 mph, 1,000ft-5.536.
Rickey House's incremental times: 60ft-1.215 sec., 330ft-3.069, 660ft-4.600/161.40 mph, 1,000ft-5.914.

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Left Lane: Steve Dorn Runs 6.461/217.74, Now #1
Right Lane: Jay Turner No Time, Now #9

Now these two names should be familiar to a lot of people...but Turner had to shut it off at the starting line. Dorn was working hard on this run, shifting back and forth to keep the bike balanced and on a straight line.

Steve Dorn's incremental times: 60ft-1.125 sec., 330ft-2.871, 660ft-4.233/180.79 mph, 1,000ft-5.427.

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Left Lane: Tommy Grimes Runs 6.541/247.29, Now #3
Right Lane: Damian Cownden Runs 6.402/233.40, Now #1

Two more familiar names - and the top two in points in last-year's Top Fuel Harley competition - and they showed why. Nice side-by-side run, bracketing Dorn on the qualifying sheet.

Tommy Grimes' incremental times: 60ft-1.195 sec., 330ft-2.997, 660ft-4.381/181.08 mph, 1,000ft-5.550.
Damian Cownden's incremental times: 60ft-1.157 sec., 330ft-2.911, 660ft-4.259/206.61 mph, 1,000ft-5.414.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink



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