At the race in Chicago a few weeks ago, the team enjoyed their best performance since Hope took over the helm, but also experienced extensive motor damage. So much so that they had to sit out the following race in Englishtown, N.J. and spend the time instead at the shop in Tulsa, Okla. working on the motor.

It was time well spent. The team could have moved on to the next race instead of going back to the shop, and tried to get things straightened out and fixed while going down the quarter-mile. But it was more important to team owner, John Hammock to have the time to go over the bike with a fine tooth comb. He's happiest when the beautiful Buell is in prime race condition and as safe as can be for his talented, young rider.

"We really hurt the motor in Chicago," explained Hammock, "so I went back to the shop and completely rebuilt it. Then I found a few little things that I thought needed to be changed and improved. We didn't get to dyno it or test before we left for Norwalk, so we'll just have to make our adjustments for the first pass and improve on it round by round. Just like everyone else, every time we work on it we try to make it better.

"We found some welcome performance in Chicago, so now we feel we have a good base on the motor and a good base on the clutch. Everything is new and it was running when I shut it off at the shop, so I feel positive going into this weekend. We'll try to adjust to the Norwalk conditions and work to improve on each pass. Hopefully we can get in the show and do some good on Sunday."

It was tough for the Nevada, Mo. native to sit at home and be a spectator. But the motivated rider understood why he had time on his hands, so he tried to make the most of his idle time.

"I'm anticipating getting back on the bike this weekend," expressed Hope. "It's tough sitting at home but John had a lot of work to do to eliminate our problems. Now with everything fresh, I feel good and I'm ready to continue. We made a big gain in Chicago and I'm positive that we can get right back to where we were and grow from that and continue to move forward."

Early in his career, Hope enjoyed several successful outings at Summit Motorsports Park with the AHDRA (All Harley Drag Race Association), and is looking forward to continuing his experiences at the race track, known for great fans, a tremendous fireworks display and the biggest cup of delicious ice cream for only $1.

"I like going to Summit Motorsports Park," said Hope, "I like the track and I like the facility. I know it's well known for the ice cream, but I don't go for that, I go for the racing. I wouldn't mind having some ice cream while I'm there, but I'll have to wait and see if John will let me have any until after we weigh.

"Last weekend I went to see an AHDRA race in Kansas City. That's where I started so it was a lot of fun for me. It made me realize how far we've come and makes me appreciate what we've accomplished. So, I'm looking forward to getting out there this weekend and continuing to grow and making more big strides in the right direction."

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Courtesy of Joanne Dawson