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Sat, 15 Nov 2014, 18:40 PM

Pro Stock Motorcycle Qualifying Notes, Final Session

By David Gerard

POMONA, Calif. - Notes from final, round 4 qualifying in Pro Stock Motorcycle at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 50th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals listing lane, rider name, elapsed time/top speed this round, position in order following run, best prior elapsed time/speed, and position in order prior to run:

Left Lane: Bill Burkhart Runs 15.856/49.50, Now #21; Best prior run: 7.490/181.13, Was #21
Right Lane: Michael Ray Runs 10.856/72.75, Now #22; No Prior Run

3:10 p.m. Weather conditions: air temperature 72 degrees, relative humidity 50 percent, barometer 28.89 inches, adjusted altitude 2,641 feet, track temperature 86 degrees.

Hector Arana is number one at 6.832 and Elvira Karlsson is on the bump spot at 6.986.

Burkhart is off the throttle early and sitting up. Ray's bike is sputtering and popping down track and he slows too.

Left Lane: Lance Bonham No Time, Now #20; Best prior run: 7.344/181.62, Was #20
Right Lane: Gert-Jen Laseur Runs 8.511/112.13, Now #18; Best prior run: 7.114/183.15, Was #18

Bonham has issue before the pass and gets pushed away.

Laseur's bike doesn't shift and he will not make the field.

Left Lane: Redell Harris Runs 7.055/189.82, Now #17; Best prior run: 7.156/182.16, Was #19
Right Lane: Rhett Lougheed No Time, Now #18; Best prior run: 7.092/184.60, Was #17

Last two bikes to be able to bump in.

Harris gives it a valiant try, but can't find the power to get into the field. He ends up #17.

Lougheed's bike was running right with Harris, but started a steady move towards the center line and just nails the two 1320 reflectors to DQ his pass. He had clicked it early and only ran 7.192 at 163.10 MPH.

Redell Harris' incremental times: 60ft-1.099 sec., 330ft-2.947, 660ft-4.509/156.26 mph, 1,000ft-5.878.
Rhett Lougheed's incremental times: 60ft-1.130 sec., 330ft-2.976, 660ft-4.542/155.90 mph, 1,000ft-5.920.

Left Lane: Freddie Camarena Runs 6.984/194.13, Now #16; Best prior run: 6.974/194.63, Was #15
Right Lane: Elvira Karlsson Runs 6.937/190.73, Now #9; Best prior run: 6.986/189.87, Was #16

The orange reflector fragments are all cleaned up and it's time to go back to qualifying.

Elvira Karlsson is on the bump spot at 6.986 and looking to improve. She does so in style with a much better speed and ET. It almost got too exciting, as the bike won't slow down enough after the finish line and just noses into the Kitty Litter with the front wheel. No harm, no foul and she backs it back out. It's a career best ET too.

Camarena slows from his prior best to get pushed back to the new bump spot.

Freddie Camarena's incremental times: 60ft-1.099 sec., 330ft-2.934, 660ft-4.482/158.43 mph, 1,000ft-5.830.
Elvira Karlsson's incremental times: 60ft-1.048 sec., 330ft-2.856, 660ft-4.403/157.58 mph, 1,000ft-5.765.

Left Lane: Jim Underdahl Runs 6.884/193.02, Now #5; Best prior run: 6.966/192.60, Was #15
Right Lane: Shawn Gann No Time, Now #15; Best prior run: 6.962/190.89, Was #14

Gann's bike isn't happy and he is quickly off the throttle and slows.

Underdahl finds the rest of the missing tune up and powers on down the track and into the top half of the field in the current #5 position.

Jim Underdahl's incremental times: 60ft-1.065 sec., 330ft-2.859, 660ft-4.387/160.02 mph, 1,000ft-5.728.

Left Lane: Scotty Pollacheck Runs 7.076/187.94, Now #12; Best prior run: 6.945/192.17, Was #12
Right Lane: Katie Sullivan Runs 7.152/191.02, Now #14; Best prior run: 6.952/191.05, Was #14

Both bikes are well off their prior pace and won't improve.

Scotty Pollacheck's incremental times: 60ft-1.057 sec., 330ft-2.890, 660ft-4.483/152.73 mph, 1,000ft-5.881.
Katie Sullivan's incremental times: 60ft-1.062 sec., 330ft-2.960, 660ft-4.592/152.61 mph, 1,000ft-5.977.

Left Lane: Adam Arana Runs 6.957/193.88, Now #10; Best prior run: 6.936/193.24, Was #9
Right Lane: Steve Johnson Runs 6.933/193.60, Now #9; Best prior run: 6.952/193.29, Was #13

Johnson did his home work between the sessions and rides on down the track and into the new number nine position, just 0.002 from the top half of the field.

Clean pass for Arana, but no improvements.

Adam Arana's incremental times: 60ft-1.088 sec., 330ft-2.913, 660ft-4.454/158.89 mph, 1,000ft-5.802.
Steve Johnson's incremental times: 60ft-1.091 sec., 330ft-2.898, 660ft-4.434/159.12 mph, 1,000ft-5.779.

Left Lane: Angie Smith Runs 7.061/189.39, Now #8; Best prior run: 6.931/191.84, Was #8
Right Lane: Chaz Kennedy Runs 6.943/191.35, Now #12; Best prior run: 6.940/188.89, Was #12

Kennedy is just 0.003 slower to stay #12, but Smith is off the pace.

Angie Smith's incremental times: 60ft-1.101 sec., 330ft-2.945, 660ft-4.509/156.05 mph, 1,000ft-5.881.
Chaz Kennedy's incremental times: 60ft-1.053 sec., 330ft-2.870, 660ft-4.418/158.13 mph, 1,000ft-5.774.

Left Lane: Jerry Savoie Runs 6.931/193.68, Now #7; Best prior run: 6.924/193.27, Was #7
Right Lane: Hector Arana Runs 6.913/194.66, Now #6; Best prior run: 6.888/194.13, Was #6

Two strong passes with identical ET's, but both bikes will stay in their current spots.

Jerry Savoie's incremental times: 60ft-1.059 sec., 330ft-2.881, 660ft-4.423/158.52 mph, 1,000ft-5.774.
Hector Arana's incremental times: 60ft-1.081 sec., 330ft-2.889, 660ft-4.422/159.87 mph, 1,000ft-5.762.

Left Lane: Eddie Krawiec Runs 6.858/194.41, Now #2; Best prior run: 6.834/195.76, Was #2
Right Lane: Matt Smith Runs 6.881/195.03, Now #4; Best prior run: 6.863/194.88, Was #4

Again, these two make strong passes near their prior bests.

Eddie Krawiec's incremental times: 60ft-1.069 sec., 330ft-2.858, 660ft-4.378/161.09 mph, 1,000ft-5.710.
Matt Smith's incremental times: 60ft-1.049 sec., 330ft-2.860, 660ft-4.392/159.68 mph, 1,000ft-5.731.

Left Lane: Hector Arana Jr Runs 6.884/195.82, Now #1; Best prior run: 6.832/197.62, Was #1
Right Lane: Andrew Hines Runs 6.901/193.96, Now #3; Best prior run: 6.842/195.28, Was #3

Both bike are off their prior pace and won't improve to wrap up the 2014 Pro Stock Bike qualifying.

Hector Arana Jr's incremental times: 60ft-1.084 sec., 330ft-2.894, 660ft-4.414/161.30 mph, 1,000ft-5.741.
Andrew Hines' incremental times: 60ft-1.077 sec., 330ft-2.873, 660ft-4.402/159.53 mph, 1,000ft-5.746.

3:34 p.m. Freddie Camarena is on the bump spot at 6.974.

Timing data courtesy of CompuLink