Cycledrag.com Quote of the Week

Each week Cycledrag.com will bring you some unique insight into the world of dragbike racing from those who live it.

“There were a number of good riders available for the coming campaign, but Chris was the most logical candidate for the Drag Specialties/S&S/G2 bike. He was one of the best at getting off the starting line last season, and now on our bike, which we believe is one of the strongest in the class, he becomes a real threat for the championship this season.”

G-Squared co-owner George Smith on his decision to hire Chris Rivas for the 2008 NHRA season.

"At this point I think they would have taken a role similar to what I am doing. They would be helping to bring in the next crop of riders. Racing is something you do for a while and then you get brave and let someone else ride your bike like I did with John Myers. After one pas with him on the bike I said, holy cow, I like that."

Six-Time NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle team owner on what legends dragbike Dave Schultz and John Myers would be doing if they were still alive today.

"Most people think just because of the sheer numbers of Suzukis and Kawasakis at the drag strip, they should own the records. When you look back at the record books, Stotz Racing and it's Hondas have owned either the ET or MPH records for most of the past seven years that we have been on Hondas. This is a fantastic accomplishment, especially given the odds of at least 100 Suzukis to one Honda built are for the ProStreet class alone."

Four-time AMA/Prostar National Champion Kent Stotz on his success with Honda. Stotz finished 2007 ranked third in the Pro Street championship chase.


"This is the greatest day of my life."

 Matt Smith after earning his first NHRA POWERade Series world championship in Pro Stock Motorcycle by winning the Auto Club NHRA Finals in a winner-take-all final round against Chip Ellis. Smith rode his Torco Race Fuels Buell to four victories during the season in nine final-round appearances to take home the $75,000 payday from NHRA and POWERade, which included a $25,000 Countdown bonus.
"It's been pretty stressful out here," Hines said. "We've never been crazy about
the second cutdown and if it hadn't happened we'd be up by 90 points or so. But
as it turns out we have the exact same lead going into the final race as we did a
year ago. This time I'm not going to go in there and blow it in the first round like I
did last year and have to sweat out what other people do for us to win. We want
to keep control in our own hands.

Three-time NHRA PSM champion Andrew Hines after his win in Las Vegas. He will take
a 39 point lead into the tour's final race


"It's always something I wanted to do. Don (Schumacher) and I talked about it before but it never came together. I think most drag racers and I know most of the fans have it in the back of their mind, like, 'What would it be like?' Top Fuel is the top level of drag racing. They're the quickest and fastest cars in the world and that class really holds all this prestige in our sport. Plus, it's an open cockpit and I like that. It's closer to what it's like on a bike."

NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Antron Brown on his decision to attempt to earn his Top Fuel dragster license.

“Every fan, participant and supporting manufacturer of the sport of drag racing is going to feel the loss of Wally Parks for years to come. Mr. Parks represented everything that was good and decent about our sport. It was his strength of personality that made drag racing a family sport, just as it was his innovative thinking that helped elevate what had been pretty much a localized activity into a nationally and internationally recognized major league endeavor."

NHRA veteran Steve Johnson on the passing NHRA founder Wally Parks.


"I really thought it had a .79 in it. I want to get that record back.  I'm tired of ol short guy having it. He's not a fast guy.  He's just a quick guy.  I think it's because he's so short."

Eight-time AMA/Prostar champion Larry "Spiderman" McBride after his 5.88 final round victory in Atco, NJ. discussing his desire to break into the 5.70s and top his teammate Jimmy "Hulk" Brantley's stellar run of 5.800.  Brantley plans to compete at the World Finals in November. Officially McBride holds both end of the record at 5.809 at 245 mph, but Brantley owns bragging rights with the 5.800.

"A year ago I was back in my real estate company working behind a desk thinking I wasn't gonna race anymore," Llewellyn said. "I keep on telling my crew guys, 'Pinch me, pinch me'; it's pretty exciting."

NHRA PowerAde Pro Stock Motorcycle rookie Peggy Llewllyn after winning her first ever national event at the O'Reilly Fall Nationals.  Llewllyn's victory couldn't have come at a better time as it clinched her the final spot in the championship countdown.

"There was no way I was going to red-light in the final, especially after doing it in Indy. I've been hating myself for two weeks so I made sure I saw yellow and let the clutch out and pretty soon after that I didn't hear Steve any more so I was feeling good. Once these V-Rods get out front they're hard to catch."

Three-time defending NHRA PowerAde Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Andrew Hines after winning his third straight Memphis-race and claiming his first point lead of the season.  With only one race to go until the Countdown to Four, Hines picked a great time of year to warm up.


"Knowing he was now behind me, and not going to remain there for very long, I laid my head against the backbone of the bike and tried to squeeze my entire body behind the tiny windscreen and hold off the Champ. As we made the turn off at the end of the track, the feeling was pure shock. I couldn’t do anything but grin from ear to ear. My first win was definitely one of the sweetest."

Former AMA/Prostar Funny Bike champion Korry Hogan on his first ever Top Fuel event win in Indianapolis.  He defeated the seven-time champion Larry "Spiderman" McBride in the final.


"I needed to win really really bad."

AHDRA Top Fuel Rider Takeshi Shigematsu after winning Bristol by keeping the throttle open in the final despite breaking his handlebars on the run.  Shigematsu went onto win the tour's next race in Woodburn, OR, and he is quickly making his way to the top of the point standings.

"I had to get a monkey off my back. We have been getting to the finals, but it seemed like we couldn't finish the deal. We've had parts failures that have cost us a couple of wins at least. We broke a piston in round one, but luckily Mike Berry had red-lit or we'd have been done right then. You just never know, I guess. It all worked out today."

NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle point leader Matt Smith on his second win in his sixth final round appearance of the year at the Mile High Nationals in Denver. The win extended Smith's lead in the points to 103 over Angelle Sampey and gives him a career final round record of 4-6.

”5.70s are a possibility.  It’s got it in it right now.  It’s just a matter of getting it set up right and getting the right weather conditions. It’s another degree of timing and a little bit more Nitro away from that. If you can get that combination, hold on and let her go.  I know I’m going to give it 110-percent." 

Seven-time AMA/Prostar Top Fuel champion on his chances of becoming the first dragbike racer to run in the 5.70s.

"Look for us to put a stop to L&W's domination this year," McAdams said.  "I purchased the bike from Coodee last year and made a lot of changes.  We have been living at the track testing both bikes and we are very excited."

MIROCK Outlaw Pro Street racer Mac McAdams predicting to break up the L&W Motorworks nitrous-bike championship dynasty after Doug Witt's record run of 7.042 on the bike McAdams owns - Knight Rider.  The machine was formerly owned by Coodee Thomas and Matt Smith.
 

"The team really rallied," Hines said. "We've all been really disappointed about our performances all year so it was nice to see the hard work and testing pay off, especially here. Moving up to fourth place in the standings is a tribute to how hard we've all worked."

Three-time defending NHRA PSM champion Andrew Hines after collecting his first win of the year, and ninth of his career, in Chicago.

"They say we're cheating. Cheating? I don't even know how to take out the back spark plug on this thing.  I've always been a Kawasaki and Suzuki guy. I got my first win in Pro Stock on a Kawasaki two-stroke triple against a Harley Sportster. Now over 25 years later my boy is winning on a Harley."

- Former NHRA Pro Stock racer Gary Tonglet Sr. on the success of his 17-year old son L.E. in the AHDRA V-Rod Destroyer class.           

 
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