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Junior Pippin Successful In NHRA Debut Junior Pippin of Conyers, Ga. made it to the final eliminations in the National Hot Rod Association's Pro Stock Motorcycle division at the Auto Club of Southern California Finals.  Although he was defeated in the first round by Chip Ellis, Pippin made dramatic improvements throughout qualifying. It all culminated when he nailed Ellis off the starting line, before Pippin's Stone Mountain Harley-Davidson/Granite Mountain Harley-Davidson-sponsored Buell experienced problems during the run. Pippin had qualified in No. 14 position with an elapsed time of 7.066 at 186.33-miles-per-hour. "We leave here with our heads held high – everything will be cool," said Pippin after his first NHRA action. "I'm extremely happy with this weekend, and we're really anxious for next March in Gainesville and running the entire 2008 NHRA PowerAde series. "We think we can handle this." Pippin, along with crew chief/tuner Bob Taft, recently wrapped-up their fourth straight pro stock title in the All Harley Drag Racing Association. "I want to make a huge thank you to George Smith, Chip Ellis, Ken Johnson, Jackie Bryce and the entire George Bryce/G2 team for their help and support this year," said Taft, himself a seven-time national motorcycle drag racing champion. "Even though we lost in the first round, we consider this year – and this race – to be a huge success and look forward to next year." Rounding out Junior Pippin's race team is: Lisa Holtzclaw, team manager/trainer; Barry Whitmire, head mechanic; and Ralf Pansch, communications manager. Junior Pippin Qualifies for Eliminations Junior Pippin of Conyers, Ga. qualified for final eliminations in the National Hot Rod Association's pro stock motorcycle division at the Auto Club of Southern California Finals. Pippin, riding a Stone Mountain Harley-Davidson/Granite Mountain Harley-Davidson-sponsored Buell, qualified in 14th position with an elapsed time of 7.066 at 186.33-miles-per-hour. "We're really excited about making the main show," said Pippin, who recently wrapped-up his fourth straight pro stock title in the All Harley Drag Racing Association. "We'll go out there tomorrow and have fun just like we've been doing all season, and see where we finish. "Qualifying in our first race is a testament to the hard work put in this year by the entire team. It makes us even more excited about running the entire POWERade series in 2008." Rounding out Junior Pippin's race team is: Bob Taft, crew chief/tuner; Lisa Holtzclaw, team manager/trainer; Barry Whitmire, head mechanic; and Ralf Pansch, communications manager. Taft is owner of Rat's Whole Place in Decatur, Ill.; while Whitmire is owner of BPW Racing and Barry's Marine Service in Jackson, Ga.; and Pansch is special projects editor for the Herald & Review in Decatur, Ill.
"I'm looking forward to going out and playing with everyone," Pippin said. "We're definitely going to have a lot of fun in NHRA (and) we plan on making a respectable showing." Pippin has won the last four AHDRA Pro Stock
titles, beginning in 2004 through 2007. When not at the drag strip, Pippin owns
Pippin Trucking in
Bob Taft of
"We're trying to get a handle on how they run
things," Taft said of his NHRA counterparts. "We've been progressing throughout
the year, so we're optimistic about qualifying and going into the weekend."
10/29/2007 |
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