XDA’s fourth season has been another success with the 29th annual DME Racing Fall Nationals, crowning twelve champions at Maryland International Raceway (MDIR).
The season featured top-tier motorcycle drag racing action that can’t be seen anywhere else. And while the on-track action was hot, the racers’ payouts were hotter, with over $560,000 for the year and $131,000 in contingency offerings.
The 2021 season also saw records broken and performance barriers pushed to new levels. And because of the loyal XDA racers and fans, the series continued to grow and thrive during a time that is unpredictable month to month. XDA is looking forward to another successful season next year with their racing family.
The 2022 XDA season will begin where 2021 ended, at the world-renown Maryland International Raceway on April 22-24 for the Platinum Fleet Repair Spring Nationals. Mark your 2022 calendars now to race with the quickest and fastest sanction in the country!
April 22-24 / PFR Spring Nationals / MDIR May 20-22 / MTC Engineering Summer Nationals / VMP June 17-19 / FuelTech Superbike Showdown / MDIR July 22-24 / WPGC Bike Fest / MDIR August 26-28 / Bike Bash / VMP September 23-25 / DME Racing Fall Nationals / MDIR
Orient Express Racing Pro Street
Winner – Rodney Williford / Runner-up – Jordan Haase Champion – Rodney Williford
The Orient Express Pro Street class is the most exciting class to watch in all of motorcycle drag racing. With no wheelie bars, these 6-second, 230+mph motorcycles are launching like missiles as their riders fight to keep them straight through the quarter mile. This past weekend delivered numerous personal improvements among the class.
Rodney Williford came into the DME Racing Fall Nationals with the championship title already locked down. He went right to work taking the number one qualifying spot with a 6.482, followed by Greg Wallace’s personal best ET of 6.484. This makes Wallace the eleventh rider to enter the forties in Pro Street.
Curtis Brown, who is in his rookie season, ran a 6.760 in qualifying to make a big move down the Pro Street GOAT list. Midwest racer Jamie Hendricks also improved to a 7.136. And Jason Dunigan ran the top speed of the event in qualifying at 230.29 mph.
Rudy Sanzoterra with Quicktime Motorsports has been making big moves this season in his program and made the trip to his first XDA race of the season. Despite losing in round one, he ran his personal best of 6.688 to make him the twenty-fifth rider ever to enter the sixties in Pro Street. The XDA looks forward to seeing his team back next season.
In round one, Caleb Holt ran the quickest of the session at 6.499 to take a win over Curtis Brown. Like Sanzoterra, Brown also ran his personal best on a losing round at 6.735.
James Waugh would also improve his personal best in round one, winning against Ryan Bonitatis with a 6.562 making him the eighteenth rider to enter the fifties.
Problems for Greg Wallace in round one caused an upset as the fifteenth qualifier, Brad Christian, took the win over him, running a 7.202.
Also taking wins in the round were Williford 6.638, Ryan Hable 6.704, Justin Shakir 6.583, Jordan Haase 6.643, and Jason Dunigan 6.617.
In round two, the performance continued as Williford 6.503, Holt 6.542, Haase 7.103, and Dunigan 6.587 all took wins.
In the semi-final, Jordan Haase made a solo pass when Dunigan’s cam sensor broke, and he could not get the bike to fire in the water box. This sent Haase to his first final round appearance this season. Williford also took a win with a 6.488 over Holt’s 6.582.
If Jordan Haase is in the final, Williford is always in the other lane. With John Gover tuning, Haase was ready to lay down his best number of the weekend and finally get a win over Williford. Haase got the starting line advantage with a .032 reaction time to Williford’s .079. Haase gave his best effort with a 6.644, but it was no match for the run that everyone had been waiting for Williford to run all season, a 6.383 at 229.66 mph. With this pass, Williford won the race and became the third rider to enter the thirties, and the first person to ever run thirties on a Hayabusa.
With the XDA season complete, the top ten XDA Pro Street racers will focus on their $5,000 bonus race. The 25th annual Haltech World Cup Finals presented by Wiseco on November 3-7 will host the fourth annual Pro Street Shootout sponsored by Platinum General Services.
This will be the largest event that Pro Street has ever raced at, competing in front of 40,000+ fans. Ten racers will show up, but only eight will make it to the show on Sunday! The ten racers that will strive to qualify for the eight-bike field are Rodney Williford, Justin Shakir, Jason Dunigan, Greg Wallace, Jordan Haase, Ryan Hable, Kenny Brewer, Curtis Brown, Ryan Bonitatis, and Darion Payne.
DME Racing Real Street
Winner – Trevor Schnitz / Runner-up – Mark Hylton
Champion – Mark Hylton
On Friday, you could feel the steam from the DME Racing Real Street pressure cooker as both David Stewart and Mark Hylton waited to start qualifying. With only a round of points separating them from a championship, the pressure was written all over their faces.
In qualifying Spencer Claycomb took the top spot with a 7.572, followed by Hylton’s 7.591. Stewart qualified seventh with a 7.693 at the bottom half of the field, putting him at a disadvantage for round one.
In round one, Ralphie Navarro would run a 7.613 to take out David Stewart’s 7.770 pass and end his hopes of a championship. Mark Hylton would win over Bud Harrod to cement his 2021 title. You could see the relief on Hylton’s team as they were able to switch gears and happily focus on an event win. Rickey Gadson won over Chad Sosnowski 7.751 to 7.724, and Trevor Schnitz won over Jovi Barnes.
In round two, Navarro and Schnitz gave us some action with a side-by-side nail biter. Schnitz had the starting line advantage with a.042 reaction time to Navarro’s .108. Schnitz was quickly in front of Navarro, but Navarro kept gaining, and by the eighth mile, they were side-by-side. Even from the top of the grandstands, you could not tell who was crossing the finish line first; they were that close. When the boards lit up, it was a 7.668 to a 7.669 in favor of Schnitz. Gadson and Hylton also took wins that round on solo passes.
Schnitz’s round two win earned him a bye to the final. The new champ, Mark Hylton, took an easy victory against Gadson, who broke on the starting line.
Headed to the final, this would be Schnitz’s second final round appearance this season and the second time facing Hylton. Schnitz once again took a slight starting line advantage with a .042 to Hylton’s .046. Both riders took off side-by-side until about the eighth mile when Hylton’s Hayabusa lost power, and Schnitz pulled away from him. When Schnitz’s win light came on, it made the sixteen-year-old the youngest winner in XDA history. It must be in the genes.
Real Street will return for the 2022 motorcycle drag racing season. If you are looking to enter the Pro ranks, now is the time to start preparing for next year.
MaxxECU Pro Xtreme
Winner – John Collins / Runner-up – Chris Garner-Jones
Champion – Chris Garner-Jones
Chris Garner-Jones clinched the 2021 MaxxECU Pro Xtreme championship with a 159 point lead over the class. Jones also set the ET record earlier this season to an astounding 3.897.
Garner-Jones qualified number one with a 3.949 followed by his rival John Collins with a 3.95. At the DME Racing Fall Nationals, these two riders would find themselves in the opposing lanes for the fourth final this season. Collins is the only rider Garner-Jones has lost to all season.
In round one, Bobby Lovingood was broke, giving Garner-Jones an easy pass to the next round. Collins bested Chris Cutsinger with a 4.011 to a 4.103. And Rob Garcia ran the only three-second pass of eliminations with a 3.984 to win over Travis Davis.
Garner-Jones broke the beams in the semi-final with an earned bye, and Garcia went red with a -.024 against Collins.
Garner-Jones’ bike jumped out of gear during qualifying, slamming him into the tank hard, giving him some pain around his ribs. This happened again during round one of eliminations. Also, during a pass, he went to push down on the left foot peg when his foot slipped, slamming it to the pavement at about 170mph. The team later found the reason the bike was being so difficult; the wheelie bars had broken.
When the final round came around, he was still in pain and was concerned about safely riding the bike. And add to that, the PDRA race this weekend was coming up, and he would need to heal up if he wanted a shot at their championship. He ultimately decided to forfeit the round, giving Collins his second win this season.
MaxxECU Pro Xtreme is presented by Ace Mechanical, Billy Vose Racing, Dallas Flat Glass, Dunigan Racing, DME Racing, Grothus Dragbikes, Harley Haul, Rob Bush Motorsports, Robinson Industries, Schnitz Racing, Timblin Chassis, and Worldwide Bearings.
HTP Performance Super Stock
Winner – David Fondon / Runner-up – Mike Davis
2021 Champion – David Fondon
The HTP Performance Super Stock season finished just as it started. David Fondon clinched the championship mid-season and finished with a staggering 591 point lead over the class. Fondon won every event this season except for the WPGC Bike Fest that Jeremey Teasley claimed.
This past weekend Fondon took the number one qualifying position with an 8.808, followed by rival Mike Davis with an 8.861. Fondon and Davis found each other in the finals at the season opening PFR Spring Nationals, where Fondon took a win over Davis.
This past weekend their Kawasaki ZX-14’s found each other in opposing lanes for the final round once again. Fondon had the starting line advantage with a .098 reaction to Davis’ .132. Davis gave Fondon a fight to the finish line, but he didn’t have enough to overpower the quicker 8.833 of Fondon to his 8.946.
This makes two championships in a row for David Fondon. For 2022, will he be back in Super Stock again, or will he move up to Real Street or Pro Street to compete with the Big Dogs?
Vance & Hines 4.60
Winner – Michael Thyen / Runner-up – Tyler Cammock 2021 Champion – Ronald Procopio
The 2020 Vance & Hines 4.60 Champion continues his reign with back-to-back championships. Without taking a win this season, Ronald Procopio accumulated enough points from rounds won over the seven-race series to be the first consecutive champion in the class. This is also Procopio’s third Vance & Hines 4.60 career championship.
Procopio qualified number one at the DME Racing Fall Nationals with a perfect 4.600 over thirty-five competitors. He was taken out in round two by the two-time class champion Tyler Cammock. Cammock then went on to win two more rounds against Mac McAdams and Wes Hawkins before reaching the final round.
The competition was on point in Vance & Hines 4.60 that in all five rounds of competition, there was only one red light. Michael Thyen has only entered the class three times this season, but three times was the charm as he took wins against Curtis Griggs, Eran Pielert, Michael Stewart, and Chase Van Sant on his way to the final round against Cammock.
Thyen cut his best light of the day in the final with a .004 for the starting line advantage over Cammock’s .031. The light would earn him a hole shot win as Cammock ran a 4.611 to Thyen’s 4.622 pass.
The Vance & Hines 4.60 class continues to grow each year; mark your 2022 calendars now and race with the best competitors in the country.
HTP Performance Grudge
HTP Performance Grudge racers filled the lanes Saturday night with an impressive ninety-six ‘No Time’ motorcycles. Chris Moore returned with Melania looking for action in Boosted Bulls against the latest DME Racing entry piloted by multi-time record holder Frankie Stotz. The DME team had their money on the table, and they were ready to play. But once again, when it came time to do the deed, Melania was unable to make the call.
APE Nitrous Bulls
Winner – Ray Lee / Lil Ugly Runner-up – Russell Dennison / Jimmy Hendricks 2021 Champion – Russell Dennison / Jimmy Hendricks
The APE Nitrous Bulls championship was locked in before the DME Racing Fall Nationals, with Russell Dennison on ‘Jimmy Hendricks’ claiming his first Bulls title.
In round one, Ray Lee on ‘Lil Ugly’ couldn’t be touched by Matt Dozier on ‘Kill shot’ as he flew past him. While fast, Alex Williams on ‘Master Blaster’ didn’t need to be, as Billy Vose on ‘Red Bull’ lost his wings right off the starting line. The Champ, Dennison, had an earned bye.
In the semi-final, Dennison executed another flawless pass as Williams struggled to keep his power on the track as it attempted to take flight off the starting line. And Lee had an earned bye to the final.
It got a little ugly in the final round when ‘Jimmy Hendricks’ lost his tune and let Ray Lee on ‘Lil Ugly’ get his first XDA win.
3 Sixty 5 Monster Bulls
Winner – Michael Thyen / The Prisoner
Runner-up – David Page / Pickin’ Pockets
2021 Champion – David Page / Pickin’ Pockets
3 Sixty 5 Monster Bulls was an action-packed night as it came down to the wire to determine the championship. 2020 class champion David Page had a three-point lead, but those three points would not be a lot of help when it comes to round wins. David Martin was on his heels and wanted the title just as much as Page.
In round one, both riders dominated their competition for wins. Page won against ‘Tick Toc’ to earn a bye to the final. In the semi-final Martin on ‘Unknown’ faced Michael Thyen on ‘The Prisoner.’ Martin left the starting line with ample power but was fighting to keep the front wheel down as ‘The Prisoner’ crept past him for the win.
With Martin out and Page going to the final, he would officially secure the 2021 3 Sixty 5 Monster Bulls championship despite the outcome of the final round.
The final was a slugfest between these two monsters, but Thyen got the drop on the pocket picker to secure a win and spot in the top five in the championship points. Page was still smiling with a 2x Monster Bulls Champion title to his name despite taking an event loss.
Tommie’s Motorsports DMV Bulls
2021 Champion – Cody Lowe / Codeine
Tommie’s Motorsports DMV Bulls was cut short on Saturday night when rain moved in before the final round at Midnight. Despite not crowning a winner, the Bulls still put on action-packed show with thirteen grudge racers vying for a win.
Duane Jackson was leading the points coming in the finals with Geoff Godfrey and Cody Lowe on his tail as they were both in contention for the title as well. Godfrey lost to Kyron Drake on ‘Drive By,’ taking him out of the running in round one. Lowe on ‘Codeine’ snatched a win light from Jordan McDougald’s ‘Quick Money’ to stay alive for another round.
In round two, Lowe would face Jackson on ‘Miss Behavin’ for a race that would determine Jackson’s championship fate. The two literbikes rolled into the beams, and when the yellow bulbs flashed, both bikes shot out like rockets side-by-side. Lowe was on a nonstop flight to the finish line while Jackson’s bike wouldn’t behave, forcing him to abort the pass as it quickly headed toward the wall. When Lowe’s win light came on, he was officially declared the Tommie’s Motorsports DMV Bulls champion.
Lowe would take out Drake in the semi-final while Deshon Jones on ‘Mae Jean’ drove past Matt Dozier on ‘Tucci’ for a win. After the semi-round, the rain came, and the pot was split with no winner declared.
1 Stop Speed 5.60
Winner – Rico Brown / Runner-up – Jeff Stahl
2021 Champion – Dustin Lee
Dustin Lee secured the 1 Stop Speed 5.60 Championship title for a second time before he even rolled into MDIR last week. With the championship on lock, Lee was able to focus on win lights all weekend.
Kenny Webster earned the top qualifying spot on Saturday with a 5.603. Webster earned a first-round bye. However, he lost in the second round after breaking out with a 5.587 against Dustin Davis.
Jeff Stahl qualified with a 5.682 and turned on five win lights before getting to the final. Stahl’s average light of the weekend in 1 Stop Speed 5.60 was .330, making him a contender in the final.
On the other side of the ladder Rico Brown, who took a runner-up finish at the Bike Brawl, was on a mission to get to the winner’s circle. He was running consistently and turning on win lights every round.
As he turned the win light on against Duane Jackson in round four, Brown’s bike washed out from underneath him, sending him to the asphalt as his 2008 Hayabusa slid down the track. Brown was right up and walking around like it was just another tackle on the football field. His bike did not suffer any significant damage, and he was right back in the lanes for the semi-final, where another win light would send him to face Stahl.
In the final, Brown cut his best light of day with a .015 to Stahl’s .098, Brown had the starting line advantage, but Stahl would be too eager for the finish line and break out with a 5.553; sending Brown to his first 1 Stop Speed 5.60 win! And that’s what we call a comeback.
Mickey Thompson Tires Top Sportsman
Winner – John James / Runner-up – Pablo Gonzalez
2021 Champion – Bobby Holland
In Mickey Thompson Top Tires Sportsman, only thirty-two riders would qualify for the quickest bracket class in XDA. Bill Maturo Jr. would take the top qualifying spot with a 7.531, while Ohio racer Kevin Adams would round out the field in the thirty-second position with an 8.190 ET.
In round one of competition, points leader Jeffrey Santin lost with a -.001 red light to Michael Daddio, thus taking him out of championship contention. The top points leaders in contention also took first-round losses, except for the number two in points, Bobby Holland. Holland’s first-round win was enough to earn the 2021 Championship.
Philadelphia racer John James would win four rounds to face Pablo Gonzalez in the final. James had the better reaction time average than Gonzalez in the previous four rounds of competition. In the final, James would cut a .057 light to Gonzalez’s .073. The two racers barreled down the MDIR quarter-mile with eyes on each other as they approached the finish line side-by-side. Gonzalez misjudged his speed by a margin of two inches and broke out with a 7.547 on a 7.55 dial. James, with the win, ran an 8.014 on an 8.00 dial; this run is the definition of a photo finish.
MPS Racing Pro ET
Winner – Pablo Gonzalez
2021 Champion – Jeffrey Santin
The XDA staging lanes were brimming with MPS Racing Pro ET bikes as 189 of the best bracket racers on the east coast were looking for green lights. It took nine rounds of competition to get down to the final race of the weekend.
Jeffrey Santin came into the event with a slim lead on the class, and when he took a fourth-round loss, the potential of losing the championship became real. Dustin Lee, who was number two in points, went on to win the next two rounds. And with each win light, the drama ramped up; you could feel the seriousness of the situation in the air.
In round seven, Lee faced Pablo Gonzalez, and the winner of that round would have a bye to the final. And if Dustin Lee made it into the final and won, it would be Game Over for Santin. But Gonzalez put an end to the drama taking out Lee to secure Santin’s first XDA championship.
The season’s final race featured a stout $10K payout to the winner with the allowance of double entries, thus giving racers with multiple bikes two chances to win. And with this, for the first time in XDA’s history, one rider would have to face himself in the final. Gonzalez took his pair of Hayabusa’s to a ninth-round final and chose his 2005 Hayabusa to make the final lap down the track for the 2021 XDA season.
Brock’s Performance Street ET
Winner – Bubba Driscoll / Runner-up – Barry Purnell
2021 Champion – Derrick Milbourne
Going into the DME Racing Fall Nationals, 2020 class champion Derrick Milbourne had a healthy points lead in Brock’s Performance Street ET. His most significant threat to the championship, Mark Blake, took a first-round loss; and that sealed it for Milbourne to secure back-to-back championships.
Bubba Driscoll and Barry Purnell both won six rounds of competition to make it to the final. However, both racers opted not to race each other. With a rain delay holding up action on the track, Driscoll and Purnell decided they didn’t want to wait and flipped a coin in the lanes to determine a winner. Driscoll got the right side of the coin.
VooDoo Components Bracket Bash
Winner – Dustin Lee / Runner-up – Chris Sulkowski
On Saturday, 137 racers entered the VooDoo Components Bracket Bash for a chance at the $4,500 class payout. XDA multi-champion Dustin Lee made it look easy as he chopped the tree round after round. Lee not only had a perfect reaction time one round, his average reaction time over eight rounds was .024. In the final, Lee met Chris Sulkowski. Sulkowski took a first-round loss and bought back in, winning six more rounds to earn a lane in the final against Lee. However, luck would not go his way as a mechanical problem would make him a no-show for the final, sending Lee to another winner circle.
Hard Times Parts & Service Gambler’s Race
Winner – Boyd Mathis / Runner-up – Mike Schulz
The Friday night Hard Times Parts & Service Gambler’s race was at capacity with sixty-four sportsman competitors looking to start the weekend with a $4,000 payout. Boyd Mathias on his 2008 Suzuki Hayabusa was an intimidating competitor as four of his six competitors went red against him. He faced Mike Schulz, who cut a better light for a starting line advantage in the final. But Schulz would lose power as Mathis powered by him for his sixth win light of the night and first payout of the weekend.
Once again, congratulations to all our race winners, record breakers, champions, and every single racer as well as all the family and friends that came out to support this season’s events. We look forward to your support in 2022 as the series continues to evolve.
Don’t miss a weekend of racing with the quickest and fastest motorcycle drag racing sanction in the country; put XDA on your 2022 calendar now!
Visit www.xdaracing.com for event information, class rules, schedule, and more.
2021 XDA Schedule
* Platinum Fleet Repair Spring Nationals / April 23-25 / MDIR
* MTC Engineering Summer Nationals / May 21-23 / VMP
* FuelTech Superbike Showdown / June 18-20 / MDIR
* WPGC Bike Fest / July 23-25 / MDIR
* Bike Bash / August 20-22 / VMP
* Bike Brawl / September 10-12 / VMP
* DME Racing Fall Nationals / October 8-10 / MDIR
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