Headed up by title winner Rickey Gadson, Brock’s Performance-equipped riders dominated the 2009 AMA Dragbike SuperSport Championship, taking seven of the top 10 overall positions.
For Brock’s Performance, SuperSport is more than a high-profile forum in which to accrue bragging rights. More importantly, the class is a crucial product research, development and proving ground.
This is because SuperSport’s DNA closely matches that of the machines sportbike enthusiasts ride every day on the street, at the dragstrip and on roadcourses during track-day events. The popular class pits lightweight CBR1000RR, GSX-R1000, R1 and ZX-10R race replicas against heavy-hitting, 1400cc powerhouses such as the Hayabusa and ZX-14. These high-stakes, winner-take-all, quarter-mile brawls last less than nine seconds and streak past the finish line at more than 155 mph.
Minimal engine and chassis mods allow SuperSport bikes to look and sound like true street machines. Rules mandate standard-length swingarms and at least two inches of ground clearance. Minimum bike-and-rider combined weights between 540 and 680 lbs. level the playing field between short and light literbikes, and longer, heavier, more powerful open-classers.
Gadson rode a Monster Energy-sponsored Kawasaki ZX-14 equipped with a selection of off-the-shelf accessories from Brock’s Performance and an engine built by Quantum Motorsports. He powered to four wins in the seven-race series and earned his ninth drag racing championship by 109 points over Brock’s-equipped Joey Gladstone, who scored the remaining wins.
Highlights of the season for Gadson include claiming three national elapsed-time records: a quarter-mile ET of 8.907 sec. in Norwalk, Ohio, as well as the eighth- and quarter-mile ET records in Indianapolis, at 5.823 sec. and 8.979, respectively.
“Since dominating the 2005 season and winning my last championship on a Brock’s Performance-prepared 1000, teaming up with Brock for 2009 made perfect sense,” said the newly crowned SuperSport champ. “He never rests on last week’s accomplishment. Brock goes back to the shop after each race and looks for every last bit of horsepower. During the season, he developed two new CT-series pipes for our ZX-14. Each one put more power down on the dyno, but, better yet, on the track!”
In addition to the straight set of wins Gadson and Gladstone shared, Brock’s Performance-equipped riders hold all of the class records, scored top-qualifying honors in all but one race and were seven of the top 10 overall points earners. Others who fought their way into SuperSport’s upper echelons this year include Farley Hall (fourth), Danny Payton (fifth), Joe Franco, Jr. (seventh) and Patrick Cooper (tenth).
Brock’s Performance president and former AMA/Prostar Superbike Champion Brock Davidson, says, “First off, I want to congratulate all AMA Dragbike racers and teams on an outstanding, season. For success in the ultra-competitive SuperSport class, we enlist the most talented, consistent riders and dedicated tuners with a team mentality. Their consistent feedback and stunning race results allow us to continue bringing 25 years of sportbike racing knowledge to everyday riders. I look forward to seeing all of our racers proudly run their well earned numbers during the 2010 season.”
