One month following its breakout 2015 season opener, the 2015 Mickey Thompson International Drag Bike League shifts into second with the 29th annual MTC Summer Nationals May 29-31 at Maryland International Raceway. Jason Miller’s crew will have the Budds Creek quarter mile prepped for huge bike counts and more record-setting performances.
No one blazed MDIR like two-time Orient Express Pro Street champion Joey Gladstone and the DME Racing team did in April, with Gladstone recording a mind-blowing best of 6.720 at 221 mph on the Vance & Hines turbocharged Suzuki Hayabusa before breaking and ceding the win to teammate Terence Angela.
But DME will have the whole field conspiring against them this time around, including the three-bike HTP Performance stable, the Ronnie Mitchell racing team out of Detroit, YouTube sensation “Mothug” Doug Gall, and maybe even recent NHDRO winner Bud Yoder and his teammate Mark Paquette. Richard Gadson will be back on Brad Mummert’s old school, air-cooled Suzuki GS that electrified the world in April with the bike’s first ever 6 second pass, a 6.98 at 190 mph. Pro Street will be full of hungry racers looking for a piece of DME.
Multi-time DME Racing Real Street champ Jeremy Teasley didn’t have a ride for the class in April until bike owner Roger Starrette showed up Sunday morning. With one win under the team’s belt, will Starrette show up this time with bikes for himself, Tealsey and David Merks? Or will Teasley be out in the cold?
The rest of the field probably hopes that Starrette continues with his South Carolina sabbatical. Fast guys like “Super Dave” Stewart, Anibal Merced, Eddie “Who” Chapman, and even Rickey Gadson could frankly use a break from slender clutchmeister Teasley.
Vance & Hines 4.60—the world’s quickest 2-wheeled index and the IDBL’s fastest growing class—is for detuned PDRA spec Pro Extreme Motorcycles, older Pro Mods, and juiced up Top Gas bikes, all going balls out to the eighth mile. Maryland racer Mac McAdams took the April win over Curtis Griggs Jr., but they’ll both have to deal with champion Eran Pielert, Ronnie Smith, Darryl Hollins, Bobby Lovingood, Kenny Cornell and more.
FBR Shop 5.60 mixes streetbikes and dragbikes, with the no-bar boys coming out on top in April when Dustin Lee beat Ben “Hardest Working Man in MC Drag Racing” Knight in the final. But don’t forget wheelie bar diehards like defending champion Michael Ostrowski, Fearsome” Andy Baumbach, Marion Ford and more.
In addition to his 5.60 runner-up in April, Knight also won Carpenter Racing Crazy 8s against the IDBL’s largest index field, filled with no-bar studs like Connecticut’s Bob Carlson, MIR hero Shayne Proctor, Virginia’s Clay Davies, Kentuckian Ron Arnold and Ohio’s Gall.
The quickest 32 Pro ET racers make up the Trac King Clutches Top Sportsman field. Brian Canoles won the April race on his turbo ‘Busa dragbike over Delaware’s Preston Hopkins. The Top Sportsman field is thick with major ballers like Boo Brown, “Hillbilly Hustler” Jimmy Shifflett, MIR homegirl Kelly Clontz and her husband Chris, George Shriver, Jay Windsor and more.
Don’t be surprised if Brock’s Performance Street ET and Shinko Pro ET see their biggest fields ever, as everyone with two wheels and a throttle wants to come to MDIR and compare themselves to the best. Saturday and Sunday nights always run late with guys like Brian Guarino, Spencer Claycomb, Mike Schulz, Shayne Proctor, George Shriver, Doug Robinson, Darrell “DD” Mahoney, Brandon Bachmeier, Michael “Ice Cold Killer” Herman, Alan Fields, Dale Hamilton and more doin’ what they do.
Long-tailed grudge beasts of all configurations crawl out of their trailers for Saturday night’s Eastside Performance Grudge session. Icons of the sports such as Bud Light Lime, Eddie Kane, Mandingo and Kingpin will take on anyone with a fat wallet and the guts to open it up.
As usual, MDIR will welcome you with the best track, the best facilities, the best concession stand, and the most hustlin’ and efficient crew. There is no better place in the world to test your bike and your skills than with the world’s largest motorcycle drag racing series at MDIR.
Find out more about the Mickey Thompson Performance Tires International Drag Bike League at http://www.RaceIDBL.com
Find out more about Maryland International Raceway at http://www.RaceMDIR.com
This report was prepared by Tim Hailey. Enjoy everything there is to read, see and watch about motorcycle drag racing and more at http://www.eatmyink.com