PMRA Dragbike Racing Opener Recap

PMRA, presented by Fast By Gast held the 2014 season opener on Saturday, April 26th. It was a great event for all of our participants. We also kicked off the new Nitro Harley Pro Dragster class, thanks to the great folks at Pingel Enterprise coming onboard as class sponsor. The day was cloudy and the winds were a direct cross wind sustained at 24 mph which led the race committee to move the Pro Open, Nitro Pro Dragster, Top Gas and Super Comp classes down to 1/8 mile competition for safety purposes.

In the Mr. Paint sponsored Pro Open class, Mark Rendeluk from Oklahoma City, OK garnered the #1 qualifying position with a 4.219 pass. He went on to meet up with Jason Hamilton from Amarillo, TX in the final round. Mark took the win with a .079 RT running a 4.272 at 162.67 against Hamilton’s .304 RT running a 4.452 at 156.15 mph.

In the Pingel Enterprise sponsored Nitro Pro Dragster class, Howard Wiggins from Oklahoma City, OK nabbed the #1 qualifying spot with a 4.63 pass. Howard marched through the 8 bike field to meet up with Dale Nungesser from Belle Plaine, KS in the final. Nungesser took the win with a .102 RT running a 4.837 at 149.07 mph to Wiggin’s .126 RT and 5.137 at 131.56 mph.

Top Gas, sponsored by Fast By Gast, saw Michael Ruch grabbed the #1 qualifying position with a stout 5.205 run on the adjusted 1/8 mile 5.20 index. The finals came five rounds later where we saw Mark Brady from Canyon Lake, TX take the win with a .052 RT and 5.214 at 138.07 when Kevin Oglesby from Lockwood, MO was unable to make it down the track due to a carb issue.

In the Hughes Racing sponsored Super Comp class, defending class champion John Fitzpatrick from Park City, KS was the #1 qualifier running a 5.612 on the adjusted 1/8 mile 5.60 index. John kept the momentum going as he met up with Dwayne Gaines from Oklahoma City, OK in the final round. Gaines took the hole shot win with an outstanding .002 RT running a 5.671 at 113.57 mph to Fitzpatrick’s .045 RT and 5.638 at 117.95 mph.

Super Street 9.50, sponsored by Ajax Kawasaki/Tombo Racing saw Tim Howard from Oklahoma City, OK take the #1 qualifying position with a 9.539. Tim marched went on to meet up with fellow veteran power house, Tonto Johnson, Jr. from Bethany, OK. 2013 class champion Johnson took the win with a .041 RT running 9.653 at 137.74 to Howard’s .072 RT 9.659 at 130.75.

In the Wedman Motorsport Super Gas class, Greg Shive from Edmond, OK grabbed the #1 qualifying spot with a 9.935. In the final we saw 2013 Super Gas class champion, Jim Miller from Oklahoma City, OK start 2014 off in style by beating another multi-class, multi-year champion, Jon Haney from Wichita, KS. Miller had a .036 RT and rand 9.942 at 128.87 against Haney’s .040 9.949 at 119.28 pass.
In the Pingel Enterprise Pro ET Class, we saw some great bracket racing. One of the best races of the day came in the third round where Brenda Kay from Humble, TX took on Mike Hudson from Broken Arrow, OK. Brenda cut a .001 light and ran a 8.706 on an 8.70 dial against Hudson’s .015 light and 9.400 on a 9.40. What a great race! In the final, we saw Brian Wood from Plattsmouth, NE take the win over Ricky Martin from Broken Arrow, OK in a double break out situation. Wood had a .016 RT and ran a 8.356 on a 8.37 dial to Martin’s .029 RT and 9.553 on a 9.57 dial.

Street ET, sponsored by Schnitz Racing had a great mix of veteran racers along with new people coming out to race with PMRA for the first time. The lanes were filled with a mix of Suzuki, Kawasaki and Honda motorcycles. In the final round Eric Loebeck from Broken Arrow, OK met up with Ray Tonto Johnson, Jr. from Bethany, OK. Loebeck took the win with a .122 RT running a 9.953 on a 9.89 dial against Johnson’s .324 RT running a 9.517 on a 9.56 dial.

A big thank you to Tulsa Raceway Park, our sponsors, racers, families and friends. We look forward to seeing the Top Gas, Super Comp, Super Street, Super Gas, Pro ET and Street ET racers at the next race at Thunder Valley Raceway Park on Saturday, May 17.