Nicky Mazieka leads the Super...
Nicky Mazieka leads the Super Street points on the Playthings turbo GSX-R1000; his second win of the year at Bristol.
Richard Gadson made the Bristol final in Super Street taking out uncle Rickey for the second time this season.
Trea Heath had his rider "Lil" Curtis McDougald flying on his Pro Street Hayabusa, running a 7.30 at 200 mph and winning the Bristol event.
In a sea of GSX-R1000s, Farlie Hall took the first-ever Supersport win on a ZX-14.
Joe Franco Jr. has the hottest nitrous bike in the field: a Hayabusa tuned by his father, Joe Sr.
AMA DRAGBIKE: SUMMER NATIONALS
Bristol, Tennessee
Pro Street Bikes may be the bad boys of sportbike drag racing, but the super street class has been garnering a larger share of the attention.
Pro Street has matured and is unquestionably the showcase class of the sport. Big turbos with high-tech boost control systems, trick clutches and advanced suspensions have made the bikes both consistent and quick. While these innovations have moved performances to unprecedented levels, rider skill has been somewhat removed from the equation. "It's become a tuner's class," said multi-time champ Barry Henson from Velocity Racing.
Super Street offers all the challenges to the rider that Pro Street once did. With more streetable components, shorter wheelbases and standard clutches, consistent performances are hard to come by and mid-track wheelstands are common.
Super Street also offers a better variety in machinery. While Pro Street is dominated by turbo Hayabusas, a competitive Super Street field will contain 'Busas, GSX-R1000s, ZX-14s and even the Honda CBR1000RR. Power adders include both turbos and nitrous injection.
Kawasaki's Rickey Gadson scored...
Kawasaki's Rickey Gadson scored the Atlanta win on a holeshot on the Monster Energy Drink ZX-14.
Gilbert Coranado blew up his...
Gilbert Coranado blew up his ZX-10 and took his second Real Street win of the year on a freshly prepared ZX-14.
At the AMA Dragbike Summer Nationals in Bristol, Super Street riders had a double dip as the event served to run off the final eliminations of the rained out Atlanta event.
Rickey Gadson took on Nicky Mazieka in the Atlanta final and schooled the rookie on the tree, getting nearly a tenth of a second holeshot (in drag racing terms that is like a week). Gadson, riding the Monster Kawasaki turbo ZX-14, needed almost all of the huge holeshot, beating Mazieka with an 1/8-mile time of 5.40 seconds to Mazieka's quicker 5.31.
During Bristol eliminations Rickey met up with a stubborn opponent who seems to have his number this year-his nephew Richard. The younger Gadson is riding the Jones Performance Cycle turbo ZX-14 and beat uncle Rickey en route to his Memphis victory in the class. At Bristol, Richard took out Rickey in the semifinals to face the Playthings turbo GSX-R1000 of Mazieka.
Richard got the holeshot, but stood the bike up down track and Mazieka was able to ride around him for his second win of the year.
"Facing Gadson is hard enough," said Mazieka, "but now I have to go up against two of them!"
Walter Sprout won the Atlanta...
Walter Sprout won the Atlanta final in Pro Street, but got timed out at the tree in Bristol eliminations.