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Monday, September 3, 2007

Krenik Gets It Done In All Harley Drags

From Karen Raffa August 13, 2007, Corrales, NM - The Desert Dawgs, returning from the S&S Thunder in the Valley Nationals, in Bristol, TN the 8th event on the All Harley Drag Racing Association (AHDRA) schedule, where they kept their momentum going into the second half of the season. This was their second event within six days with a little more than a day to drive from Sturgis, SD to the Bristol Dragway, TN and it had to be done during 100 degree temperatures. Once in Bristol, they reunited with Crew Chief- Steve Allstaedt who was anxious to see what Greg had done to the bikes in Sturgis and to get them ready for test and tune. In Thunder Valley, with an adjusted altitude of over 5000’ at times and temps over 98 degrees it was going to be a challenging weekend to get the bikes to run fast, especially with the air/fuel sensors not working on the Pro Stock. Friday’s test & tune was fun, meaning they didn’t break anything. They also found out they would be running a few tenths of a second slower than at past tracks because of these air conditions. Saturday- qualifying day was perfect! Greg’s Pro Modified ran the three fastest runs in the field and he became the #1 qualifier. The Pro Stock ran the two fastest runs in the field before developing transmission problems. BUT, Greg still finished Saturday as # 1 Qualifier in both classes…..this being the third event in a row he accomplished this feat! Can you say “On A ROLL!” That evening at the Pro Stock Association dinner, Greg was declared the reaction time winner, which is calculated from information submitted by all the PSA members riding this weekend. After dinner, the PS transmission was looked at and it was determined that the shaft that shifts the bike was broken. On Sunday morning, Ziggy Spencer welded the shaft at Doug Vancil’s pit. That gave the Desert Dawgs a bit of confidence to make it through the first round on Sunday and luckily the 1st round opponent was ‘broke’ and did not make it to the line, because when Greg launched the PS it would not shift into 2nd gear. They found out that it was ‘binding up’ so they re-attached the air shifter in a different location hoping to get down the track and win round 2….and they did! That put them in a great position (remember Greg was #1 Qualifier) with a ‘bye run’ to the FINALS in PS…which was needed because the shaft broke again during the 2nd round and the transmission was stuck in 5th gear. So, back to the pits to fix the bike just to get it into 1st gear for the 3rd round/ ‘bye run’ (Greg only needed to break the beam under power) then go back and re-weld and reassemble for the Finals. All weekend, the PM must have been feeling very left out with all the attention given to the PS. Greg’s PM bike has been so dependable this season that the Dawgs decided to leave it alone and run it the way it was set up, mainly because there was no time to make any tuning adjustments and Greg had won his first two rounds convincingly with that tune-up. So, for the 3rd round Greg had a ‘bye run’ (earning that again as #1 Qualifier) and Crew Chief Steve decided that they should just break the beam, and save the tune up for the final round (at that point they did not care about lane choice) they had BIGGER problems (fixing the PS) and they needed BOTH bikes ready for the finals and only 40 minutes to get them ready! In the PM Final, Krenik went up against the man that is chasing him for the Championship, Randy Borho. We all know the saying “I’d rather be lucky than good.” Randy had some problems with his clutch and it pulled him through the staging lights too quickly giving him a ‘red light’ giving Greg the WIN. Greg didn’t even know he had WON until he reached the finish line, both competitors were racing their bikes clean and hard and Randy’s ET was faster. “We took a chance our PM bike would hold up all day, but Randy found some speed for the finals and would have won if not for his clutch problem.” said Krenik. He added “It’s about time we had some luck today.” In the PS Finals, he was once again against Junior Pippin. Greg got the ‘holeshot’ but the transmission fix didn’t hold and the bike wouldn’t shift…giving Junior an easy win and the Dawgs a runner-up which is still great considering what they had to do to get that! “Steve did an incredible job of getting the PS to the finals and Karen finding my launch spots with the track temperature over 125 degrees. They make me look good.” said Greg. The intensity of Sundays rounds were incredible for all involved, the Desert Dawg pit was always hopping and many fans and family members were there to cheer them on! Steve Allstaedt stated, “This team is really building momentum going into the 2nd half of the season. Greg’s riding improves with every race and the bikes are running strong. We aren’t going to let up now even though we’ve had some bad luck. I think the best is yet to come.” Greg’s Current Position for the AHDRA National Championship Pro Modified #1 – 88 point lead Pro Stock #2 – 37 point lead over 3rd & 297 behind 1st Greg’s Current Position for the AHDRA Western Division Championship: Pro Modified #1 – 44 point lead Pro Stock #1 – 38 point lead The Desert Dawgs are pumped and ready to Chase both AHDRA 2007 Championships- Pro Modified and Pro Stock, but the budget is running out…ANY help, prayers, product and cash are needed …so please send anything their way! Thanks! So, the quick recap is …4000 miles, 10 days, FOUR #1 Qualifier awards, 3 WINS and 1 Runner up!!! What a trip…stay tuned! The next AHDRA Event is the Salem Harley-Davidson Northwest Nationals in Woodburn, OR on August 24 – 26. Greg’s Harley Race Bike Class Specs: The Pro Modified: 45 degree 114 ci max motor, 4” max bore, single carb with max size venturi, weight per cubic inch, spec fuel, 7” tire The Pro Stock: 45 degree 122 ci max motor, dual carb-single intake, weight per cubic inch, spec fuel, 10” tire The Desert Dawgs would like to THANK their ever important sponsors for making this all happen. Meet their Sponsors and their products: Thunderbird Harley-Davidson: www.thunderbirdhd.com Mark Goodwin & Associates: www.goodwinengineers.com SA Racing Inc.: 828-674-6225 Steve Allstaedt Unique Services Inc.: www.uniquesvcs.com Leading Edge – The Motorcycle Paint Pros: http://home.comcast.net/~abqleadingedge Custom Coating: 505-626-2605 Erin McGonagle Outlaw Race Fuels: 775-690-3488 Jim MacMonagle Mickey Thompson Tires: www.mickeythompsontires.com Red Line Oil: www.redlineoil.com Bandit Machine Works: www.banditmachineworks.com Big Thanks to Chick & Lyn Hancock, the Martin Family and Fleta Thomas! PLUS all the AHDRA Contingency Sponsors…THANKS! For more info check out www.ahdra.com