Plus a Runner-up for the Desert Dawgs
A trip to the Pacific Northwest for the Salem Harley-Davidson Northwest Nationals in Woodburn, Oregon was another leg in the AHDRA (All Harley Drag Racing Association) schedule and this time Desert Dawg – Wayne Pugh rejoined the team racing his V-Rod Destroyer and sharing in the 25 hour drive to the track.
The air was clear and the weather was perfect for everyone. In Qualifying, Greg Krenik once again took the #1 Spot (5th Race in a row!) in Pro Mod and #4 in Pro Stock. The bikes were acting up but Steve Allstaedt was there to calm them down and concentrate on the bike that has been the least amount of trouble this season the Pro Mod.
“She has had the least amount of attention put to her, mainly because the Pro Stock is always ‘whining’. So, the decision was made to give the record holding PM the energy and keep her strong to finish the year as a National Champion.†comments Steve. “We just couldn’t get the tires to hook up.†says Krenik. “We took so much clutch out of both bikes to try and get them to keep from spinning off the line it was ridiculous�we found out the PM tire was not round�I guess you get a bad tire every once in a while�we were just doomed with that tire but it was all we had and we did our best.†added Greg.
Wayne had some great runs and on Sunday ran his Personal Best, a 137.78 mph run which made him feel like he was back in the game. “It is really tough only running 6 events in 10 months, plus the Destroyer class is so competitive and most of the riders are going to all 14 AHDRA events and they have lots of seat time. I will be in two more events this year�and hope to learn more about the Thunderbird Harley Davidson Destroyer.â€
On Sunday, Elimination Day, Wayne went a few rounds and even put out a few riders that were in the points chase! “That felt good!†exclaimed Wayne. Greg was having a great time putting a few of the ‘local boys’ on the trailers in the PM class and then making it to the finals against the man who is right on his heels for the Championship, Randy Borho. Randy was running better than he had all weekend and beat Greg in the finals thanks to Greg’s ‘red light’.
In Pro Stock, Greg didn’t qualify where he wanted on Saturday. “I just couldn’t shift the bike when I was supposed to on the 1st qualifying run so I aborted the run, the 2nd pass was okay except for the tire spinning and then we shredded the belt on the 3rd pass, but on Sunday we got the bike to ‘hook up’ and had two personal best times.†says Krenik. “We got to the semi’s but Junior ran his best run of the day to put us on the trailer�we’ll get him in Richmond.†added Greg.
2007 AHDRA National Points Chase- Greg Krenik
Pro Mod – #1 by 49 points
Pro Stock – #2 by 36 points
Western Points Chase
Pro Mod – #1
Pro Stock – #1
The Dawgs will be in Richmond, VA next for the S&S Cycle Jim McClure Nationals on September 21, 22 & 23.
<SMALL>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 </SMALL>
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
