Sportbike Motorcycle Drag Racing
Encyclopedia
Sportbike motorcycle drag racing
involves modern sportbikes such as Suzuki
and Kawasaki
taken off the street and to the track. These motorcycles from the showroom floor such as the Suzuki Hayabusa can run in the 9 second zone in the 1/4 mile with barely any modifications. This type of drag racing
could possibly be the easiest, and fastest way to get the chance to run down a drag racing strip.
The largest drag racing organization is the NHRA, which has over a hundred different tracks where motorcycles can be raced in seven different divisions across the country. Tracks The NHRA allows sport bike
motorcycles to drag race. One of these tracks is the most common place to race sportbike motorcycles.
MiRock
The MiRock racing series is an all motorcycle drag racing series run at Rockingham Dragway in Rockingham, North Carolina
and Maryland International Raceway in Budds Creek, Maryland
. This series runs eight races a year between these two tracks. Their man focus is on sportbike motorcycle drag racing and they have 8 different racing classes available to try by any sportbike motorcycle owner with the proper equipment. Some of these classes also cater to the traditional drag racing motorcycle, but sportbikes more and more are dominating these classes as well.
AMA Dragbike
"AMA Dragbike is the largest all-motorcycle drag racing sanctioning body in the world" (About AMA Dragbike). AMA Dragbike is an eight race series that travels all over the county with 3 races in Georgia
and a race in each of the following states: Tennessee
, New Jersey
, Ohio
, Michigan
, and Indiana
. This is the most popular racing series with motorcycles that travel over 250 mph in the quarter mile with wheelie bars. There are five racing classes alone dedicated to the sportbike drag racing. Some of these classes feature a bracket racing format while others are heads up racing classes where the first racer to the finish line wins. The most exciting class to watch in the Pro Street class where sportbike motorcycles can reach over 200 mph in the quarter mile.
One of the most popular classes to watch in sportbike drag racing is Pro Street, which features 7 second, street tire motorcycles with no wheelie-bars traveling down the track at over 200 mph. "The Pro Street class is a professional heads-up class that contests the ultimate in street-legal motorcycles" (Series Information). These bikes are just like an ordinary streetbike but with tons of performance enhancing products such as a turbo and or nitrous oxide
. These bikes are extremely fun to watch. The Pro Street motorcycles are just as fast as a pro stock motorcycle
but resemble more of a street appearance with working headlights and taillights along with street tires. This class is ran at moth the MiRock and AMA Drag Bike racing series.
of sportbike drag racing. He last championship was in 2005 in the AMA Dragbike 1000 Super Sport class.
Other big names in the sport are Mike Slowe, Keith Dennis, Richard Gadson, and Nick Mazeika. Each rider has their own style of riding and have been considered stars in this sport. Mike Slowe has won 7 championships in 6 years of professional sportbike motorcycle drag racing. Keith Dennis won the 2008 AMA Dragbike Super Sport championship and was the 3rd person in the 7's on a street tire motorcycle. Richard Gadson is the newphew of Rickey Gadson and has rode just about every type of sportbike motorcycle down the track. And Nick Mazeika was the 2008 AMA Dragbike Super Street Champion, 2008 AMA Dragbike Rookie of the year, and 2008 AMA Dragbike Sponsored rider of the year and has proven he is an up and coming force.
Motorcycle drag racing
Motorcycle drag racing involves two participants lining up at a dragstrip with a signaled starting line. Upon the starting signal, the riders accelerate down a quarter mile long, two lane, straight paved track where their elapsed time and terminal speed are recorded. The rider to reach the finish...
involves modern sportbikes such as Suzuki
Suzuki
is a Japanese multinational corporation headquartered in Hamamatsu, Japan that specializes in manufacturing compact automobiles and 4x4 vehicles, a full range of motorcycles, all-terrain vehicles , outboard marine engines, wheelchairs and a variety of other small internal combustion engines...
and Kawasaki
Kawasaki Heavy Industries
is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
taken off the street and to the track. These motorcycles from the showroom floor such as the Suzuki Hayabusa can run in the 9 second zone in the 1/4 mile with barely any modifications. This type of drag racing
Drag racing
Drag racing is a competition in which specially prepared automobiles or motorcycles compete two at a time to be the first to cross a set finish line, from a standing start, in a straight line, over a measured distance, most commonly a ¼-mile straight track....
could possibly be the easiest, and fastest way to get the chance to run down a drag racing strip.
Racing organizations
NHRAThe largest drag racing organization is the NHRA, which has over a hundred different tracks where motorcycles can be raced in seven different divisions across the country. Tracks The NHRA allows sport bike
Sport bike
A sport bike, also written as sportbike, is a motorcycle optimized for speed, acceleration, braking, and cornering on paved roads, typically at the expense of comfort and fuel economy in comparison to less specialized motorcycles...
motorcycles to drag race. One of these tracks is the most common place to race sportbike motorcycles.
MiRock
The MiRock racing series is an all motorcycle drag racing series run at Rockingham Dragway in Rockingham, North Carolina
Rockingham, North Carolina
Rockingham is a city in Richmond County, North Carolina, United States named after the Marquis of Rockingham. The population was 9,672 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Richmond County...
and Maryland International Raceway in Budds Creek, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. This series runs eight races a year between these two tracks. Their man focus is on sportbike motorcycle drag racing and they have 8 different racing classes available to try by any sportbike motorcycle owner with the proper equipment. Some of these classes also cater to the traditional drag racing motorcycle, but sportbikes more and more are dominating these classes as well.
AMA Dragbike
"AMA Dragbike is the largest all-motorcycle drag racing sanctioning body in the world" (About AMA Dragbike). AMA Dragbike is an eight race series that travels all over the county with 3 races in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
and a race in each of the following states: Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, and Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
. This is the most popular racing series with motorcycles that travel over 250 mph in the quarter mile with wheelie bars. There are five racing classes alone dedicated to the sportbike drag racing. Some of these classes feature a bracket racing format while others are heads up racing classes where the first racer to the finish line wins. The most exciting class to watch in the Pro Street class where sportbike motorcycles can reach over 200 mph in the quarter mile.
Racing classes
The most basic racing class is the bracket racing class, Street ET. Each motorcycle in this class must have a street tire and feature no wheelie bars, basically a streetbike off the street. Some of these bikes have minor modifications such as being lowered and featuring an air shifter. Each rider creates a dial in time and the person running the closest to their dial in and getting to the finish line first without running under their dial in wins. This is a fun, and easy way to get into racing a sportbike without getting carried away by upgrading with performance products. "This is a great class to come start in and once was the stomping grounds for many racing of the “Pro” riders today" (Series Information).One of the most popular classes to watch in sportbike drag racing is Pro Street, which features 7 second, street tire motorcycles with no wheelie-bars traveling down the track at over 200 mph. "The Pro Street class is a professional heads-up class that contests the ultimate in street-legal motorcycles" (Series Information). These bikes are just like an ordinary streetbike but with tons of performance enhancing products such as a turbo and or nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide
Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas or sweet air, is a chemical compound with the formula . It is an oxide of nitrogen. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slightly sweet odor and taste. It is used in surgery and dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic...
. These bikes are extremely fun to watch. The Pro Street motorcycles are just as fast as a pro stock motorcycle
Pro Stock Motorcycle
Pro Stock Motorcycle, formerly known as Pro Stock Bike is a drag racing class that is the two-wheeled equivalent of Pro Stock. It has been a feature of NHRA drag racing since the 1980s when it was added to the professional class structure and has since spread around the globe. Their 1st Points...
but resemble more of a street appearance with working headlights and taillights along with street tires. This class is ran at moth the MiRock and AMA Drag Bike racing series.
People in the sport
One of the biggest names in the sport is Rickey Gadson. Rickey Gadson has won more races in AMA Drag Racing in the history of the sport. He is a medium sized rider with the height of 5'11 and weighing 165 lbs. He has lived in the Philadelphia area since he was a child and started the love for racing when he was 13 years old. He was the first factory backed rider in the history of the sport in 1998. He is a 8 time champion and has be considered the kingKing
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
of sportbike drag racing. He last championship was in 2005 in the AMA Dragbike 1000 Super Sport class.
Other big names in the sport are Mike Slowe, Keith Dennis, Richard Gadson, and Nick Mazeika. Each rider has their own style of riding and have been considered stars in this sport. Mike Slowe has won 7 championships in 6 years of professional sportbike motorcycle drag racing. Keith Dennis won the 2008 AMA Dragbike Super Sport championship and was the 3rd person in the 7's on a street tire motorcycle. Richard Gadson is the newphew of Rickey Gadson and has rode just about every type of sportbike motorcycle down the track. And Nick Mazeika was the 2008 AMA Dragbike Super Street Champion, 2008 AMA Dragbike Rookie of the year, and 2008 AMA Dragbike Sponsored rider of the year and has proven he is an up and coming force.