Texas Scooter Times

Top Bike Racin' Before The Rain at the
Houston All Bike Championships

�.Nathan Murry riding his ‘10 Suzuki dragbike led the rain shortened Top Bike Qualifying at the Houston "All Motorcycle" Championships Saturday July 17th. Made in the heat before rain showers along with thunder & lightning caused postponement of the race, Nathan laid down a pass that would have put him "up front" at any National Event in the country. The League City based team on their home track showed they were ready to take on anybody in the "wildly popular" Run-What-You-Brung Top Bike Eleminator.
�North Texas’ Robert Bechum was in the #2 position with his 1400cc turbo Kawasaki when qualifying was halted. Port Allen Louisiana based Derrick Holloway on his ‘08 dragster held down #3 and Giddings Texas’ Richard Holt aboard his Kawasaki dragster was in the 4th spot. The 1500cc ZX-7 dragster of Cedar Hill’s David Davis was #5 qualifier while Austin’s Curtis Nicholas III was setting at #6 aboard his ‘00 Suzuki dragster.
�Longtime Dallas racer Herman Freeman riding a 1150cc turbo Suzuki was in at #7 while the lone Harley Davidson entry to get in the top half of the 16 bike field SO FAR was Maize Kansas’ Jerry Griffin riding a 120 cubic inch nitromethane powered dragster that stood in the #8 slot when the rain came.
�Riding his 120" Harley fueler, Dallas based Jocko Mitchell posted a lap good for #9 & last fall’s Dallas Championship’s winner Champ Waggoner from Oklahoma City rode his turbo Kawasaki dragster to #10. Houston’s George Gooch was in 11th spot with his ‘08 Busa dragster & Harley racer "Houston Hal" Cort stands at 12th with a troubled pass that broke a rocker arm & spit pushrods on the big end.
�A Suzuki owned & ridden by Austin’s Randy Hamilton was in "the show" at 13th & Desoto’s Kevin Blanton (no relation to the deceased Burnout Blanton as best as we know) was holding down 14th. Bill Flaherty was taking some easy laps aboard his new Paul Jones prepped Nitro Harley but still got in at #15. Ricky House with BMC Racing sounded great aboard his 150" Nitro Harley but having downtrack problems only rolled thru the lights to squeek in on the #16 bump spot.
� Roy Sears’ nitrous turbo Suzuki dragster turned around at the starting line, suffering breakage for the 2nd race in a row on the powerful bike. BUT the popular always smiling Californian’s luck is due to change, mabe starting with the month break inbetween the July 17th rain-out and the August 14th resumed qualifying. Being as the race was halted during qualifying, the decision was made to count the qualifying passes that were made July 17th and to count what ever new passes are made during the August 14th Qualifying session towards finalizing the 16 bike Top Bike Field.
�Top bike was looking like a MAJOR DRAGSTRIP BATTLE with nitrous Pro Mod’s mixing it up with turbocharged Import Dragsters & nitromethane powered Harley Dragsters at the Houston "All Motorcycle" Championships. The Spectators in Houston Raceway Park’s grandstands were getting into it, hollarin’ for their favorite brand and then it RAINED.. Which might sound "Like a Downer" BUT - - Just think of it as a month BETWEEN ROUNDS!!! There’s gonna be LOTS of wrenchin’ & tunin’ & scheemin’ going on in the next month as racers that are already IN want to get better. AND there’s gonna be racers that ain’t made it in the field that will show up August 14th with their dragsters SET ON GO!!! & GO FASTER!!! AND the entire race IS STILL OPEN TO NEW ENTRIES.
�We didn’t just leave the elapsed times and speeds out of this story by accident� You’re just gonna have to show up August 14th to the BIGGEST & BADDEST Dragstrip in the State of Texas - Houston Raceway Park, And EXPERIENCE Top Bike Eleminator IN PERSON!!!!!!!

Outstanding Sportsman Racin'

�The Sportsmen Catagories at the rained - out and rescheduled Houston "All Mortorcycle" Championships were "Lookin’ Good" too July 17th and should provide a FULL EVENING of racin’ when the race resumes August 14th. Over 90 Tech cards were turned in before the rains came and with quite a few racers holding off coming because of the harsh weather forecast, new entries are expected to fill the fields even more when the dragstrip action continues!!!!!!!
�Rummaging through the tech cards of already entered racers at Houston Raceway Park shows motorcycle entrys from some of the toughest riders in Texas and a VERY interesting mix of motorcycles. Motorcycle "Gearheads" in Houston Raceway Park’s grandstands August 14th should enjoy "Quite A Show" from not only Top Bike Eleminator but FROM THE SPORTSMAN ACTION as well..
�Spectators will see Paul Holman, a Pro E.T. competitor with so many passes on the same ‘84 Suzuki he’s been racing for well over 20 years that it’s on it’s 3rd FRONT TIRE, wearin’ the others out ¼ mile at a time!!! Folks might recognize the leathers of John "The Madman from Spring Texas" Koehnle as the lanky blown fuel Harley racer keeps sharp aboard his ‘Busa in the E.T.Bracket Lanes.
�Ridin’ his hot rod V-Rod, folks will find Angleton Harley Davidson dealership owner Howard Goe in the staging lanes. Another old time motorcycle gearhead that owns 2 Harley Dealerships in East Texas but wants to remain anonymous was also in the lanes July 17th. Famous Houston "hot rodder" Craig Caulk could be found making laps with his 117" Harley & Dean Shayna whose D & S Performance shop in Dallas has a whole wall full of "Texas Style Party Drags" class winner trophys was there going high 10’s on his street bike.
�Glyn Mathews & his brother Michael,whose lightning reflexes are well known in the 8.90 Index class & Pro E.T. were signed up as well as the infamous husband & wife team of Brenda & Ricky Kay. Brenda, recently off an NHRA Division 7 win and her husband who was a National Champion 25 years ago riding Top Gas Harleys are FEARSOME competitors wherever they race.
�Lucky Turner, Billy Shoemaker, 5150 Racing, 5050 Racing, Matt Kamphuis aboard a supercharged Buell Blast and many, many, many, more ARE ALREADY ENTERED for the August 14th rescheduled WAR On The DRAGSTRIP��. Don’t MISS IT!!!!!!!!!

�Top Bike Eleminator at the Houston "All Motorcycle" Championships was a KNOCK DOWN battle that ended up with two friends in the 16 Bike Run-What-You-Brung Top Bike Finals. Well, at least for 1320’ it didn’t look like Derrick Holloway and Nathan Murry were "bud’s" though!!. The last pass of a full night of Pro Racing came down to League City’s Nathan Murry and Port Allen Louisiana’s Derrick Holloway both on similar nitrous Pro Mod Suzuki’s. Murry was the Low Qualifier of the Meet and appeared to have "the edge" over Holloway until he missed a gear and nearly went into the right side wall. Holloway made a clean pass and collected a big trophy & $1500 for his long day of racing.
�.Top Bike saw several new bikes come in for the re-run of the July 17th rain date and several not show. David Davis’ ZX7 Kawasaki dragster from Cedar Hill, Bill Flaherty’s new nitro Harley from Garland, Jerry Griffith’s nitro Harley from Maize Kansas, along with Houston Hal Cort and Bandido Sharky’s nitro Harleys didn’t make it back for the rain date after the race was rain halted during qualifying July 17th. But new entries from Louie Guisto aboard his nitro Harley for the first time in competition along with Mustang Oklahoma’s Tony Parker on a 1327 Suzuki filled the 16 bike Field. Other new entries were John Torranova who came from Phoenix with his turbo 1327 and Mike Mzke made it from Glenn Heights with his Kawasaki along with Zach Sayre riding a 151 inch Harley fueler out of New Ulm Texas, Amarillo’s Jason Hamilton, Kansas City’s Roderick Mansaw and Conroe’s C.D. Watson.
�Robert Beachum’s 1400 Kawasaki, Kevin Blanton running out of DeSoto, last fall’s Dallas "All Motorcycle" Championships winner Champ Waggoner out of Oklahoma City, Curtis Nichols III’s Austin Suzuki along with Giddings’ Richard H Holt’s Kawasaki, Herman Freeman’s 1150 Suzuki turbo dragster out of Dallas, Austin’s Randy Hamilton, Houston’s George Gooch and perennial crowd favorite Jocko Mitchell returned for the rerun along with California’s Roy Sears. The race had full fields in Top Bike and Top Bike Consolation with alternates standing ready.
�Houston Raceway Park’s infamous cool bay air came in just as planned right at sunset and with the racing surface still hot from the day it was GOOD!!! Roy Sears who struggled July 17th ,came back and laid down a serious qualifying time only to be sidelined then with metal in his oil. Richard Holt put down a 6.98 and then was sidelined also with broken wheelie bars. That’s pretty well the way it went all evening - GO STRONG or BREAK� Or GET a break.
�Louie Guisto while fresh on a nitro Harley, learned his way around a dragstrip on his daddy’s Top Gas Harley. Carl Guisto had the fueler sitting on on KILL - With nitro fumes & flames out the pipes, the family took the Consolation Top Bike Trophy.
�With any luck at all the upcoming FALL Dallas "All Motorcycle" Championships October 16th at "The Concrete Palace" AKA Dallas Raceway in Crandall will have ALL THESE competitors back healthy and THAT will be a GREAT END to the Texas Style Party Drags Racing Season - - Don’t Miss It!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!