It's that time again. We're going over the checklist as we pack up the bikes and the gear for some racing in Tennessee. After a long break due to the heat wave in Oklahoma we are ready to hit the track. The HeadBlade Capone racing team took a one two finish in Ohio, so be on the look out for some fast times this weekend. Racing starts this Friday, August 3rd.
If you're in the area come on out and see us, we will be the team in victory.
Sunday afternoon it's time for racing. Tire pressure is checked, bike is fueled, and we're in the zone to ride straight into victory lane. First round we met Bruce Chandler in the opposing lane. We had the right hand lane so we knew the bike would fly down the track. Though the .098 RT wasn't anything to write home about, the bike made a killer 8.573 ET at 151mph. Chandler ran a 8.690 ET, with one win under our belt we were back in the pits preparing for round 2. With the track heating up and the humidity getting even higher it was time for round 2. As we staged up in the left hand lane, Henry Stanton was staging in the right lane. Things were looking interesting because not only are we in the left lane, Stanton was the number one qualifier with a 8.52 ET. The lights dropped and the bike took off with a .024 RT. The bikes were side by side as we crossed the finished line. The bike posted a 8.640 ET at 160mph, which was just enough to knock out Stanton who ran a 8.647 ET. As the sun drops the Pro Modified Finals are called to the staging lane. In the left we were prepared to face none other than the owner of the Head Blade Machine, Frank Capone. There's no way to describe the feeling of drag racing a motorcycle, but there's definitely no way to explain the feeling of racing your teammate for the podium. The bikes stage and the lights come down. The bike cut an amazing .008 RT but there was an unfortunate bog in the motor coming off the start line. It cost us precious time. Capone went on to out run us. We finished with a 8.656 ET compared to Capones 8.554 ET.
Earlier in the season we had some issues getting the bike to go down the track nice and straight. In Rockingham we lightened up the left side of the bike by removing some excess material from the clutch housing. This improved the ride of the bike but it was still suffering from a slight pull to the left. Ricky got down to basics and began investigating the general weight placement on the bike. After some close observations and shifting of weight, the bike was running straight as an arrow.
Friday in practice the air was good and the track was great. The bike was really on the move. We ran a 8.45s E/T that day, and so did teammate Frank Capone. This was winning weekend in the making.
Saturday in qualifying we made a 8.56s pass first round. After inspection the qualifying pass was disqualified, the bike was under weight by just a few pounds. It was a simple mistake. After losing the weight from the left side no weight was added in its place to keep the bike legal. After making the need weight adjustments we closed out qualifying with a 8.68s run, putting us in 5th.
Sunday morning, the sun was rising on a beautiful day in Atco, NJ. Eliminations were soon to start. Everyone was in full race mode. First round was called and before you know it we were in the burnout box. The bike fired and really sounded ready for victory lane. After getting the tire nice and sticky the bike found it's way to the pre-stage. Now staged up and ready to go the yellow lights flash and we're tearing down the track. In the next lane over was Bruce Chandler, 4th in qualifying. He ran right out and beat us to the 60 foot mark, but we ran him down on the big end and crossed the line just a hair in front.
What was thought to be a solid victory was sadly a loss. We red lighted on the launch and Chandler knocked us out of the running.
Teammate Frank Capone found himself facing Chandler in the finals. Capone also red lighted against Chandler and he won the Pro Modified division event in Atco, NJ. Chandler won the event remarkably by keeping his head in the game and staying focused. Every rider he faced red lighted and eventually put him in victory lane. So congratulations to him and we'll see you soon!
How's it going everyone! We're gearing up for another exciting weekend. We're heading north to Atco Raceway to make some noise and win some races. The bikes were a little sluggish in Rockingham due to poor air conditions, but we're looking at mid 70's in New Jersey. Get ready for some crazy speed and quick ET's!
We made some adjustments to the bike over the past weeks and we're hoping in practice tomorrow they'll pay off. The Pro Mod class had some fierce competition in Rockingham but the HeadBlade Capone Racing machine is ready to dominate the track!
Stick around we'll have more to come when we get settled in Atco.
