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POMONA, CA 11/13/06 “While this season has been a little disappointing for us,” said Snap-on Tools Suzuki racer Steve Johnson following a first round loss at the NHRA AAA Finals, “we’ve finally got all the pieces we need to be a championship contender, and now we’re going to put them together. We’ll be ready for the ’07 season, ready like we’ve never been before.
“Hind sight is always 20/20, but if I could change one thing about this season it would be to have had Mark Peiser, our crew chief, with us for the whole year. He’s done an exceptional job for the team, and we’re looking forward to the so-called ‘off-season’ so we can prepare our equipment for the next campaign.
“The level of competition in Pro Stock Motorcycle is stiffer than ever, and if we hope to be competitive next year I can boil it down to one simple thing: We need about a tenth of a second in elapsed time improvement to be right in the thick of every race.
“Our Snap-on Tools Suzuki had more power than I’ve ever had before, thanks to Mark, and that forced me to change my racing approach not once, but twice as the season neared the end, and those were tough transitions to make. I believe we’ve got those problems solved now, so I’m already looking forward to our first race in Florida in March.”
That tenth of a second Johnson hopes to find is within reach, according to Peiser. “We’re close right now,” he said. “We’ve got more than three months to go over every nut and bolt, every line, every wire and every piece of our engines, and I’m absolutely sure we can find the horsepower we need to be competitive with the best riders in the field.
“Steve has something going for him that I don’t think anyone in the field can match, and that’s racing experience. There’s no substitute for making hundreds of runs down the track, and he’s already done that in his 20-plus years as a competitor. If we can give him the horsepower he needs, this Snap-on Tools Suzuki is going to be one very tough motorcycle in 2007.”
Johnson’s team is already headed back to the race shop in Birmingham, AL where he and Peiser will join them in a few days, and the heavy work will commence. As the team owner put it, “Working in the shop isn’t very glamorous, but that’s where races are won. I’m extremely lucky in that everyone on this team is also excited about the possibilities for next year. Now our job is going to be to make the most of our time, and hit the track in March ready to win.”
Results:
Qualifying:
Session #1: 7.109/187.08 #11 (7.179 Bump)
Session #2: 7.185/180.33 #12 (7.149 Bump)
Session #3: 7.115/187.44 #12 (7.142 Bump)
Session #4: 7.136/187.60 #12 (7.142 Bump)
Eliminations:
Round #1 0.082 R.T. 7.154/189.31 lost to
Matt Guidera
0.103 R.T. 7.048/186.54
Next: Engine building, trackside testing.
“We’ll Be Ready For ’07,” Vows Steve Johnson
“We’ve Got All The Pieces, And Now We’re Going To Put Them Together!”
POMONA, CA 11/13/06 “While this season has been a little disappointing for us,” said Snap-on Tools Suzuki racer Steve Johnson following a first round loss at the NHRA AAA Finals, “we’ve finally got all the pieces we need to be a championship contender, and now we’re going to put them together. We’ll be ready for the ’07 season, ready like we’ve never been before.
“Hind sight is always 20/20, but if I could change one thing about this season it would be to have had Mark Peiser, our crew chief, with us for the whole year. He’s done an exceptional job for the team, and we’re looking forward to the so-called ‘off-season’ so we can prepare our equipment for the next campaign.
“The level of competition in Pro Stock Motorcycle is stiffer than ever, and if we hope to be competitive next year I can boil it down to one simple thing: We need about a tenth of a second in elapsed time improvement to be right in the thick of every race.
“Our Snap-on Tools Suzuki had more power than I’ve ever had before, thanks to Mark, and that forced me to change my racing approach not once, but twice as the season neared the end, and those were tough transitions to make. I believe we’ve got those problems solved now, so I’m already looking forward to our first race in Florida in March.”
That tenth of a second Johnson hopes to find is within reach, according to Peiser. “We’re close right now,” he said. “We’ve got more than three months to go over every nut and bolt, every line, every wire and every piece of our engines, and I’m absolutely sure we can find the horsepower we need to be competitive with the best riders in the field.
“Steve has something going for him that I don’t think anyone in the field can match, and that’s racing experience. There’s no substitute for making hundreds of runs down the track, and he’s already done that in his 20-plus years as a competitor. If we can give him the horsepower he needs, this Snap-on Tools Suzuki is going to be one very tough motorcycle in 2007.”
Johnson’s team is already headed back to the race shop in Birmingham, AL where he and Peiser will join them in a few days, and the heavy work will commence. As the team owner put it, “Working in the shop isn’t very glamorous, but that’s where races are won. I’m extremely lucky in that everyone on this team is also excited about the possibilities for next year. Now our job is going to be to make the most of our time, and hit the track in March ready to win.”
Results:
Qualifying:
Session #1: 7.109/187.08 #11 (7.179 Bump)
Session #2: 7.185/180.33 #12 (7.149 Bump)
Session #3: 7.115/187.44 #12 (7.142 Bump)
Session #4: 7.136/187.60 #12 (7.142 Bump)
Eliminations:
Round #1 0.082 R.T. 7.154/189.31 lost to
Matt Guidera
0.103 R.T. 7.048/186.54
Next: Engine building, trackside testing.
