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Tom Bradford was thrilled with the performance of his Balbayis Asset Consulting/Hal's Speedshop Buell and team at the opening day of NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying for the Fram Autolite Nationals at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. "Coming from Denver, there's just a tremendous amount of work that goes into preparing this bike to run here," Bradford said. There's about an 8500 feet corrected altitude difference in the two tracks. "It says a lot about this team that with our inexperience we're able to turn all the screws correctly."
True enough, the team had the bike tuned pretty good for the opening round, as Tom's pass netted him fifth in the order.
qualifying round 1
5th Tom Bradford right lane 7.038 at 191.13 mph
"We were really pumped up after round 1," said Bradford. "We really thought the evening round would be the best shot to run 6's. I thought the top 5 in the field would be 6's. But then a 15 mph headwind kicked in right when the round started and took the wind out of everybody's sails."
qualifying round 2
5th Tom Bradford left lane 7.095 at 186.98 mph
Tom slowed at the same rate as the rest of the field and held on to fifth spot. "I can't tell you how pleased I am about the way we're jelling as a team and the thought processes that go on in the pits. It's rewarding to watch all that take place. When a guy like Ryan Schnitz's dad Dave comes up to you before a round and says 'Don't make us look bad', that really means a lot."
Bradford's also pretty smitten with the Bruton Smith run Infineon. "The facility is huge, but it's top notch. And they have an excellent fan base in this area. It's Friday and the stands are packed." Hopefully those fans will see lots of 6 second motorcycle passes on Saturday.
Tom thanked sponsors Balbayis Asset Consulting, Hal's Speedshop, Hal's H-D/Buell, Vanson Leathers, Stitch-it-Embroidery, CRD Inc., T-N-S Machining, S&S Cycle, Buell Motor Co., Mustang Shelly's Roadhouse, Red Line Oil, MicroBlue Racing, Autolite, Simpson, Wiseco, Rinehart Racing, and The Carburetor Shop for their support of the Hal's/Thunder Eagle team.
Find out more about Hal's at http://www.halspa.com
Find out more about the NHRA at http://www.nhra.com
Bradford 5th on Friday
Tom Bradford was thrilled with the performance of his Balbayis Asset Consulting/Hal's Speedshop Buell and team at the opening day of NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying for the Fram Autolite Nationals at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. "Coming from Denver, there's just a tremendous amount of work that goes into preparing this bike to run here," Bradford said. There's about an 8500 feet corrected altitude difference in the two tracks. "It says a lot about this team that with our inexperience we're able to turn all the screws correctly."
True enough, the team had the bike tuned pretty good for the opening round, as Tom's pass netted him fifth in the order.
qualifying round 1
5th Tom Bradford right lane 7.038 at 191.13 mph
"We were really pumped up after round 1," said Bradford. "We really thought the evening round would be the best shot to run 6's. I thought the top 5 in the field would be 6's. But then a 15 mph headwind kicked in right when the round started and took the wind out of everybody's sails."
qualifying round 2
5th Tom Bradford left lane 7.095 at 186.98 mph
Tom slowed at the same rate as the rest of the field and held on to fifth spot. "I can't tell you how pleased I am about the way we're jelling as a team and the thought processes that go on in the pits. It's rewarding to watch all that take place. When a guy like Ryan Schnitz's dad Dave comes up to you before a round and says 'Don't make us look bad', that really means a lot."
Bradford's also pretty smitten with the Bruton Smith run Infineon. "The facility is huge, but it's top notch. And they have an excellent fan base in this area. It's Friday and the stands are packed." Hopefully those fans will see lots of 6 second motorcycle passes on Saturday.
Tom thanked sponsors Balbayis Asset Consulting, Hal's Speedshop, Hal's H-D/Buell, Vanson Leathers, Stitch-it-Embroidery, CRD Inc., T-N-S Machining, S&S Cycle, Buell Motor Co., Mustang Shelly's Roadhouse, Red Line Oil, MicroBlue Racing, Autolite, Simpson, Wiseco, Rinehart Racing, and The Carburetor Shop for their support of the Hal's/Thunder Eagle team.
Find out more about Hal's at http://www.halspa.com
Find out more about the NHRA at http://www.nhra.com
