<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/ashley.jpg" alt="ashley" align="right"borders="0"/>
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 16, 2008) - Pro Mod rookie Roger Burgess won his first-ever event round-victory en route to a quarterfinal finish at the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals in the JEGS ProMod Challenge, while his top-qualifying teammate, two-time world champion Mike Ashley, fell prey to the wiles of tire-shake in the first round, ending his day early.
Burgess delivered a 6.193-second, 225 mph performance in the first round to defeat John Russo. In the second round, Burgess' Corvette suffered mechanical failure and slowed to a stop before the finish line, handing the win to Californian Kirk Kuhns. The heavily-favored Ashley was derailed immediately at the hit of the throttle in his round against Joe Baker, and the '68 Camaro fought the champ all the way to the stripe, handing Baker the easy win.
"Any round win is positive," Burgess said of his first round success against Russo. "John had tested so well, running a staggering 5.89 in Valdosta, so we knew we needed to be on top of our game today. Chuck Ford and Howard Moon had the car ready to go for me, and, even with a little trouble getting traction at the hit, we were able to walk away with a win.
"The second round, we just got too aggressive, and something broke right after I took off at the light. I had no power at all, so I just moved over to the side of the lane and coasted to a stop. In all, despite going out a little earlier that I wanted to, it was a great day for our whole Gotham City Racing team," Burgess said.
Ashley said, "I couldn't agree more with Roger - it was a great day. No, I don't like losing a round - especially when I know I've got the better car, but in the big picture, I think we all did great. It's my first race back in a Pro Mod, it's only Roger's second race - and he won his first round. I'm really happy for him.
"And, to top it off, ESPN showed footage of my Camaro on their highlights show Saturday night - which is really rare. They don't give Pro Mods a lot of time at all, so, that made us all feel good, too," Ashley said.
Burgess added, "I really like what Jegs has done so far this season. They've put together a great show, and I think things really are going to be exciting this year. It's a new era in Pro Mod, and definitely one for this Gotham City Racing team."
Ashley will race again in two weeks when the Jegs Pro Mod Challenge moves to Houston March 28-30 and the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals in Baytown, Texas. Burgess will pick back up with the tour when they visit his hometown of Atlanta April 24-27.
Photo Courtesy of Competition Plus
Burgess gains first round-win in quarterfinal finish, Ashley victim of tire-shake
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 16, 2008) - Pro Mod rookie Roger Burgess won his first-ever event round-victory en route to a quarterfinal finish at the ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals in the JEGS ProMod Challenge, while his top-qualifying teammate, two-time world champion Mike Ashley, fell prey to the wiles of tire-shake in the first round, ending his day early.
Burgess delivered a 6.193-second, 225 mph performance in the first round to defeat John Russo. In the second round, Burgess' Corvette suffered mechanical failure and slowed to a stop before the finish line, handing the win to Californian Kirk Kuhns. The heavily-favored Ashley was derailed immediately at the hit of the throttle in his round against Joe Baker, and the '68 Camaro fought the champ all the way to the stripe, handing Baker the easy win.
"Any round win is positive," Burgess said of his first round success against Russo. "John had tested so well, running a staggering 5.89 in Valdosta, so we knew we needed to be on top of our game today. Chuck Ford and Howard Moon had the car ready to go for me, and, even with a little trouble getting traction at the hit, we were able to walk away with a win.
"The second round, we just got too aggressive, and something broke right after I took off at the light. I had no power at all, so I just moved over to the side of the lane and coasted to a stop. In all, despite going out a little earlier that I wanted to, it was a great day for our whole Gotham City Racing team," Burgess said.
Ashley said, "I couldn't agree more with Roger - it was a great day. No, I don't like losing a round - especially when I know I've got the better car, but in the big picture, I think we all did great. It's my first race back in a Pro Mod, it's only Roger's second race - and he won his first round. I'm really happy for him.
"And, to top it off, ESPN showed footage of my Camaro on their highlights show Saturday night - which is really rare. They don't give Pro Mods a lot of time at all, so, that made us all feel good, too," Ashley said.
Burgess added, "I really like what Jegs has done so far this season. They've put together a great show, and I think things really are going to be exciting this year. It's a new era in Pro Mod, and definitely one for this Gotham City Racing team."
Ashley will race again in two weeks when the Jegs Pro Mod Challenge moves to Houston March 28-30 and the O'Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals in Baytown, Texas. Burgess will pick back up with the tour when they visit his hometown of Atlanta April 24-27.
Photo Courtesy of Competition Plus
