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Corrales, NM 3/3/08- The All Harley Drag Racing Association’s Screaming Eagle Performance Parts Bike Week Nationals, the first event of the season in Gainesville, FL was a Big start for Greg Krenik’s Pro Mod and Pro Stock Bikes tuned by Steve Allstaedt of SA Racing in North Carolina.
The 30 plus hour drive from the Desert Dawgs home in New Mexico to Steve’s Shop in Fletcher, North Carolina to put the refurbished motors in the bikes was pretty smooth. The trip was fun and knowing that warmer weather was on the horizon made it easier to get there. Arriving in NC on Sunday before the race, they first had to install the motors. Greg and Steve worked hard to get them in the bikes and thought maybe they would have some time to test...somewhere in FL? They tried, but Orlando Speed World advertised a test and tune and they decided to cancel it at the last moment, a big shock to us, after sitting in their driveway for 5 hours.
For 2008, both bikes have a new aerodynamic look. Greg and Steve knew they would need some bodywork to make the bikes go faster and with Brian’s (Unique Services) help, they attached the new bodywork in record time. Then Dave at Leading Edge Customs decided that Greg needed a new look to his helmet so he added the ‘rabid’ Desert Dawg on both sides of Greg’s helmet in addition to painting the bodywork the day before the Dawgs left!
The first race of the season always has the most unknowns. By adding the new bodywork, it really messed with the tune-ups on both bikes so the Dawgs struggled during qualifying. “We decided to radically change the tune-up because the bikes just wouldn’t run right with the new bodywork.”, said Krenik. “We changed the voltage on the Pro Mod so our air/fuel sensors didn't work during testing so we had to tune the old way, by reading the plugs.” he added. Greg qualified #2 on the Pro Mod with an 8.68 et, just behind Greg’s rival from last year, Randy Borho’s 8.63 et. On the Pro Stock he qualified #4 with an 8.28 et. “We just couldn't get that bike down the track.”, said Allstaedt. “We blew through the clutch, then it wouldn’t shift into second gear and on the 3rd pass we missed the jetting really bad. That makes for sleepless nights trying to figure out where we went wrong.” He added.
Sunday was a new day… Elimination Day! The Pro Stock was first to run and Greg won the round with an 8.42, which was way off the pace. The Pro Mod’s first round was a win- even though the tire spun really badly as Greg fishtailed all the way through first gear. This sent Greg and Steve back to the drawing board for both bikes, in between rounds…YIKEES!
In the second round of Pro Stock we witnessed Greg blasting down the track with an 8.17 et breaking the AHDRA Pro Stock MPH record at 166.35 MPH. Steve was jumping around on the starting line, knowing this was the 1st time they had broken a Pro Stock record and that had been in place since March 2006. A BIG WIN and Record for the Desert Dawgs!
In the Pro Stock semi finals Greg paired up against Reno , the #1 qualifier. Greg cut a 0.001 reaction time and outran him to the finish with a 8.18 to an 8.19 at 164.53 MPH. Next, Greg’s Pro Mod run was much the same as his second, spinning the tire but riding it straight to the end of the track, for the win. “We took a lot of clutch out each round on the Pro Mod but nothing seems to make a difference. We're at the same place we were when we drove through the clutch in qualifying.”, said Steve.
Time for the finals. YES, both Bikes are in the Finals!! First up is the Pro Mod and Greg is racing against Randy Borho, the #1 qualifier. Randy gets Greg on the tree, a 0.025 to a 0.028. At the 1/8 mile Randy is at a 5.600 to Greg’s 5.606. At the 1000’ they are both at 7.330. Greg takes the win with a 8.826 to Randy’s 8.832. Margin of victory, 0.0034 seconds. WOW, what a race! Both bikes spun their tires as the track was in the shade as the sun was setting. Beating Randy at the first race of the year was a good ‘pay-back’ after loosing the Championship to him last season! “Greg really handled the bike well on those Pro Mod launches, the last three wins came because of him not letting the bike get away from him. We're putting a lot of power to the ground and we just couldn't get that 7” tire to hook up.”, said Steve.
Now the trick is to calm Greg down and get him on the Pro Stock for the finals… Greg is riding the faster bike. He’s racing against James Surber, the #2 qualifier. Greg trees James 0.017 to a 0.114 but at the hit of the throttle Greg shreds the teeth off the motor belt and James takes the win.
“What a way to start the season, Steve did an awesome job figuring the bikes out on Sunday, he'd work on one bike between rounds, then the other bike the next round, we just don't have the time to work on both between rounds on Sunday. We get a little more time before the finals because they reverse the order, but not much. We both completely forgot that our belts need to be replaced after 13 passes...this one ‘shredded’ on the 15th.” said Greg.
Steve’s afterthoughts, “When Greg told me that there was no R & D money for the new season and we would just have to run the same combination, I got a little worried. I knew we were going to have to refine what we already had to be competitive. We were able to make what we already had work to our advantage, without any major changes, using a little bit of creative thinking and a lot of prayer.”
“This was an incredible weekend and a great start to the 2008 Race season. As usual, Greg will race some of the toughest competitors in his 2 classes, which will make it hard and fun at the same time” said Karen Raffa –Greg’s wife. “ My job on the team is small, I am picking the spot in which my husband will launch his motorcycles and then reach speeds in excess of 160 mph in 1320 feet. So, I look and touch very carefully to make sure Greg has a solid spot to ‘take-off’ from and then it is his job to get down the rest of the track. He had some squirmy rides this weekend, not for the faint of heart!” Karen added.
The Dawgs take the next weekend off from racing and then attend the Albuquerque Super Bike Show on March 14-15…then 2 weeks later head to Phoenix for the first AHDRA Western Division race of the season.
The Desert Dawgs would like to THANK their ever important sponsors for making this all happen. Meet their Sponsors and their products:
Thunderbird Harley-Davidson: New Mexico, Harley, Harley-Davidson, Buell, Motorcycle, Dealer, Thunderbird Harley-Davidson/Buell
SA Racing Inc.: 828-674-6225 Steve Allstaedt
Unique Services Inc.: www.uniquesvcs.com
Leading Edge Customs: Welcome to Leading Edge Customs
Custom Coating: 505-626-2605 Erin McGonagle
CP Pistons: CP Pistons - Home
Mickey Thompson Tires: Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels
Outlaw Race Fuels: 775-690-3488 MacMonagle Family
Lyndall Race Brakes: Lyndall Racing Brakes
Regina Chain USA : Welcome to REGINA USA
Bandit Machine Works: Bandit Machine Works: Clutches and Belt Drives and Related Parts, Tools, and Accessories for Harley Davidson Motorcycles
Boot Guard: 866-547-2668
Plus a Big Thanks to all the AHDRA Contingency Sponsors!
See more at AHDRA All Harley Drag Racing Association
Desert Dawgs ROCK the 2008 opening AHDRA event
One WIN, One Runner-UP and One MPH Record!
Corrales, NM 3/3/08- The All Harley Drag Racing Association’s Screaming Eagle Performance Parts Bike Week Nationals, the first event of the season in Gainesville, FL was a Big start for Greg Krenik’s Pro Mod and Pro Stock Bikes tuned by Steve Allstaedt of SA Racing in North Carolina.
The 30 plus hour drive from the Desert Dawgs home in New Mexico to Steve’s Shop in Fletcher, North Carolina to put the refurbished motors in the bikes was pretty smooth. The trip was fun and knowing that warmer weather was on the horizon made it easier to get there. Arriving in NC on Sunday before the race, they first had to install the motors. Greg and Steve worked hard to get them in the bikes and thought maybe they would have some time to test...somewhere in FL? They tried, but Orlando Speed World advertised a test and tune and they decided to cancel it at the last moment, a big shock to us, after sitting in their driveway for 5 hours.
For 2008, both bikes have a new aerodynamic look. Greg and Steve knew they would need some bodywork to make the bikes go faster and with Brian’s (Unique Services) help, they attached the new bodywork in record time. Then Dave at Leading Edge Customs decided that Greg needed a new look to his helmet so he added the ‘rabid’ Desert Dawg on both sides of Greg’s helmet in addition to painting the bodywork the day before the Dawgs left!
The first race of the season always has the most unknowns. By adding the new bodywork, it really messed with the tune-ups on both bikes so the Dawgs struggled during qualifying. “We decided to radically change the tune-up because the bikes just wouldn’t run right with the new bodywork.”, said Krenik. “We changed the voltage on the Pro Mod so our air/fuel sensors didn't work during testing so we had to tune the old way, by reading the plugs.” he added. Greg qualified #2 on the Pro Mod with an 8.68 et, just behind Greg’s rival from last year, Randy Borho’s 8.63 et. On the Pro Stock he qualified #4 with an 8.28 et. “We just couldn't get that bike down the track.”, said Allstaedt. “We blew through the clutch, then it wouldn’t shift into second gear and on the 3rd pass we missed the jetting really bad. That makes for sleepless nights trying to figure out where we went wrong.” He added.
Sunday was a new day… Elimination Day! The Pro Stock was first to run and Greg won the round with an 8.42, which was way off the pace. The Pro Mod’s first round was a win- even though the tire spun really badly as Greg fishtailed all the way through first gear. This sent Greg and Steve back to the drawing board for both bikes, in between rounds…YIKEES!
In the second round of Pro Stock we witnessed Greg blasting down the track with an 8.17 et breaking the AHDRA Pro Stock MPH record at 166.35 MPH. Steve was jumping around on the starting line, knowing this was the 1st time they had broken a Pro Stock record and that had been in place since March 2006. A BIG WIN and Record for the Desert Dawgs!
In the Pro Stock semi finals Greg paired up against Reno , the #1 qualifier. Greg cut a 0.001 reaction time and outran him to the finish with a 8.18 to an 8.19 at 164.53 MPH. Next, Greg’s Pro Mod run was much the same as his second, spinning the tire but riding it straight to the end of the track, for the win. “We took a lot of clutch out each round on the Pro Mod but nothing seems to make a difference. We're at the same place we were when we drove through the clutch in qualifying.”, said Steve.
Time for the finals. YES, both Bikes are in the Finals!! First up is the Pro Mod and Greg is racing against Randy Borho, the #1 qualifier. Randy gets Greg on the tree, a 0.025 to a 0.028. At the 1/8 mile Randy is at a 5.600 to Greg’s 5.606. At the 1000’ they are both at 7.330. Greg takes the win with a 8.826 to Randy’s 8.832. Margin of victory, 0.0034 seconds. WOW, what a race! Both bikes spun their tires as the track was in the shade as the sun was setting. Beating Randy at the first race of the year was a good ‘pay-back’ after loosing the Championship to him last season! “Greg really handled the bike well on those Pro Mod launches, the last three wins came because of him not letting the bike get away from him. We're putting a lot of power to the ground and we just couldn't get that 7” tire to hook up.”, said Steve.
Now the trick is to calm Greg down and get him on the Pro Stock for the finals… Greg is riding the faster bike. He’s racing against James Surber, the #2 qualifier. Greg trees James 0.017 to a 0.114 but at the hit of the throttle Greg shreds the teeth off the motor belt and James takes the win.
“What a way to start the season, Steve did an awesome job figuring the bikes out on Sunday, he'd work on one bike between rounds, then the other bike the next round, we just don't have the time to work on both between rounds on Sunday. We get a little more time before the finals because they reverse the order, but not much. We both completely forgot that our belts need to be replaced after 13 passes...this one ‘shredded’ on the 15th.” said Greg.
Steve’s afterthoughts, “When Greg told me that there was no R & D money for the new season and we would just have to run the same combination, I got a little worried. I knew we were going to have to refine what we already had to be competitive. We were able to make what we already had work to our advantage, without any major changes, using a little bit of creative thinking and a lot of prayer.”
“This was an incredible weekend and a great start to the 2008 Race season. As usual, Greg will race some of the toughest competitors in his 2 classes, which will make it hard and fun at the same time” said Karen Raffa –Greg’s wife. “ My job on the team is small, I am picking the spot in which my husband will launch his motorcycles and then reach speeds in excess of 160 mph in 1320 feet. So, I look and touch very carefully to make sure Greg has a solid spot to ‘take-off’ from and then it is his job to get down the rest of the track. He had some squirmy rides this weekend, not for the faint of heart!” Karen added.
The Dawgs take the next weekend off from racing and then attend the Albuquerque Super Bike Show on March 14-15…then 2 weeks later head to Phoenix for the first AHDRA Western Division race of the season.
The Desert Dawgs would like to THANK their ever important sponsors for making this all happen. Meet their Sponsors and their products:
Thunderbird Harley-Davidson: New Mexico, Harley, Harley-Davidson, Buell, Motorcycle, Dealer, Thunderbird Harley-Davidson/Buell
SA Racing Inc.: 828-674-6225 Steve Allstaedt
Unique Services Inc.: www.uniquesvcs.com
Leading Edge Customs: Welcome to Leading Edge Customs
Custom Coating: 505-626-2605 Erin McGonagle
CP Pistons: CP Pistons - Home
Mickey Thompson Tires: Mickey Thompson Performance Tires & Wheels
Outlaw Race Fuels: 775-690-3488 MacMonagle Family
Lyndall Race Brakes: Lyndall Racing Brakes
Regina Chain USA : Welcome to REGINA USA
Bandit Machine Works: Bandit Machine Works: Clutches and Belt Drives and Related Parts, Tools, and Accessories for Harley Davidson Motorcycles
Boot Guard: 866-547-2668
Plus a Big Thanks to all the AHDRA Contingency Sponsors!
See more at AHDRA All Harley Drag Racing Association
