Joliet, prerace: It’s been a full month since the Pro Stock Motorcycles enjoyed the thrill of competition on the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing circuit. But the time has finally come for them to again be part of the action at this weekend’s 12th annual United Association Route 66 Nationals at Route 66 Raceway. And the Vroom Racing team out of Tulsa, Okla. and their rider, David Hope are ready for the fun to begin.
The team hasn’t spent the long hiatus on vacation; instead they were working day and night building their motors in order to get the beautiful Buell ready to do battle. And in the usual “waiting on parts” fashion, the deadline was drawing near and they weren’t finished but they got everything ready with just enough time to make a quick stop at Gateway International Raceway for a few test runs before they hustled up to Route 66 Raceway to prepare for this weekend’s action. And the results were worth the hard work.
“We’re pleased with how the bike is running,” said team owner, John Hammock. “It came around, we got our wheel speed down and were happy with that. We may not be exactly where we want to be but after a few more passes I feel confident that we will be. David and I feel positive that we’re moving in a forward direction.”
“It seems like an eternity since I’ve been on the bike,” said Hope, “and it almost didn’t happen on Tuesday. It was storming most of the day but there was a break in the weather long enough for us to make two passes. It felt good to get back on it and after the couple runs we made, I feel we’re making good progress. On our second pass, I can’t tell you how good it felt. The bike has never felt that good to 60 feet and that is encouraging to me.
“Now if I don’t have to worry about what the bike is going to do, I can concentrate on honing my driving skills. It’s pretty basic. We need to make more runs down the track for the data, and with more runs I’ll have more seat time.
“We also tried something with my riding and it seemed to help. We’re working on my seat transition. I need to stay more stable, more fixed during the run. We think we may avoid some of the tire spinning we’ve been fighting. It may not be the complete fix but it’s a start.”
Hammock and Hope had wanted to get their motors on the dynamometer before sending Hope and the bike down the track, but with time against them, they decided to forgo the dyno session in favor of some real time on the track with their test session. And the decision played out in their favor.
“We ran out of time and never got our motors on the dyno,” said Hope, “and after we tested, John and I talked about not going to Joliet and instead going to the dyno. But we decided that we liked what the bike was showing and that would get more out of going to the race. We are committed to working together to make good things happen with our Buell. And if we’re at the race track I can get more seat time and we can get more data. Those are the factors that make up a competitive team.
“I’ve never raced at Route 66 but I am looking forward to it. I’m very familiar with its reputation. It’s a good track. We’re hoping that may work to our advantage, so we’ll go there and try and get some work done.”
The team hasn’t spent the long hiatus on vacation; instead they were working day and night building their motors in order to get the beautiful Buell ready to do battle. And in the usual “waiting on parts” fashion, the deadline was drawing near and they weren’t finished but they got everything ready with just enough time to make a quick stop at Gateway International Raceway for a few test runs before they hustled up to Route 66 Raceway to prepare for this weekend’s action. And the results were worth the hard work.
“We’re pleased with how the bike is running,” said team owner, John Hammock. “It came around, we got our wheel speed down and were happy with that. We may not be exactly where we want to be but after a few more passes I feel confident that we will be. David and I feel positive that we’re moving in a forward direction.”
“It seems like an eternity since I’ve been on the bike,” said Hope, “and it almost didn’t happen on Tuesday. It was storming most of the day but there was a break in the weather long enough for us to make two passes. It felt good to get back on it and after the couple runs we made, I feel we’re making good progress. On our second pass, I can’t tell you how good it felt. The bike has never felt that good to 60 feet and that is encouraging to me.
“Now if I don’t have to worry about what the bike is going to do, I can concentrate on honing my driving skills. It’s pretty basic. We need to make more runs down the track for the data, and with more runs I’ll have more seat time.
“We also tried something with my riding and it seemed to help. We’re working on my seat transition. I need to stay more stable, more fixed during the run. We think we may avoid some of the tire spinning we’ve been fighting. It may not be the complete fix but it’s a start.”
Hammock and Hope had wanted to get their motors on the dynamometer before sending Hope and the bike down the track, but with time against them, they decided to forgo the dyno session in favor of some real time on the track with their test session. And the decision played out in their favor.
“We ran out of time and never got our motors on the dyno,” said Hope, “and after we tested, John and I talked about not going to Joliet and instead going to the dyno. But we decided that we liked what the bike was showing and that would get more out of going to the race. We are committed to working together to make good things happen with our Buell. And if we’re at the race track I can get more seat time and we can get more data. Those are the factors that make up a competitive team.
“I’ve never raced at Route 66 but I am looking forward to it. I’m very familiar with its reputation. It’s a good track. We’re hoping that may work to our advantage, so we’ll go there and try and get some work done.”
