APE Real Street Race Report ­ Bristol, TN

The AMA Dragbike Summer Nationals at Bristol Dragway saw double action as the race hosted final eliminations for the rained-out Atlanta event.  The double-dip highlighted the parity in the class as four different riders made the two final rounds.

Atlanta eliminations picked up in round three with the race being run 1/8 mile - established due to conditions during the original running of the event.  

The final was a nitrous-vs-turbo battle between a pair of '08 Hayabusas.  John Fernandez took the win on his nitrous bike, getting a holeshot over Eddie Chapman and then pulling away, 5.77 to 5.81.

Fernandez, who is sponsored by Brock's Performance and Richies Tires, started drag racing motorcycles in 2004 with his brother Jason. "This class is for us," he said.  "With the short wheelbase and everyone running the same power it is a rider's class.  We feel nitous is the way to go."

The Bristol event saw the first repeat winner in the class this year when Valdosta winner Gilbert Coranado took the final round win over Memphis winner Jeremy Teasley.

Coranado lost is trusty ZX-10 to a spun bearing a week before the event and scrambled to prepare a nitrous ZX-14 he was setting up for Super Street competition.  Coby Adams helped get the bike up to spec and Coranado took the bike to the number one qualifying spot in the 24 bike field at 8.56 seconds running 170 mph.

Adams was called into action a second time when Coranado burned up two pistons making test laps during Saturday night grudge racing.  Adams and his team swapped a motor in the bike Sunday morning.

The final came down to the top two qualifiers, Coranado and Teasley.  In a classic, Coranado took a holeshot win, his .036-iniated 8.59 taking out Teasley's quicker 8.58.

Todd Schnitz scored low e.t./top speed of the event with a stunning 8.40/175 run in the first round of eliminations.  Teasley ran a 8.41 in the semifinals against Jared Wall.

The APE Real Street class continues at the AMA Dragbike Thunder Nationals at Indy in August.

APE Real Street Report - Memphis
Wall stands tall; Teasley wins on new bike

Story and Photos by Matt Polito

Competition in the APE Real Street class heated up in Memphis as new riders - and new racebikes ­ shook up the field.

Unknown Jared Wall stunned the competition, edging class standout Johnny "Turbo" Dobrin out of the number one qualifying position with a 8.51 elapsed time at 168 mph against Dobrin's 8.52/165 on his turbo Busa.

Wall, who took off time from his duties at the Air National Guard to attend the event, was competing in his first APE Real Street competition. Wall, who gets backing from 2 Wheel Technology and Doghouse Racing, raced his '05 Busa in Super Street for one event last season and decided to Real Street was more his thing. "I think I was the only racer with a stock clutch in Super Street," said Wall. "Real Street is a better class for me."

Following Wall in qualifying was Dobrin (yes, on a nitrous bike), Jeremy Teasley (8.58) on a new '08 Busa, Valdosta winner Gilbert Coranado (8.62) on his '05 ZX10 and Del "Hollaback" Flores (8.65) on his XXX Race Fuels Busa.

All five top qualifiers made it to round two where Flores lost "the battle of Brownsburg" to Doug Witt on the Vance & Hines Busa. The other favored riders advanced.

On of them was Teasley who was riding an '08 Busa with a single stage turbo that Rocky Ward built to run at 64 inches. After a few test sessions Ward offered to shorten it up to 60 inches and if Teasley would ride it. He didn't have to ask twice.

Teasley set the new elapsed time record of 8.448 in his quarter final race against Coranado. Ironically, Coranado ran an 8.43 in Valdosta but did not claim the record.

In the semifinals Teasley hit a very businesslike 8.51 on a single as Dobrin dodged a bullet: winning with an 8.95 when Wall stood it up and shut off early.

Dobrin got the holeshot in the final but the kid brought too much to the table. Teasley scored the win with a 8.57 to Dobrin's 8.66.

They say that a bike's value is never greater than right after a win. Ward must have believed that as he sold the bike when he got back to Ohio. Brings the old marketing slogan, "Win on Sunday, sell on Monday" to a new level.

APE Real Street Results: AMA Dragbike Atlanta

By Matt Polito
Photos by Matt Polito and Chris Simmons www.dragbikephotos.com

Rain stymied the AMA Dragbike MTC Elmer Trett Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, canceling the test session on Friday and qualifying on Saturday. Making matters worse, the track was recently re-surfaced and had no rubber on it. A process that usually takes weeks had to be completed on a damp Sunday morning.

Race officials persevered and produced the best event they could: The race would be run 1/8 mile with one shot of qualifying starting at 12:00 noon and eliminations running until it became unsafe to do so. At 9:30 PM the evening dew dropped and the plug was pulled. Two rounds of eliminations had been complete with the rest of the race to be run-off at Bristol, TN.

Gilbert Coronado's domination of the APE Real Street class at Valdosta quickly evaporated as Coronado's final round Valdosta opponent, Johnny "Turbo" Dobrin grabbed the pole with a 5.66 elapsed time at 135 mph on his NOS Busa to lead the 20-bike field by more than a tenth. Chris Cason held the second spot on his nitrous ZX-14 at 5.77/135. Coronado, who won the Valdosta event from the pole, was sixth.

Coronado got things back up to speed in round one of eliminations running a 5.74 to take out Matthew Bishop but found himself on the wrong end of a holeshot in round two against #16 qualifier Eddie Chapman with Chapman's 5.73 staying ahead of Coronado's quicker 5.72. In the same round Cason lost to APE rider Chip Hunter on his Hayabusa.

Meanwhile Dobrin slowed but got by Mark Billiter in round one with a 5.89 before getting back up to his qualifying pace with a 5.67 in round two to take out Julian Vigay.

The Vance & Hines nitrous Hayabusa ridden my MIROCK standout Doug Witt came into it's own at Atlanta. After a shaky start at Valdosta, Witt qualified third at 5.81 and turned in the low e.t. of the opening round of eliminations with a 5.71 winner over Eric Williams. Witt caught a break in round two when Del "Hollaback" Flores redlighted away a 5.90 to Witt's tire-spinning 5.98.

When competition resumes in Bristol, Witt will take on John Fernandez, Hunter will race Chapman and Dobrin gets the bye.

Coronado Stars In APE Real Street At Valdosta

By Matt Polito

Gilbert Coronado was the star of the first-ever APE Real Street competition held at the AMA Dragbike B&B Promotions Bikeweek Nationals at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Valdosta Georgia. Coronado, from Galena Park, Texas, ran the table in the class, qualifying number one, set low e.t. of the meet and taking the event win, scoring a final round victory over Johnny "Turbo" Dobrin.

Real Street moved from an exhibition class last season to a full championship eliminator in 2008. The last exhibition event of 2007 proved to be an accurate indicator of what was to come as Coronado beat Dobrin in that final round, run in Gainesville, Florida.

Coronado, who runs a Kawasaki ZX-10, stepped up to Real Street after running 1000 Super Sport at Texas Shootout events.

"I put a swingarm and a dry nitrous system on it," said Coronado. "It was simple. I still ride this bike to work."

He also decided to gain 10 pounds to take advantage of the additional wheelbase given to heavier riders.

Coronado qualified on top of the 22-bike field with an 8.589 at 163 mph, followed by Dobrin (8.65/166), Mark Billiter (8.75/163), and Jeremy Teasley (8.75/167).

Coronado was unstoppable in eliminations, running low e.t. of every round including the hot lap of the event at 8.499 in the first round on Sunday. Indy's Justin Doucet ran top speed of the meet at 171.64 mph in a first round loss to John Fernandez.

Coronado got by Teasley in the semifinals 8.50 to 8.85 and earned lane choice as Dobrin could only produce an 8.69 on a semifinal bye run.

The final was a dead heat out of the gate, with Dobrin leaving by the thinnest of margins, .098 to .099. Coronado took the mid-track advantage and the win 8.53 to Dobrin's 8.72. Both riders clocked 159 mph.

"This is a perfect class for me," said Coronado. "Someone my weight has a really hard time in Super Sport. This is a low-cost way to race heads-up."

Coronado thanked sponsor Highlands Kawasaki, bike builder Jason Thompson, crew chief Troy Jackson and Kevin Cook.

The APE Real Street class continues at the AMA Dragbike Elmer Trett Nationals at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, GA April 5-6.