Unblemished McBride Wins Career
First Columbus
Seven-time Top Fuel motorcycle champion
Larry "Spiderman" McBride maintained his unbeaten season with
his fifth consecutive victory of the season, and first ever at National
Trail Raceway, during the AMA/Prostar Cyclefest from Columbus, Ohio.
With three races left to go this season in Indy, Atco, and Gainesville,
McBride is hoping to complete the ever-elusive perfect season like he
did back in 2003.
"I'm sure going to try," McBride said. "I don't feel any
extra added pressure though. After 29 years of racing you know what's
going to happen. The only thing you can do is be consistent and make them
beat you. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be."
McBride's last round loss occurred in September of last season when he
was upset by Dave Beck in Atco.
Heading into the Cyclefest McBride's only other appearance at National
Trail Raceway came in 1997 when he finished runner-up to Tony Lang in
the finals of the now defunct NHRA Pontiac Excitement Nationals.
Due to what officials concluded to be an unsafe stopping area for a Top
Fuel Motorcycle the Cyclefest was contested on the eighth-mile - a decision
McBride fully applauded.
"I am the one that was pulling for it," McBride said. "We
always want to race quarter-mile but the stopping area was just too bad."
'When we run the eighth the set-up is basically the same," McBride
said. "The nice thing about it is that it is easy on the engine."
In his first eight-mile event since September of 2003 McBride rose to
the top of the qualifying list with an impressive 3.95 at 195 mph during
his first run on Saturday.
"It was a good smooth pass," McBride said. The hard part was
adapting to the difficult weather conditions. It was very hot and we had
a 140 degree track. With 4,200 feet of corrected altitude we had to step
the power up but we also had to be careful because the track was slick.
One benefit is that we didn't have much humidly. The track is a little
better when there's no moisture on the ground."
In the final McBride defeated rival Korry Hogan with a run of 4.03 to
Hogan's 4.19. McBride was quick off the line with an .094 light and 1.02
sixty-foot time.
"I used to be better than that on the tree," laughed the 49-year-old
McBride. "Korry is young and usually he gets me at the line. I just
left hard and I never saw him after that. I give Hogan's team a lot of
credit. Those boys are doing really well and they got good power."
McBride's quest for a
perfect season will now move to the tour's next stop, the Pingel Thunder
Nationals, August 4-5, from Indianapolis, Ind.
'The new organization is great," McBride said of AMA/Prostar's new
ownership. "They are implementing some gradual changes that are for
the better and they are working hard through some tough times with fuel."
The team thanked; Pingel Enterprise, Trim-Tex Drywall Products,
Drag Specialties-Parts Unlimited, Red Line Synthetic Oil Corporation as
well as his other sponsors: Vance & Hines Motorsports, PR
Factory Store, Muzzys Performance, Web-Cam, Kibblewhite, Ferrea Valves,
Precision Machine, Vanson Leathers, Performance Machine, Belt Drives Ltd,
Street & Competition, Traci Dynamics, Simpson Race Products, Nitrous
Express, APE, EK Chain, Arias Pistons, R/D Spring Corp, Autolite, MSD,
Protect ALL, Whipple Industries, Cometic Gaskets, B&J Transmission,
Carolina Cycle, L.A. Sleeve, PJ1 Nology Engineering, Mickey Thompson Tires,
Corbin Seats, Stark Masonry, and Valco
