It’s been more than two months since Pro Extreme Motorcycle’s last event on the PDRA schedule, but Brunson Grothus picked up right where he left off, earning his second consecutive No. 1 qualifier award at the inaugural PDRA Thunder Valley Throwdown. Riding Robert Varela’s turbocharged Dallas Flat Glass Distributors ’19 Hayabusa, Grothus recorded a 4.036 at 184.83 in the opening qualifying session to take the top spot.
“I have tons of good memories being at Bristol. It’s a super cool place,” said Grothus, who last raced at Bristol at an all-motorcycle event in 2011. “Right off the trailer, we run a 4.03, like a perfect lap. I got to take a rest a little bit – I’ve been under the weather. Got my feet under me a little bit and then just made another good lap. It wasn’t perfect. We tried a few things, which obviously didn’t work out, as it didn’t improve, but the bike’s happy and the motor’s happy. You can’t complain about that.”
A pair of Alabama-based riders, Chris Garner-Jones and Ashley Owens, followed Grothus in second and third, respectively. Garner-Jones, the two-time and reigning world champion, posted a 4.05 at 170.77 on his nitrous-fed T.T. Jones Racing ’18 Hayabusa, and Owens rode his nitrous-assisted McKinney Motorsports ’10 Suzuki to a 4.065 at 175.11.
The inaugural Thunder Valley Throwdown at Bristol Dragway will continue Saturday at 9 a.m. beginning with Jr. Dragster final qualifying and the start of sportsman eliminations. Pro class eliminations will kick off at 2 p.m.
There are more videos on the Cycledrag Youtube channel (please subscribe here) and like the Cycledrag Facebook page (Please like here) and more will be coming soon. Also subscribe to our NEW Youtube channel “Racing Jack” and Check back daily.
