Manufacturers Cup Friday Top Fuel Notes

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Top Fuel Motorcycle drag racing is alive and well in Valdosta, Ga.

A full field of eight Top Fuel bikes headlined Friday’s Pro qualifying. Korry Hogan, fresh out of retirement, set the pace with a career-best 5.84. Hogan reports the bike was turned down prior to the pass and the team should go even quicker throughout the weekend. The only downfall for Hogan was hurting a valve during the run.

Hogan wasn’t the only Top Fuel rider who encountered some breakage. In fact, while most Pro Street and Pro Comp teams had closed up shop for the night, most Fuel teams were up wrenching. It served as a reminder of just how incredibly demanding competing in the class can be.

Larry McBride broke a fuel pump and qualified seventh with a 10.41. Earlier in the day during testing McBride ran 6.09, shutting off the throttle 4.6 seconds into the run. McBride will also run the Lawless electric dragbike, which was featured on American Chopper last month.

Geoff Pollard broke one of his pulleys for the blower belt during his qualifying pass and is unsure if he will be able to compete. A local Pro Mod racer is trying to machine Pollard a new part at his shop.

Chris Hand ran a 6.30, but the run proved costly. Hand damaged a motor around the 330′ mark. The team changed engines, putting in the powerplant Hand named Robert E. Lee.

Tommy Grimes qualified second on his Ray Price Harley-Davidson with a career-best 6.15. The run is just .01 off the quickest nitro Harley pass ever, recorded by Joey Sternotti in Valdosta one year ago.

Nitro Harley veteran Takeshi Shigematsu made the long 16-hour flight over from Japan to participate aboard a Don Johnson-tuned machine.

Harley competitors Russ Sowers and Rich Vreeland round out the eight bike field.

More information is coming soon. In the meantime, can anyone tell me the last time there was a full field in the import/Harley Top Fuel class?

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