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Schumacher Electric Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle riders Chip Ellis and Craig Treble endured a tough first round today at the Inaugural NHRA Carolinas Nationals at the all-new zMax Dragway @ Concord. Both riders were defeated in an upset-filled opening round of Pro Stock Motorcycle that saw five of the top 10 riders in the Countdown to 1 go out early.
Ellis made his quickest pass of the weekend during his first round race against Matt Guidera, running an elapsed time of 7.002 seconds at 189.07 mph, but the run was disqualified because of his -.014 red light, which handed Arana the win.
Treble made a solid run on the Schumacher Electric/Albrecht’s Fast Track Suzuki, posting a 7.045/186.28, but his opponent Hector Arana had a better reaction time (.011 to .044 - .000 is perfect) and took the win on a holeshot advantage with a 7.059/189.07.
In the Countdown to 1 playoffs points, Ellis fell from third to sixth, and Treble held on to ninth.
CHIP ELLIS, Schumacher Electric/XXX Racing Fuels Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle: “It is what it is,” said Ellis. “Unfortunately, I had another red light. Once again (crew chief) Steve Tartaglia and the Schumacher Electric guys gave me a great bike, but I don’t know what to do at this point. If you hold back on the starting line you’re late, and if you try to hit it hard you go red.
“It’s tough out here on the bikes because it is so easy to red light. We just have to find that happy medium and keep on moving forward. It’s not over until it’s over. This Schumacher Electric/XXX Racing Fuels Suzuki is a great bike and we’ve got all the resources it takes to win the championship. We’re going to continue to work as hard as we can and do whatever it takes to win the POWERade championship.”
CRAIG TREBLE, Schumacher Electric/Albrecht’s Fast Track Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle: “I’m holding my head in shame a little bit after getting beat on a holeshot,” said Treble. “That happens every once in a while. I had a .044 reaction time, which is a little sub-standard, but during the last round of qualifying I went -.010 red and I was a little bit concerned. So I squeezed the clutch lever pretty hard for the first round and I came up green. Hector went .011 on the tree and did a heck of a job. I got beat on a holeshot and that’s racing. I’m disappointed, but it could have been worse.
“Steve Tartaglia had the bike prepared and I probably could have ridden a little better. I’m still getting acclimated to the bike, but on every pass I felt a little bit more comfortable. All in all, we’re headed down the right path and I’m very happy with this Schumacher Electric/Albrecht’s Fast Track Suzuki team. All of the guys did a great job and we’ll just try and make up for it in Dallas.”
The next race for the Ellis and Treble will be the 23rd annual NHRA Fall Nationals in Dallas, Sept. 19-21.
UNOFFICIAL PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE COUNTDOWN TO 1 POINT STANDINGS
1. Matt Smith, 2148
2. Steve Johnson, 2114 (winner today)
3. Angelle Sampey, 2112
4. Eddie Krawiec, 2106 (runner-up today)
5. Andrew Hines, 2095
6. Chip Ellis, 2084
7. Matt Guidera, 2072
8. Chris Rivas, 2067
9. Craig Treble, 2022
10. Karen Stoffer, 2013
