Motorcycle
drag-racing’s Clark Kent
March 31, 2005
Kent Stotz has re-written the book on motorcycle drag-racing.
The four-time AMA Prostar champ and the first racer to set the
200mph record in Street Bike Shootout competition has taken the
class to new heights on his Honda Rider’s Club of America-sponsored
turbo-charged CBR1100XX.
In 2005, the forward-thinking Stotz will once again take motorcycle
drag-racing into uncharted territory. He has collaborated with
the NOPI (Number One Parts, Inc.) Drag Racing Association (NDRA)
to launch the organization’s first foray into 500-horsepower
street tire motorcycle drag racing.
“NOPI is known for its wildly popular sport-compact drag
racing series,” said Stotz. NDRA events draw tens of thousands
of fans not only for their incredible four-wheel drag racing action,
but also for the added attractions of car and bike shows and big-name
concerts. “With the announcement of the Honda Rider’s
Club of America as sponsor for the Pro Street Tire Bike class
in 2005, NOPI will become the newest venue to showcase the excitement
of high-tech 500-plus horsepower motorcycles to drag racing to
fans everywhere.”
Stotz is the perfect statesman for the new series. The affable
businessman from Schaumburg, Illinois is known throughout the
motorcycle drag-racing world as the best development rider in
the paddock. His record speaks for itself. In AMA Prostar competition,
Stotz earned his first championship in 1995 aboard a 1989 Suzuki
GSX-R1100 - the first electronically-fuel injected turbocharged
motorcycle to win the title. He repeated the feat in 1998 on a
1995 turbocharged, water-cooled GSX-R1100. Both bikes were
the product of Stotz’s ingenuity and endless hours of development
time with his sponsors.
The homegrown racer and his outrageously-powerful motorcycles
came to the attention of American Honda in 1999. With sponsor-support
from the Honda Rider’s Club of America, Stotz put his magic
to work on Honda’s CBR1100XX and soon the Blackbird was
cranking out serious horsepower—and championships. Stotz
dominated Street Bike Shootout competition and took home the title
in 2001 and 2002, despite rules changes designed to minimize the
advantage of his technical expertise. By the beginning of 2004,
alcohol and intercoolers were not permitted, and turbo inlet diameter
was restricted to 64mm. Stotz was undaunted; his mighty CRB cranked
out 505 bhp on racing gasoline alone.
“Honda’s support was what we needed to get to the
next level,” said Stotz. “They build a bulletproof
engine. I still can’t believe that we are generating this
kind of reliable horsepower on a virtually stock engine with 30
pounds of boost.”
The 2004 season saw Stotz set the quickest time or fastest speed
in five of the eight Prostar races. Fierce competition with his
former teammate Barry Henson saw the class ET record drop by nearly
.4 of a second, from 7.64 to 7.25 seconds. At the finals in Gainesville,
Stotz clocked the fastest quarter-mile ever at 200.49 mph in 7.256
seconds—just .002 seconds behind Henson, the eventual series
winner. For 2005, Stotz will be competing in selected AMA Prostar
events in the renamed Pro Street class.
Stotz is optimistic about the NDRA’s new Honda Pro Street
Tire-Bike class, where he will face stiff Suzuki and Kawasaki
competition at four scheduled motorcycle drag racing events on
the NDRA’s 12-city tour. “There are secrets to winning
at this level,” confided Stotz. “Making reliable power
is one, and we have that with Honda. Controlling all that power,
both through tuning and from the seat of the bike, are two more.
We’ll be ready.” He stopped talking and smiled; the
glint in his eye was the only clue that he has developed another
advantage.
One thing is certain. Racing fans are in for a treat when Stotz
shows the four-wheeled world what two wheels and 505-plus horsepower
can do in the hands of one of the best drag racers to ever straddle
a motorcycle.
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