Stotz Racing Stalks AMA/Prostar
Pro Street Title at Cyclefest
Cyclefest at National Trail Raceway in Columbus, Ohio, July 7-8
was the setting for round five of the 2007 AMA/Prostar Series
and Honda Rider’s Club of America-sponsored Stotz Racing’s
ongoing assault on the Pro Street title.
Four-time national motorcycle drag racing champion Kent Stotz
qualified third on his turbocharged Honda CBR1000RR on Saturday
and climbed the ladder through three rounds of qualifying on Sunday,
clocking his best ET in round two at 7.529 seconds. Stotz lined
up for the final but a last-minute concern forced him to retire.
“We knew on Friday that we had to use our hot track setup
for the weekend,” Stotz said. “We’ve been chasing
slippery track settings all season and found them at the last
round in Memphis, where we finished second. Before Saturday’s
qualifying rounds, we shortened the wheelbase 2.5 inches and raised
the height to get the weight transfer we needed. The bike performed
flawlessly through eliminations on Sunday but I noticed a potential
problem before the final and decided to play it safe and take
the second-place points.”
All season long, Stotz has been campaigning Honda’s CBR1000RR
against the larger 1300-1400cc Pro Street behemoths. The turbocharged
Honda, the only literbike in the field, demonstrated its potential
and Stotz’s incredible tuning skills at the Spring Nationals
in Richmond in April with a record-setting ET of 7.312 seconds—a
record that still stands.
“That was back when we were making about 460 horsepower
and we’ve continued to improve,” said Stotz. “Coming
into the Columbus round we’re seeing 508 horsepower at 13,600
rpm and 32 pounds of boost. It’s hard to believe we are
still developing the Honda and yet running second overall in the
series. I really like our chances to win the title.”
Stotz was quick to praise his sponsors. “I can’t say
enough about Star Racing, their ongoing cylinder head work is
the reason we continue to find more power in the Honda engine.
And our JE Pistons are standing up to incredible cylinder pressures
without any problems. Just as important, our HyperPro rear shock
does a phenomenal job of getting all that power to the ground.”
The next stop for Stotz Racing and the HRCA-sponsored Honda CBR1000RR
will be the Thunder Nationals, August 4-5, at O'Reilly Raceway
Park in Indianapolis for round six of the 2007 AMA/Prostar Series.
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