Electric Motorcycle Makes History at Infineon Raceway

SONOMA, Calif. (March 13, 2008) - Santa Rosa's Mike Swallow made history at Infineon Raceway, powering his electric motorcycle to victory during the track's weekly Wednesday Night Drags program.

The win marked the first time in the 20 years of Wednesday Night Drags that an electric-powered machine took the victory. Swallow piloted his 2008 custom 102 volt AC motorcycle to the win in the Motorcycle Class.

Swallow, who works for ThunderStruck Motorsports in Santa Rosa, was testing the company's latest battery-powered dragbike down the Sonoma Valley drag strip. They use the quarter-mile to find the right parameters around which the batteries run most efficiently. He defeated Petaluma's Ron Love in the final round.

"I get to come out to races because I'm the lightest guy at the shop, so it was great to get a win," said Swallow, 28, who has competed in both Wednesday Night Drags events so far this year. "I went up to the press box after the race, and the guy told me I'm a part of history at the track. This is the biggest trophy we have at the shop so far."

Other winners from the Wednesday Night Drags included Hayward's Steve Romans (Street), Santa Rosa's Nick Eagan (Sport Street), who has garnered back-to-back wins, and Novato's John Victorino (Jackpot).

The Wednesday Night Drags return to the Infineon Raceway drag strip, March 19. Gates open at 3 p.m.; competition begins at 5 p.m. Cost is $25 for competitors, $15 for students with their high school identification card and $10 for spectators. For more information, call 800-870-RACE ext. 209.

Listed below are the final round pairings in each of the six contested classes.

Motorcycle

Winner: Michael Swallow (Santa Rosa) 07 Tron .194 RT 11.561 (11.40)
107.96

Runner-up: Ron Love (Petaluma) 05 Triumph .094 RT 13.228 break out
(13.23) 81.46

 

Jackpot

Winner: John Victorino (Novato) 95 Pontiac .085 RT 14.223 ET (14.22
dial-in) 96.26 mph

Runner-up: Tom Johnson (Santa Rosa) 70 Camaro .027 RT 9.453 break out
(9.51) 124.55

 

Comp Rod

Winner: Steve Skarry (Alameda) 64 Pontiac Tempest .071 RT 10.214 (10.21)
130.56

Runner-up: Tony Page (Novato) 55 Chevy .066 RT 12.754 break out (12.77)
100.00

 

Sport Street

Winner: Nitro Nick Eagan (Santa Rosa) 06 Infinity .031 RT 14.861 (14.86)
94.65

Runner-up: Don Waltenspiel (Santa Rosa) 91 GMC Cyclone .049 RT 12.975
break out (12.98) 99.36

 

Street

Winner: Steve Romans (Hayward) 01 Chevy Truck .037 RT 15.371 (15.30)
86.05

Runner-up: Scott Sterley (San Rafael) 71 Camaro .142 RT 12.117 break out
(12.17) 103.05

 

High School

Winner: Chris Simas (Napa) 72 Chevelle .197 RT 13.554 (13.57) 96.89

Runner-up: Michael Byrne (Napa) 78 Datsun .279 RT 16.904 break out
(16.99) 81.53

 

                                                
 


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