24TH ANNUAL NHRA LUCAS OIL NATIONALS BRAINERD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY
24TH ANNUAL NHRA LUCAS OIL NATIONALS BRAINERD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY – BRAINERD, MINN. AUGUST 11-14, 2005 QUALIFYING: Session 1 Friday: 7.119 seconds at 192.55 mph (# 2) Session 2 Friday: 7.090 seconds at 186.15 mph (# 3) Session 1 Saturday: 7.049 seconds at 193.35 mph (# 3) Session 2 Saturday: 7.147 seconds at 183.34 mph (# 3) G Squared and Chip Ellis elated with No. 3 at BIR BRAINERD, Minn. (August 13, 2005) – Qualifying came to a completion today for the 24th annual NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals at BIR, Brainerd International Raceway. Chip Ellis, aboard the G Squared S&S Buell, ended qualifying No. 3 on the final qualifying ladder. Ellis best elapsed time of the four qualifying sessions was a 7.049 second run at over 193 miles per hour in Saturday’s morning qualifying session. His speed of 193.35 mph was a career best for the Americus Ga., driver. In the final session, George Bryce and George Smith, co-owners of G Squared Motorsports, opted to try some things to see how the bike would react. The test produced a run of 7.147 seconds at 183.34 mph. Recapping Friday’s two qualifying sessions: In the opening session, Ellis rode the S&S-powered Buell to an elapsed time of 7.119-second pass at a speed of 192.55 mph. In the late afternoon qualifying session, Ellis covered the BIR quarter-mile in 7.090 seconds, ending the first day of qualifying in the No. 3 position. “We are thankful that we got our bike back after the rig was taken from an Omaha hotel,” said Smith. “I really thought we’d never see it again. Despite all that went on, we were able to pull together and move forward continuing the improvement that we’ve been making over the last several races. “The power that we have shown during qualifying is the same power that we’ve had all season from our S&S engine. The difference here is that we’re doing a good job with the tune up and Chip (Ellis) is doing a good job riding. His lights have been outstanding; the 60-foot times are converting to low elapsed times at the finish line and Chip is hitting shift points on time. “We expect to do well and be consistent tomorrow. While we don’t have as much power as the Screamin’ Eagle guys, we can overcome that with good driving from Chip and be a threat. Ellis will face Shawn Gann in tomorrow’s opening round. Gann qualified No. 14 with an elapsed time of 7.161 seconds. ELIMINATION: Ellis begins his quest for the Pro Stock Motorcycle title on Sunday with eliminations for all classes getting underway at 11 a.m. Time is local Brainerd time -- Central Time (CT): 1 hour behind the Eastern Time zone -- and subject to change at anytime. TELEVISION: Qualifying highlights for the 24th NHRA Lucas Oil Nationals can be seen on ESPN2 HD on this evening (Aug. 13) from 8-10 p.m. The qualifying show repeats on ESPN2 HD early Sunday morning (Aug. 14) from 12:30 – 1:30 a.m. ESPN2 HD will also air three hours of same-day television coverage of eliminations beginning at 7 p.m. on Sunday evening (Aug. 14). The elimination show repeats on ESPN2 HD early Monday morning, Aug. 15, from 2:30 until 4:30 a.m. Also, tune in to NHRA2Day on ESPN2 HD, the weekly show that gives you the latest information about the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. NHRA2Day can be seen on Sunday morning, Aug. 14 at 11:30 a.m. Television times are Eastern Time (ET) and subject to change at anytime. Check local listings. G SQUARED MOTORSPORTS: When Harley Davidson accelerated their effort in NHRA, S&S Cycle decided in 2002 to join the battle. Because of his vast R&D experience, coupled with his racing background, S&S asked George Smith to head their project to field a competitive S&S V-Twin bike on the NHRA circuit. Smith immediately asked George Bryce, who had been working with S&S Cycle on a similar project, to join the new endeavor and G Squared Motorsports was formed in 2003. Both Smith and Bryce knew if they collaborated on the project, joining the resources, knowledge and talents of S&S and Star Racing, they could produce a competitive bike to race in Pro Stock Motorcycle competition on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. The G Squared/S&S-powered V-Twin Buell debuted in 2004.