G Squared Motorsports: Chip Ellis captures No. 3 as first day of qualifying ends
G SQUARED MOTORSPORTS OWNERS: GEORGE BRYCE & GEORGE SMITH NHRA POWERADE DRAG RACING SERIES PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: G SQUARED S&S BUELL RIDER: CHIP ELLIS 18TH ANNUAL NHRA O'REILLY MID-SOUTH NATIONALS MEMPHIS MOTORSPORTS PARK - MEMPHIS, TENN. AUGUST 19-21, 2005 QUALIFYING: Session 1 Friday: 7.183 seconds at 183.97 mph (# 2) Session 2 Friday: 10.848 seconds at 73.37 mph (# 3) Chip Ellis captures No. 3 as first day of qualifying ends Ken Johnson update MILLINGTON, Tenn. (August 19, 2005) - Heat was the topic of the day among fans and racers as the temperatures soared and the humidity was unbearable. Nevertheless, Chip Ellis, aboard the G Squared S&S-powered Buell, was No. 3 as the first day of qualifying ended for the 18th annual NHRA O'Reilly Mid-South Nationals With the Memphis Motorsports Park track temperature around132-degrees, Ellis unleashed a pass of 7.183 seconds at 183.97 mph, good for No. 2 at the end of the opening qualifying session. By the time of the second sessions, around 7:10 p.m., the temperature had dropped into the low 90s and track temperature fell to 116-degrees as the sun dipped lower in the western sky. A timing system outage delayed Pro Stock Motorcycle action part way through the session, further reducing temperatures for the later pairings, which included Ellis. Just prior to resuming racing Ellis indicated the delay was longer than he would have liked and he was ready to get back to racing but indicated the cooler track may help those bikes who hadn't run earlier. Ellis recorded a run of 10.848 seconds which placed him third as qualifying ended on day one. Antron Brown edged Ellis for second by .001 of a second. GT Tonglet was No. 1 with an elapsed time of 7.148 seconds. Heat and track permitting the G Squared team will be after the top spot when qualifying resumes tomorrow. Air temperature is predicted near the three-digit mark. KEN JOHNSON UPDATE (8-19-05): Ken spent the past three weeks in Dayton, Ohio undergoing therapy and rehabilitation. Kassi (his wife) has been with Ken the entire time while he received education and training about his prosthesis from Tracy Slemker at Prosthetic Design Inc. Tracy has been keeping G Squared Motorsports updated and said that Ken was up to the challenge and did a great job. He was a quick learner and excelled at everything they taught him to do. Ken had to go from having only one leg to learning how to kneel down, stand up and walk with his new prosthetic leg. "Everyone at Prosthetic Design has worked really hard with Ken and we at G2 and Star Racing especially want to thank Luci Busch for taking care of Ken and Kassi during the past three weeks," said Jackie Bryce. Ken will be returning to work next week on a limited basis as he continues his rehabilitation. Jackie Bryce also indicates a benefit race and show, for both motorcycles and cars, is in the works for early October at US 19 Dragway in Albany, Georgia to help pay Ken's medical expenses. In addition, raffle tickets are being sold for a 113" polished V-Twin engine generously donated by S&S Cycle, Inc. (More details later) QUALIFYING: Qualifying concludes with two additional sessions on Saturday, at 3:30 and 6 p.m. Ellis begins his quest for the Pro Stock Motorcycle title on Sunday with eliminations for all professional classes getting underway at 3 p.m. All times are local Memphis times -- Central Time (CT): 1 hour behind the Eastern Time zone -- and subject to change at anytime. TELEVISION: Qualifying highlights for the 18th annual NHRA O"Reilly Mid-South Nationals can be seen on ESPN2 on Saturday evening (Aug. 20) from 8-10 p.m. ESPN2 will also air three hours of same-day television coverage of eliminations beginning at 10 p.m. on Sunday evening (Aug. 21). The elimination show repeats one week later on ESPN2 early Sunday morning, Aug. 28, from 3 until 5 a.m. Also, tune in to NHRA2Day on ESPN2, the weekly show that gives you the latest information about the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series. NHRA2Day can be seen on Sunday morning, Aug. 21 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.