New G Squared/S&S Buell debuts at Indy
G SQUARED MOTORSPORTS OWNERS: GEORGE BRYCE & GEORGE SMITH NHRA POWERADE DRAG RACING SERIES PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: G SQUARED S&S BUELL RIDER: CHIP ELLIS 51ST ANNUAL NHRA MAC TOOLS U.S. NATIONALS INDIANAPOLIS RACEWAY PARK - INDIANAPOLIS, IND. AUGUST 31- SEPTEMBER 5, 2005 CLERMONT, Ind. (September 2, 2005) - Chip Ellis put a brand spanking new Buell through its paces as qualifying began for the 51st annual Mac Tools U.S. Nationals at IRP - Indianapolis Raceway Park. In Friday's single session, Ellis covered the IRP quarter-mile in 7.203 seconds at 183.52 mph, good for the No. 7 position after one of five qualifying sessions. George Smith, who along with George Bryce owns G Squared Motorsports, has mixed reaction following Ellis' first run. "This bike made only its third run during that qualifying session. I was happy with the bike. I am happy that Ken Johnson is back but I am not happy with the way the engine sounded. We need to check that out," said Smith. Yes, Ken Johnson, who was seriously injured in a non-race related accident in early June which subsequently necessitated having his left leg amputated above the knee, returned to work at the G Squared shop this past week. Ken is here working with the team at Indy. "It was like I was never away," said Johnson. "I, along with the other guys on the team, put in 70 hours getting a new Buell ready to race at Indy. We've only made two test passes on it prior to Indy, so it is an unproved commodity. "This team has been through a lot while I've been gone but a good showing here will help regain some of the confidence." We'll have more thoughts from Ken tomorrow. Ellis enters this event, the 12th of 15 races on the season-long NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series, No. 6 in the POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle point standings. RINGERS GLOVES PRO BIKE BATTLE: Ellis will be competing in his first Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle, a special race-within-a-race being held tomorrow (Saturday) during this weekend's Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. Ringers Gloves Pro Bike Battle rounds are scheduled for 1, 6 and 7:25 p.m. Ellis qualified fourth for this year's Battle and will face Angelle Sampey in the first round. QUALIFYING: Two more qualifying sessions for Ellis and the G Squared/S&S Buell are scheduled for Saturday at 1:15 and 6:15 p.m. Qualifying ends Sunday with two final sessions at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Ellis begins his quest for the Pro Stock Motorcycle title on Monday, Labor Day, with eliminations for all professional classes getting underway at 11 a.m. All times are local Indianapolis times - Indianapolis remains on Eastern Standard Time year-around which currently is the same as Central Daylight Time (CDT): 1 hour behind the Eastern Daylight Time zone -- and subject to change at anytime. TELEVISION: Qualifying highlights and eliminations coverage for the 51st annual NHRA Mac Tools U.S. Nationals can be seen on ESPN2 as follows: Saturday, Sept. 3, ESPN2 will televise one hour of qualifying coverage at 1:30 a.m. (ET) Sunday, Sept. 4, ESPN2 will televise two hours of qualifying coverage at noon (ET) Sunday, Sept. 4, ESPN2 will televise three hours of qualifying coverage at 10:30 p.m. (ET) Monday, Sept. 5, ESPN2 will televise one hour of eliminations coverage at noon (ET) Monday, Sept. 5, ESPN2 will televise three hours of eliminations coverage at 8 p.m. (ET) Friday, Sept 16, ESPN2 will televise a two hour repeat show of eliminations at 2 a.m. (ET) 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 as follows: Sunday, Sept. 4, ESPN2 will televise NHRA 2Day at 11:30 a.m. (ET) Monday, Sept. 5, ESPN2 will televise a special presentation of NHRA 2Day at 11:30 a.m. (ET) 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. -30-