G Squared Motorsports: Ellis No. 2, Smith No. 3 after first day of qualifying
G SQUARED MOTORSPORTS OWNERS: GEORGE BRYCE & GEORGE SMITH NHRA POWERADE DRAG RACING SERIES PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: G SQUARED S&S BUELL RIDERS: CHIP ELLIS and MATT SMITH MEDIA CONTACT: Mickey Schultz PHONE: 425-557-8899 E-MAIL: mschultz@bellsouth.net 41ST ANNUAL NHRA AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA POMONA RACEWAY - POMONA, CALIF. NOVEMBER 3-6, 2005 Ellis No. 2, Smith No. 3 after first day of qualifying POMONA, Calif. (November 3, 2005) - Chip Ellis and teammate Matt Smith, aboard their G Squared-prepared and owned, S&S-powered Pro Stock Buells, ended the first day of qualifying for the 41st annual NHRA Automobile Club of Southern California Finals No. 2 and No. 3 respectively. The qualifying for the two races at Pomona is unique in that one qualifying session is run on Thursday and one on Friday instead of the traditional two sessions on Friday. Ellis, using the same S&S engine and set up that he has had since Reading, cruised the Pomona Raceway quarter-mile on his G Squared S&S Buell in 7.091 seconds at 187.60 mph to end the day in the second position. Smith, using an engine the team rebuilt this morning, clicked off a pass of 7.097 seconds at 189.82 mph aboard his G2 Red line Oil/Skull Gear/Torco Race Fuels Buell. This placed Smith just behind Ellis in the third qualifying spot. Smith's speed of 189.82 mph was fastest of the session. Three Buells finished in the top three position with Ryan Schnitz nailing down the provisional No. 1 position as day one of qualifying came to an end. QUALIFYING: Three qualifying sessions for the 41st annual NHRA Automobile Club of Southern California Finals remain. Both Ellis and Smith will take to the track for a single session on Friday at 2 p.m. Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying concludes with two additional sessions on Saturday, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Ellis and Smith begin their quest for the Top Fuel title on Sunday with eliminations for all classes getting underway at 11 a.m. Times are local Pomona time - Pacific Time (PT) - 3 hours behind Eastern Time (ET) -- and subject to change at anytime. TELEVISION: Two hours of qualifying highlights for the 41st annual Automobile Club of Southern California Finals can be seen on ESPN2 late Saturday evening (Nov. 5) beginning at 10 p.m. ESPN2 will also air three hours of same-day television coverage of eliminations beginning at 7 p.m. on Sunday evening (Nov. 6). The elimination show repeats on ESPN2 early Monday morning, Nov. 21, from 2:30 until 4:30 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, Nov. 6 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.