G Squared Motorsports: Eliminations
NHRA POWERADE DRAG RACING SERIES PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE: G SQUARED S&S BUELL RIDERS: CHIP ELLIS and MATT SMITH 41ST ANNUAL NHRA AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA POMONA RACEWAY - POMONA, CALIF. NOVEMBER 3-6, 2005 Chip Ellis to semifinals at Pomona Chip Ellis: Qualified: # 3 (7.047 seconds at 190.30 mph) Eliminations: Round 1: Ellis (7.171/181.54) def. Geno Scali (7.221/185.28) Round 2: Ellis (7.298/166.33) def. Angelle Sampey (Red Light: 7.179/181.59) Round 3 (semifinals): Ellis (7.174/183.02) lost to Andrew Hines (7.119/187.89) POMONA, Calif. (November 6, 2005) - Chip Ellis, aboard the G Squared-prepared and owned Buell, advanced to the semifinal round of the 41st annual NHRA Automobile Club of Southern California Finals before being turned back by Andrew Hines, who clinched the POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle championship today. In the opening round, Ellis defeated Geno Scali (7.171 seconds to 7.221 seconds). In the quarterfinals, the Americus, Ga. driver bested Angelle Sampey, who red lighted. The match up with Hines was a battle of V-Twins - Ellis on the G Squared S&S-powered Buell, Hines on the Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle V-Rod. Ellis, who had excellent reaction times all day, was away first at the green. At the finish line it was Hines in 7.119 seconds, followed by Ellis in 7.174 seconds. Reflecting on the season, George Smith, who co-owns G Squared Motorsports along with partner George Bryce, had the following thoughts: "It's been a very successful season. I'm especially pleased with the way Chip has rode the past couple of events. He had some up and downs but his 60-foot times, his consistency, his lights and shifts points were outstanding. "Finally, let me add a thanks to the guys at S&S for giving us a power plant that we've been able to introduce to the NHRA and bring six new teams to the sport. It's provided a lot of additional interest in the sport and a lot more balance. So, thanks to S&S for all that they do." Regarding today's race with Hines, Smith added, "We would have done better had we not hurt a motor the round before. We had to change the motor between rounds. That makes the tune up kind of like shooting fish in a barrel because you don't have any base lines for the tune up. POWERade Points: Ellis finished No. 5 in the final 2005 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle point standings Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award: Ellis, along with three other drivers, Jack Beckman (Top Fuel), Erica Enders (Pro Stock) and Robert Hight (Funny Car), representative of all four pro categories, have been selected as the nominees for the 2005 Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award. The winner of the prestigious award receives a $20,000 monetary prize and sleek ceremonial trophy and will be announced Monday night, Nov. 7, during the NHRA's annual championship awards ceremony at the Westin Mission Hills Resort in Rancho Mirage, Calif. Matt Smith suffers holeshot loss at Pomona Matt Smith: Qualified: # 1 (7.000 seconds at 189.71 mph) Eliminations: Round 1: Smith (7.162/184.35) lost to Michael Phillips (7.198/187.36) POMONA, Calif. (November 6, 2005) - After qualifying No. 1, Matt Smith lost on a holeshot to Michael Phillips in the opening round of the 41st annual NHRA Automobile Club of Southern California Finals. Phillips got a big jump at the green - an advantage of .113 of a second - and never looked back, much to Smith's dismay. Smith ran an elapsed time of 7.162 seconds to 7.198 seconds for Phillips. Philips' margin of victory was .0776 seconds. "Matt has been cutting good lights during qualifying and is usually consistent on the lights so I'm at a loss to say why he was so late leaving in that opening round. Matt tries hard and we want to work with him in the future and try to make him better. By his qualifying times this weekend alone you can tell he can do the job. We expected him to win the first round but it just didn't work," said George Bryce, who co-owns G Squared Motorsports along with partner George Smith, Reflecting on Matt, George Smith, had the following thoughts: "It's been very rewarding to have Matt Smith ride one of our bikes the last four events and we look forward to seeing if we can further that arrangement for the upcoming season." POWERade Points: Smith finished No. 12 in the final 2005 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle point standings Full Throttle NHRA Pit Crew Championships: In addition to the first No. 1 of his career, Smith and G Squared Motorsports won the Full Throttle NHRA Pit Crew Championships for their work at the Auto Club of Southern California Finals and the monetary prize that goes with the award. The Full Throttle NHRA Pit Crew Championships program awards bonus money to each of the four professional teams attending each NHRA POWERade National Events. The program utilizes a point system, generally based on, among other factors, a combination of qualifying position and elapsed times to determine and award a Full Throttle NHRA Pit Crew Championships at each event. *********************************************************************************************************************************** TELEVISION: ESPN2 will air a repeat of the elimination show early Monday morning, Nov. 21, from 2:30 until 4:30 a.m. Television times are Eastern Time (ET) and subject to change at anytime. Check local listings. NEXT RACE: This was the final event, the 15th of 15 races for Pro Stock Motorcycles, on the 2005 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series schedule. The 2006 season will open with the CARQUEST Auto Parts Winternationals at the Auto Club Raceway of Pomona (formerly Pomona Raceway) in Pomona Raceway, February 9-12, 2006. The first race for Pro Stock Motorcycles will be the Mac Tools Gatornationals at Gainesville (Fla.) Raceway, March 16-19, 2006. 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.