Ups & Downs
Ups & Downs
ROUNDUP
UP; To drag-racer Steve Johnson, tor finally snagging his first Pro win as a team owner. Using the MRE AMA/Prostar National season-opener in Gainesville, Florida, as a warmup for the opening round of the NHRA Powerade Pro Stock series, Johnson out-ran all comers on his Vance & Hines-built Suzuki, posting a best pass of 7.16 seconds at 186.56 mph. “This is the fastest and quickest motorcycle we have ever owned,” said Johnson, an 18-year veteran of the NHRA series. “We spent a ton of money in the off-season, and a win-and the money-will keep this team motivated.”
DOWN: To CL, the “Luxury Magazine for American Airlines Premium Class Passengers,” for its case of mistaken identity. In the spring, 2004, issue’s “CL Recommends” column, the editors gave a thumbs-up to the “Titan of two-wheelers,” the sixcylinder Honda Valkyrie Rune. Unfortunately, the accompanying black-and-white photograph was of a mid-1980s CX500. Oops!
UP: To Brian Parriott, for winning this year’s BMW BoxerCup race at Daytona. Second in the inaugural event in 2003, the Northern Californian rode an R1100S tuned by San Jose BMW owner Chris Hodgson and Beemer guru Udo Geitl, uncharacteristically breaking away from the field to win by 2.7 seconds. Initially a one-race deal, the team is now seeking funding to contest the entire series.
