FURR GETS UPSET WIN
IN RAY PRICE TOP
FUEL CHALLENGE
Thornley Loses in
the Final but Wins
AMRA Championship in
Pro Fuel Class
ROCKINGHAM, N.C. –
In a field that
included reigning
NHRA Top Fuel Harley
champion Jay
“Bulldog” Turner of
Julian,
newly-crowned
American Motorcycle
Racing Association
champ Jake Stordeur
of Goshen, Ohio, and
international
standout Takeshi
Shigematsu of Iyo,
Ehime, Japan, Armon
Furr wasn’t even a
blip on the radar
entering Sunday’s
Ray Price Top Fuel
Challenge at
Rockingham Dragway,
the featured event
in the 26th annual
AMRA Jim McClure
All-Harley World
Finals.
Nevertheless, at the
end of the day, it
was the second
generation rider
from Orangeburg,
S.C., the eighth and
final qualifier, who
hoisted the
hardware. Although
he has a solid
racing pedigree as
the son of Nitro
Harley legend Bill
Furr, the younger
Furr has raced only
infrequently the
past several years
which made Sunday’s
success all the more
gratifying.
Other race winners
included Dennis
Fisher of Dayton,
Ohio, in Nitro Funny
Bike, Johnny Vickers
of Millers Creek,
N.C., in Pro Fuel
and Billy Doherty of
Lake Charles, La.,
in Pro Mod. Vickers
won Pro Fuel for the
third straight year,
beating former
protégé Janette
Thornley of
Statesville in the
final, which took
just a little of the
luster off
Thornley’s series
championship.
She was one of eight
riders who secured
championships on
Sunday joining
Stordeur and Fisher,
Shane Pendergrast of
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
(Pro Mod), Andy Horn
of St. Louis, Mo.
(Super Gas), Kevin
Winters of Richmond,
Ill. (Street
Eliminator and Pro
Eliminator), David
Doremus of Loveland,
Ohio (Super Pro and
Top Eliminator) and
Bill Rowe Jr. of
Hellertown, Pa.
(Class Eliminator).
With 10 riders vying
for eight starting
spots in the Ray
Price challenge,
Furr just barely
made the show with
an almost
pedestrian7.209
second quarter
mile. However, in
the first round, he
stunned No. 1
qualifier Tii Tharpe
with a much improved
6.891 at 200.16
mph. That sent him
against Stordeur in
the semifinals where
his 6.745 was good
enough to hold off
Stordeur’s troubled
10.33.
It should have been
no contest in the
final round against
Turner, the
five-time former
IHRA Nitro Harley
champ and multi-time
Rockingham winner,
but races aren’t run
on paper and when
Turner had
mechanical problems,
Furr singled for the
win.
ROCKINGHAM, N.C. –
Results from the
26th annual Jim
McClure All-Harley
World Finals
presented by the
American Motorcycle
Racing Association (AMRA)
at Rockingham
Dragway:
RAY PRICE TOP FUEL
CHALLENGE
Qualifying – 1. Tii
Tharpe, East Bend,
N.C., 6.336, 222.36
mph; 2. Jay Turner,
Julian, N.C., 6.381,
217.28 mph; 2.
Takeshi Shigematsu,
Iyo, Ehime, Japan,
6.417, 214.76 mph;
4. Jake Stordeur,
Goshen, Ohio, 6.613,
208.49 mph; 5. Ricky
“Sharkey” House,
Humble, Texas,
6.636, 218.37 mph;
6. Bill “Billy Jack”
Jackson, Honeybrooke,
Pa., 6.655, 210.54
mph; 7. Tracy Kile,
Ashville, N.C.,
6.990, 197.59 mph;
8. Armon Furr,
Orangeburg, S.C.,
7.209, 201.16 mph.
Round 1 – Jake
Stordeur, Goshen,
Ohio, 6.612, 207.56
mph, def. Ricky
“Sharkey” House,
Humble, Texas, foul;
Takeshi Shigematsu,
Iyo, Ehime, Japan,
6.602, 211.16 mph,
def. Bill “Billy
Jack” Jackson,
Honeybrooke, Pa.,
9.364, 120.25 mph;
Jay Turner, Julian,
N.C., 6.434, 209.88
mph, def. Tracy Kile,
Ashville, N.C.,
6.995, 157.10 mph;
Armon Furr,
Orangeburg, S.C.,
6.891, 200.16 mph,
def. Tii Tharpe,
East Bend, N.C.,
6.957, 174.62 mph.
Semifinals – Furr,
6.745, 200.89 mph,
def. Stordeur,
10.330, 81.99 mph;
Turner, 6.441,
214.69 mph, def.
Shigematsu, 6.625,
204.39 mph.
FINAL – Armon Furr,
Orangeburg, S.C.,
7.043, 199.40 mph,
def. Jay Turner,
Julian, no time.
NITRO FUNNY BIKE
Qualifying – 1. Ryan
Perry, Milford,
Ohio, 6.728, 200.80
mph; 2. Dennis
Fisher, Dayton,
Ohio, 6.793, 201.49
mph; 3. Randal
Andras, Amelia, La.,
6.829, 204.08 mph;
4. Rocky Jackson,
Youngsville, La.,
6.853, 189.23 mph;
5. Rich Vreeland,
Bloomsburg, Pa.,
6.867, 200.14 mph;
6. Kirby Apathy,
Deland, Fla., 6.947,
203.80 mph; 7. Mark
Ingwerson, Upper
Sandusky, Ohio,
7.048, 190.65 mph;
8. Keith Browne,
Semora, N.C., 7.159,
197.74 mph.
Round 1 – Rich
Vreeland,
Bloomsburg, Pa.,
6.890, 200.32 mph,
def. Rocky Jackson,
Youngsville, La.,
13.286, 61.70 mph;
Kirby Apathy,
Deland, Fla., 7.490,
183.44 mph, def. Jim
Doyle, Chicopee,
Mass., 6.789, 200.80
mph; Dennis Fisher,
Dayton, Ohio, 6.789,
200.80 mph, def.
Mark Ingwerson,
Upper Sandusky,
Ohio, 7.016, 190.11
mph; Keith Browne,
Semora, N.C., 7.109,
189.58 mph, def.
Ryan Perry, Milford,
Ohio, 8.335, 133.04
mph.
Semifinals –
Vreeland, 6.819,
199.85 mph, def.
Brown, no time;
Fisher, 6.759,
202.00 mph, def.
Apathy, no time.4
FINAL – Dennis
Fisher, Dayton,
Ohio, 6.776, 202.39
mph, def. Rich
Vreeland,
Bloomsburg, Pa.,
6.788, 202.48 mph.
PRO FUEL
Qualifying – 1.
Johnny Vickers,
Millers Creek, N.C.,
7.284, 172.76 mph;
2. Jim Martin,
Palestine, Ill.,
7.353, 169.08 mph;
3. Janette Thornley,
Statesville, N.C.,
7.409, 170.21 mph;
4. Keith Kelley,
Dickson, Tenn.,
7.564, 160.23 mph;
5. Jay Beasley,
Winston-Salem, N.C.,
7.599, 165.62 mph;
6. Tyler Wilson,
Walnut Cove, 7.863,
165.64 mph; 7. John
McConnell,
Darlington, Md.,
7.878, 145.34 mph;
8. Chaz Kennedy,
High Springs, Fla.,
7.928, 165.03 mph.
Round 1
– Jay Beasley,
Winston-Salem, N.C.,
7.626, 166.91 mph,
def. Keith Kelley,
Dickson, Tenn., no
time; Jim Martin,
Palestine, Ill.,
7.465, 167.43 mph,
def. John McConnell,
Darlington, Md., no
time; Janette
Thornley,
Statesville, N.C.,
7.376, 170.47 mph,
def. Tyler Wilson,
Walnut Cove, 7.852,
164.99 mph; Johnny
Vickers, Millers
Creek, N.C., 7.420,
173.32 mph, def.
Chaz Kennedy, High
Springs, Fla.,
11.971, 66.43 mph.
Semifinals –
Thornley, 7.318,
171.77 mph, def.
Martin, 7.390,
167.45 mph; Vickers,
7.567, 170.97 mph,
def. Beasley, 7.622,
167.41 mph.
FINAL –
Johnny Vickers,
Millers Creek, N.C.,
7.241, 173.49 mph,
def. Janette
Thornley,
Statesville, N.C.,
7.386, 171.86 mph.
PRO MOD
Semifinals – Billy
Doherty, Lake
Charles, La., 8.540,
154.25 mph, def.
John Price,
Emmittsburg, Md.,
8.645, 151.66 mph;
Shane Pendergrast,
Murfreesboro, Tenn.,
8.507, 154.60 mph,
def. Loreto “Larry”
Pesce, Newark, Del.,
9.895, 114.90 mph.
FINAL –
Billy Doherty, Lake
Charles, La., 8.471,
155.08 mph, def.
Shane Pendergrast,
Murfreesboro, Tenn.,
8.577 152.33 mph.
MODIFIED
Semifinals – Gary
Douglass, Staunton,
Va., 9.290, 139.67
mph, def. Heather
Van Fleet, Toledo,
Ohio, 9.766, 130.85
mph; Troy Young,
Wirtz, Va., 9.540,
135.96 mph, def.
Greg Gross,
Proctorville, Ohio,
10.688, 105.22 mph.
FINAL –
Troy Young, Wirtz,
Va., 9.466, 137.61
mph, def. Gary
Douglas, Staunton,
Va., 10.982, 103.61
mph.
OUTLAW STREET
Semifinals – Tim
Grindle, Uniontown,
Pa., 8.464, 158.71
mph, def. Stephane
Crete, Victoriaville,
Quebec, Canada,
8.419, 162.51 mph;
Charley Douglass,
Staunton, Va.,
8.352, 162.51 mph,
def. Stacey Bortz,
Uniontown, Pa.,
23.834, 39.13 mph.
FINAL –
Charley Douglass,
Staunton, Va.,
8.349, 163.41 mph,
def. Tim Gridle,
Uniontown, Pa.,
foul.
DRESSER
Semifinals – Eric
Henderson, Eric,
Pa., 10.509, 136.93
mph, def. Bruce
McFarland, Gray,
La., 12.319, 106.14
mph; David Dennick,
Eight-Four, Pa.,
bye.
FINAL –
David Dennick,
Eighty-Four, Pa.,
10.262, 133.71 mph,
def. Eric Henderson,
Eric, Pa., 10.204,
136.93 mph.
TOP ELIMINATOR (9.30
target)
Semifinals – John
Toth, Twilight, Pa.,
bye; David Doremus,
Loveland, Ohio,
9.358, 117.60 mph,
def. Bert Baker, NA,
9.259 breakout,
151.36 mph.
FINAL –
David Doremus,
Loveland, Ohio,
9.245, 132.63 mph,
def. John Toth,
Twilighht, Pa.,
9.244 breakout,
124.33 mph.
HOT STREET
Semifinals – John
Toth, Twilight, Pa.,
9.412, 142.82 mph,
def. Dan Dennis,
Barron, Wis., 9.438,
141.83 mph; Dave
“Paco” Cartwright,
Evansville, Ind.,
bye.
FINAL –
Dave “Paco”
Cartwright,
Evansville, Ind.,
9.316, 142.60 mph,
def. John Toth,
Twilight, Pa., foul.
SUPER PRO (10.30
target)
Semifinals – David
Doremus, Loveland,
Ohio, 10.208, 128.62
mph, def. Butch
Lowe, Rutledge, Ga.,
foul; David Higgs,
Ormond Beach, Fla.,
10.399, 127.10 mph,
def. John Price,
Emmitsburg, Md.,
10.111 breakout,
126.01 mph.
FINAL –
David Doremus,
Loveland, Ohio,
10.268 on a 10.300,
119.86 mph, def.
David Higgs, Ormond
Beach, Fla., foul.
PRO (10.90 target)
Semifinals – David
Higgs, Ormond Beach,
Fla., 10.963, 115.46
mph, def. Bill Rowe
Jr., Hellertown,
Pa., 10.811
breakout, 112.63
mph; Kevin Winters,
Richmond, Ill.,
10.914, 114.86 mph,
def. Scott Strauss,
Wickliffe, Ohio,
10.866 breakout,
121.83 mph.
FINAL –
Kevin Winters,
Richmond, Ill.,
10.831, 117.34 mph,
def. David Higgs,
Ormond Beach, Fla.,
10.771 breakout,
118.81 mph.
ELIMINATOR
Semifinals – Troy
Phillips, Melbourne,
Ky., 9.686 on a
9.900, 130.80 mph,
def. Glenn Sutton,
Moore, S.C., foul;
Nate Carnahan,
Powhattan, Va., bye.
FINAL –
Troy Phillips,
Melbourne, Ky.,
9.928 on a 9.900,
127.87 mph, def.
Nate Carnahan,
Powhattan, Va.,
10.462 on a 10.300,
116.50 mph.
OPEN GAS
Semifinals – Billy
Doherty, Lake
Charles, La., bye;
Don Ratliff,
Syracuse, N.Y.,
8.904, 145.69 mph,
def. Sharon Dubois,
Lowell, Ind.,
10.984, 128.33 mph.
FINAL –
Don Ratliff,
Syracuse, N.Y.,
8.860, 146.56 mph,
def. Billy Doherty,
Lake Charles, La.,
8.866, 149.96 mph.
SUPER COMP (8.90
target)
Semifinals – Freddy
Frazier, Sanford,
9.156, 123.67 mph,
def. Donnie Huffman,
Lakeland, Fla.,
10.926, 118.15 mph;
Don Ratliff,
Syracuse, N.Y.,
9.174, 113.33 mph,
def. Keith Richner,
Moore, S.C., 16.885,
44.08 mph.
FINAL –
Freddy Frazier,
Sanford, 8.910,
151.92 mph, def. Don
Ratliff, Syracuse,
N.Y., 8.957, 133.14
mph.
SUPER GAS (9.90
target)
Semifinals – Joe
Glaze, Wellington,
Colo., 9.895, 129.85
mph, def. Nate
Carnahan, Powhattan,
Va., 9.885, 122.43
mph; Bill Rowe Jr.,
Hellertown, Pa.,
10.095, 123.75 mph,
def. Kimberly
DeShields,
Murfreesboro, Tenn.,
9.978, 129.37 mph.
FINAL –
Bill Rowe Jr.,
Hellertown, Pa.,
9.933, 128.81 mph,
def. Joe Glaze,
Wellington, Colo.,
9.876 breakout,
127.67 mph.
STREET ELIMINATOR
(11.50 target)
Semifinals – Kevin
Winters, Richmond,
Ill, 11.442, 98.83
mph, def. John
Bradley, Ingalls,
In., 11.399
breakout, 101.26
mph; Donnie Huffman,
Lakeland, Fla., bye.
FINAL –
Donnie Huffman,
Lakeland, Fla.,
11.510, 99.52 mph,
def. Kevin Winters,
Richmond, Ill.,
foul.
AMERICAN MOTORCYCLE
RACING ASSOCIATION
2017 SERIES
CHAMPIONS
Top Fuel
– Jake Stordeur,
Goshen, Ohio.
Nitro
Funny Bike – Dennis
Fisher, Dayton,
Ohio.
Pro Fuel
– Janette Thornley,
Statesville, N.C.
Pro Mod
– Shane Pendergrast,
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Super
Gas – Andy Horn, St.
Louis, Mo.
Pro
Eliminator – Kevin
Winters, Richmond,
Ill.
Street
Eliminator – Kevin
Winters, Richmond,
Ill.
Super
Pro – David Doremus,
Loveland, Ohio
Top
Eliminator – David
Doremus, Loveland,
Ohio
Eliminator – Bill
Rowe Jr.,
Hellertown, Pa. |
