S&S PRO STOCK
Junior Pippin (shown) has won five championships in the last seven years, and led the Pro Modified points chase for a full three consecutive seasons. For 2007, due to the recent AHDRA class restructuring, Pippin now competes in Pro Stock. However his dominance remains intact.
Pippin, 55, is a perfect two for two in 2007 after winning Gainesville and Phoenix. At the outset of the Arizona Bike Week Nationals Pippin wasn't sure if back-to-back event victories would even be possible.
"We had some serious problems in testing on Friday, and we really didn't know what to expect for the weekend," Pippin said. "The racing Gods smiled on Junior and we made it."
Pippin qualified on the pole with an 8.09, and in the final he ran an 8.16 to defeat the 8.34 of Bruce Beltramini.
KRESTO PRO DRAG
After winning a pair of races in 2006 (Sturgis and Woodburn) Will Simplot (shown) garnered his first event victory of 2007 in Phoenix. However, Simplot will remember this particular race as one of his most difficult victories yet.
"It was a really challenging weekend for us," Simplot said. "We struggled with the bike. We kept dropping cylinders, the thing was running hot, and we were having electrical
problems."
Simplot qualified in the No. 2 spot of the seven-bike field with a run of 7.57 at 172 mph behind Gainesville runner-up Rick Moore, who took the pole with a 7.54 at 175 mph.
Simplot defeated Chris Kirby and Wink Eller to advance to the final to take on Moore. Simplot collected the event victory in unusual fashion - by disqualification when Moore lost fire in the burnout box and had to restart his motorcycle in order to make the run, a violation of AHDRA rules.
