Team Orient Express is extremely pleased to announce our first AMA Dragbike victory of the 2009 season! Mike Kovacevich began by riding the Joe Hahn built and tuned Suzuki Hayabusa Turbo ProStreet to the #1 qualifier position on Sunday morning at Atco NJ. The first two days of the 43rd Annual Orient Express AMA Dragbike Motorcycle US Nationals were wet with rain and saw almost no action on the track. Sunday was a beautiful day - clear blue skies, dry gentle breezes blowing and low 80 degree temperatures. From the first pass, Mike seemed comfortable, confident and aggressive. With two days of rain though, the legendary Atco strip was green and a little bit slippery, not ideal conditions to start with. Things were off to a good start to say the least, when Mike secured the #1 qualifier position with a solid 7.41 @ 196.53 MPH pass! Once again, we were very impressed with how well the Michelin Power One (Street Version) rear tire managed to hook up and deliver traction in difficult conditions. The Michelin Power One allowed Mike to hook up off the line, and never missed a beat as the boost kept building - it just worked, plain and simple.
After securing the #1 qualifier position in ProStreet, Joe Hahn, with great assistance from crew member Waylon Dempsey, made some adjustments to the 600+ horsepower machine, verified the clutch, went over all the data, and decided to give the beast a bit more go. With the next pass, the extra power proved a bit too much for the conditions, giving Mike more than a handful. So, before the finals, Joe and Waylon got back to work, making sure everything was brought back to where we started the day.
Mike eased the big Hayabusa to the line next to ProStreet competitor Bud Yoeder aboard the Ronnie Mitchell Racing tuned Hayabusa, and ran a 7.36 @ 195.14 MPH - which secured the race win! This win is also the first time a Michelin has managed to secure #1 qualifier and the race win in AMA Dragbike ProStreet competition - Orient Express is pleased to be part of a winning effort! The racing in the AMA Dragbike ProStreet class has been fierce all year, with some amazing passes and numbers being posted. To notch a victory at our "home" event, in front of all of our local fans, customers, supporters and fellow racers makes it all even sweeter! The team is now strongly positioned in second place, with two events remaining in the season - stay tuned for results from Norwalk and Valdosta!
Orient Express would like to congratulate Joe, Waylon, and Mike for the hard fought victory. Next, we would all like to thank the many sponsors and supporters who made this effort possible. We look forward to continued success and more victories! Thanks to Richie's Tires and Michelin for delivering all the grip we needed to get the job done! Special thanks to: Rush Deal for all their support these past two seasons; EK Chain for the strongest racing chains on the market today; Spectro Oils for the finest racing fluids for the most demanding conditions; Yoyodyne and Marvic for lightweight wheels; Worldwide Bearings for the best ceramic bearings; Carrillo for the strongest connecting rods; McIntosh for the beautiful swingarm; and Cycle Paint & Metal for the amazing paint and graphics!
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Team Orient Express Rush Deal Launches Hard Into 2009!
The AMA Dragbike season opener at Valdosta was packed with racers and fans! Team Orient Express Rush Deal spent the off-season preparing for intense competition in the Orient Express sponsored Pro Street class. Joe and Christian spent many long hours tweaking, adjusting, massaging and developing the Hayabusa Turbo for even more power and consistency. Mike Kovacevich got on board and rode the beast to the #2 qualifier position, and a best pass of 7.27 @ 202.98 MPH! Conditions allowed Joe to get the Hayabusa dialed in perfectly - nice work guys!
Meanwhile, Dave Vantine was working hard on the John Gainey tuned Kawasaki Pro Mod, taking the big tire monster machine all the way to the finals, with a smoking run of 6.81 @ 195.36 MPH in the finals! The big motor machine has started the season in great style, we are all looking forward to more success in 2009!
2009 Drag Racing Schedule
2009 AMA Dragbike Championship Series
March 7-8
B&B Bikeweek Nationals
6th annual South Georgia Motorsports Park
Valdosta, GA
April 4-5
Elmer Trett Nationals
17th annual Atlanta Dragway
Commerce, GA
May 2-3
Spring Nationals
6th annual Memphis Motorsports Park
Memphis, TN
June 13-14
Summer Nationals
1st annual US 131 Motorsports Park
Martin, MI
August 1-2
Pingel Thunder Motorcycle Nationals
20th annual O’Reilly Raceway Park
Indianapolis, IN
September 12-13
Orient Express U.S. Motorcycle Nationals
43nd annual Atco Raceway
Atco, NJ
October 10-11
Fall Nationals
7th annual Norwalk Raceway Park
Norwalk, OH
November 13-14
XXX Racing Fuel National Finals
7th annual South Georgia Motorsports Park
