With
the new 2008 Canadian Motorcycle Drag Racing Association
(CMDRA) season under way, rider Ethan Barkley is
in pursuit of his fifth straight Pro Street championship
aboard his record holding turbocharged 2006 Suzuki
GSX-R1000. He is also striving for his third consecutive
Street championship riding the all new 2008 Suzuki
Hayabusa.
| The
Suzuki Canada Walt Healy Motorsports EB
Speed team had a rough start to the season
at the CMDRA’s opening round in Ashcroft
B.C. After many long nights leading up to
the event, the team arrived at the track
with high hopes.
The
Power Up Lubricants sponsored Pro Street
class had eleven contenders, a new record
for the class, which is now in its fifth
year. Unfortunately the track was in poor
shape, and was unable to handle the high
powered Pro Street bikes. |
Barkley
on the Team EBSpeed/Suzuki Canada/Walt Healys
GSX-R1000 |
In the first round of qualifying, Ethan’s
Pro Street GSX-R1000 spun the tire at the line,
resulting in a slow 9.69 @ 150 mph. The next two
rounds resulted in similar times, leaving the
returning champion and record holder in unfamiliar
territory by qualifying in sixth place. During
the third qualifying pass, the GSX-R’s motor
pushed some oil out of the breather cover. After
examining the datalogger back in the pits, Ethan
decided not to make any more passes on the bike
until the motor problem could be properly diagnosed
back at the EB Speed shop.
| 
Barkley
debuted the team's new Street class '08
Hayabusa in Ashcroft
|
Things
went slightly better for Barkley in the Mission
Springs Brewing Co. Street Class. With almost
no seat time on the new Hayabusa prior to
the event, Ethan managed to run a 9.6 @ 150
mph. in the morning test session. With nineteen
competitors qualified, Ethan landed in 9th
spot with a solid 0.077 reaction time.
On
Sunday the team concentrated on the Street
class since the Pro Street GSX-R1000 was
sidelined. Ethan decided to run a conservative
9.75 dial in the first round and got around
Wayne Keim on his Honda CBR1000RR.
Ethan
succeeded in the next two rounds to make
it to the semifinals. |
There
he met up against fellow Calgarian George Dumonier
aboard his 2007 Suzuki GSX-R1000. Both riders ran
under their times, but unfortunately Ethan went
a little bit quicker on his run, breaking out with
a 9.69 on a 9.80 dial in.
All
in all it was a less than perfect weekend for
the team who has previously had very positive
results in Ashcroft. Ethan will re-group and get
things back on track for the next CMDRA event
on June 7-8th in Medicine Hat Alberta.
|
