April 7th, 2009

Getting a win on the road is always a tough feat.  Getting two win’s on the road, in two separate classes, is near impossible.  At the 2009 AMA Drag Bike MTC Elmer Trett Nationals in Commerce, GA, Schnitz Racing’s Patrick Chabaud defied the odds by taking home wins in both Pro ET and Street ET classes.

“We left Louisiana on Friday morning at 6am.  The nine-hour drive, combined with a few pit stops and a time zone change, had us arriving at the track around 5pm.  We unloaded the bikes and got them teched in.  I was eager to try out the all-new Michelin Power One, so I found Richie from Richie’s Tires in the pit area and bought a scuff, had it mounted at the PR Factory Store trailer, and prepared for Saturday’s race.

 Saturday started out chilly, but soon warmed up.  My 2006 ZX-14’s first two qualifying runs seemed slower than expected.  I knew my clutches had over 500 passes on them, so I decided to go ahead and change them out before my next two qualifying passes later in the day.  The decision to replace my clutches turned out to be a good one.  The bike was getting more and more consistent as the day went on.

I entered Saturday evening’s Street ET race and the Pro ET race.  Since Pro ET is run right before Street ET, I usually enter it as a test run to see what my bike will run for Street ET.  The first round of Pro ET ended in victory, and I adjusted my dial-in accordingly for the first round of Street ET.  As luck would have it, my worst reaction time of the weekend would come in the first round of Street ET, and I found myself unable to catch my opponent, thus taking the loss.  That left me concentrating on the Pro ET class, which was being run round robin for the first three rounds to save time.  As the night progressed, I found my reaction times getting better and better.  I managed to run in the left lane every round, so I became accustomed to it.  The win in the quarterfinals left me with a bye to the final round.  I ran my bike all-out for the bye run, to make sure my ET hadn’t changed.  However, it was now midnight, and had turned quite cold.  The bye run had me running under my dial, so I knew I needed to lower my dial-in for the finals.  Since I had broke-out during my bye-run, lane choice was given to my opponent, one of AMA Drag Bike’s most recognized racers and multi-time champion Mike Konopacki.

Mike knew I liked the left lane, and although for him the right lane seemed to hook better, he decided to throw me in the right lane, thinking it would distract me.  But on this night, I was in my zone, and there was no way I was going to let anything distract me.  I dialed 9.07, which allowed me to leave first over Mike’s 9.02 dial.  I drilled the tree, cutting a .002 light, and never allowed Mike to come around me.  I crossed first, running 9.071 on my 9.07 dial.  The end result was a .003 package that was untouchable.  I stopped at the return road to shake Mike’s hand for a well-fought race.  He looked at my bike and asked where my ‘box’ was.  I then pointed to my clutch hand…and told him “no box here”.  It’s rare to see a no-bar, no-box street bike go so far in Pro ET.  But I am proof that it isn’t impossible.  Anyone can win on any given day.

On Sunday, it was just the opposite.  I lost a hard fought battle in Pro ET in round two, but everything kept going my way in Street ET.  My ZX-14 was running near dead-on all day, and I had a few .00 reaction times in the mix.  Quarterfinal round of Street ET had me racing my hometown friend James Harris.  I would cut a .004 light, and take the win, leaving me with yet another bye to the finals.  In the final round of Street ET on Sunday, I was up against Connecticut racer Bob Carlson on yet another ZX-14.  Bob was the winner of Saturday night’s Street ET race, and was eager for another win, just as I was.  I scored yet another great reaction time (.018), and took the win in Street ET.

The 2009 AMA Drag Bike MTC Elmer Trett Nationals will go down as my greatest and most memorable weekend of racing ever.  Next stop on the AMA Drag Bike tour takes us to Memphis, TN May 2-3.  Check back for what will hopefully be another exciting and victorious weekend of racing”.

Patrick Chabaud thanks his sponsors, Schnitz Racing, Naarden Inc, Richie’s Tires, and Lightspeed Motorsports

April 7th, 2009

This past weekend April 3-6 Stephens Motorsports travled south to Commerce Ga. for stop number two on the AMA Dragbike Championship Series ,the "MTC Elmer Trett Nationals" at Atlanta Dragway. Saturday started out on a good note as I qualified the Zx10 in the number 30 spot in "Street Fighter" with a best to date 9.66 E.T. Although this wasn't a great qualifying spot it got me solidly in the field and was one step closer to the class index of 9.50. In Saturdays Pro E.T race I was eliminated first round by breakout when the bike picked up 5 hundreds of a second over what it had ran earlier in the day in qualifying. After the first round loss in Pro E.T I dialed the bike down for first round of Street E.T and earned a first round win with a great reaction time, however I was eliminated in round two as the bike decided to slow up once more giving the win to my opponent due to failure to run my dial-in. Although my night ended early on Saturday I came into the track on Sunday determined to do well and win some rounds. Round one of Street Fighter I came up against the number 20 qualifier who had made it into the field with a 9.59 E.T ,nearly a tenth faster than my qualifying time so I knew I had to have a better reaction time to make up for his better performing bike.As the tree came down I did my job well and left on him with an .085 to his .163 light which gave me about a length lead off the starting line.All was well until my bike failed to shift to third at the 1/8 mile mark giving him the win by less than a foot at the finish. After replacing the defective shift box that eliminated me from Street Fighter it was on to Street E.T, race 2. I managed to go three round and made it to the final 17 bikes in Street E.T before I was eliminated by Saturday's Street E.t winner. I had a great .031 light and ran one above my dial  but it was no match for my opponents nearly perfect run! I was pleased with my over all performance for the weekend but we need to work on the tune in both bikes as well as work the bugs out of the ZX10. After race two I sit in 11th in Street E.T points and 23rd in Street Fighter points .We will be running our first IHRA points race this Saturday at Mt.Park Dragway and we hope to start out the IHRA season with a win!  Thanks for the support!!

Greg Stephens

2-25-09

Chabaud Comes Up Short For Hurricane Alley Season Finale'

2-18-2009

Schnitz Racing - Street Fighter Street Series

"Dave and his crew at Schnitz Racing have supported the series and racers for many years in countless ways. We are thrilled to have Schnitz Racing back with the series as a class sponsor" commented Scott Valetti of AMA Dragbike. "Dave came to us at the beginning of the 2008 season with an offer to send welcome packages to all new members on behalf of AMA Dragbike. This was a kind addition in supporting AMA Dragbike racers" Valetti continued.

Dave added "We have all the necessary components needed to make any rider with any sport bike competitive in the class. Exhaust systems, fuel controllers, piston kits and nitrous components to swingarms, shocks and bodywork from all major suppliers and manufacturers."

11-20-08

Traci Lewis
MIROCK Series – True Street Race Report

Event: MIROCK Lee’s Performance Finals
Dates: November 15 - 16, 2008
Location: Rockingham Dragway, Rockingham, NC

Race #8 of the 2008 MIROCK Series was cold and wet! We had to complete race #5 in addition to the race #8, it rained Friday for our test session, and it rained most of the day Saturday.

Upon my arrival Friday it poured down raining, I had hoped to test the motorcycle since my crew chief and mechanic Marcus Queen of NIVEK Motorsports had just finished repairing the bike two days earlier on Wednesday.  The head had been sent to CARPENTER RACE ENGINES for freshening up, and I had my swingarm replaced by ADAMS PERFORMANCE, to make room for my 2.5lb NOS bottle.

I woke up to rain Saturday morning, the staff at Rockingham Dragway dried the track, and just before 5pm as the true street class was about to head to the water box, it poured again!  Needless to say it was a late night. With it being so late and very cold, some racers could not get much traction, myself included.  We did not get a shakedown run, so my first run was a qualifying pass for the August race.  I spun. In the first round eliminations, I spun again.  Saturday evenings August race eliminations were called shortly thereafter due to the time and the cold.

Sunday was a clear, sunny, but cold day.  We were only allowed one qualifying pass which I made only to find out that the Nitrous solenoid was inoperable. 9.53et would not be good enough to qualify in a field of 17 bikes. Three racers did not show up for pairing.  I replaced the #8 qualifier and had to run the #9 qualifier.  First round, my opponent red lighted and I moved on to round #2 to run Keith Thompson.  In round two, I “treed” Keith but the bike would not shift into second gear.  Keith would go on to win the race and lock in the Championship.

I finish this 2008 season #7 out of a total 34 racers in points, and hopeful that 2009 will be as much fun and even more successful.

I would like to thank the following sponsors for their support for the 2008 racing season:

Carpenter Race Engines http://www.carpenterracing.com
HTP Performance http://www.htpperformance.com/
Schnitz Racing http://www.schnitzracing.com
Orient Express http://www.orientexpress.com
World Wide Bearings http://www.worldwidebearings.com
Motofino USA, Inc. http://www.motofino.com
The FBR Shop http://www.fbrshop.com
Team Killa Minx Racing http://www.killaminxracing.com
Tee’s Photo Shop http://www.teesphotoshop.com
Richie’s Tires
NIVEK Motorsports

This team report was prepared by Traci Lewis.

11-10-08

Due to lack of funding we didn't make it to the AMA finals at Valdosta, but Stephens Motorsports still had a good final race of the season! We traveled to MT. Park Dragway for the "Ky.Horsepower.Com Fall Shootout". The weather was awful with temps in the lower 40's which made for a very cold and long day. We fought hard through a large field of bikes to capture our 5th win of the 2008 season! The final round was one that I won't soon forget, I left the starting line with a large lead but when I shifted to fourth at the 1000ft mark my bike died, I had ran out of gas! To my surprise my opponent was having problems of his own and I was able to coast thru and get the win by only inches! What a day! Thanks for all your support over the season.

Greg Stephen

11-2-08  

Hurricane Alley’s ‘Hard Core Drags’

The 4^th race of the Hurricane Alley 6-race series took place once again at Houston Raceway Park .  The weekend consisted of two separate races, the regularly scheduled race on Saturday, and the rain-out, first race of the series was made up on Sunday.

The weekend would start off slow for Schnitz Racing sponsored rider Patrick Chabaud, but after Saturday, Chabaud would redeem himself for a win in Pro ET and a runner-up finish in Pro IDX 9.00 on Sunday.

“I purchased a 5 gallon can of VP’s MR9 race fuel from local dealer Steven Miller.  I was unsure  on how the weather conditions were going to be, and I wanted to assure I could run 9.00 for the Pro IDX class.  I found myself breaking out, running low 8.90’s all weekend long.  On Saturday in the Pro IDX class, I ran 8.999 at 138 MPH .  That would break me out by a thousandth of a second, even though I scrubbed off 12 MPH from my normal 150 MPH .  I also broke out in Street ET on Saturday as well”.

“On Sunday, I entered three classes, Street ET, Pro ET, and Pro IDX 9.00.  I red-lit first round of Pro ET against local bracket master Michael Mathews, and I wasn’t going to buy-back since I was still in two other classes.  But when I lost out of Street ET in Rd. 2, I quickly bought back into Pro ET before their round 2 began.  Round 2 of Pro ET put me up against local racer Lee Paterson.  I took the stripe for the win.  Round 3 faced me against another local racer Ricky Kay.  Ricky would break out by .001, giving me another round win.  In the semi-finals, I would get the coveted ‘bye to the finals’.  I ran my bike all out, and amazing would set my quickest pass ever of 8.860.  In the final round, I raced another Texas native Tony Davis.  Tony and I would have near identical reaction times, and I would be able to pass him and take the stripe for the win in Pro ET”.  See Video Below

“Sunday’s Pro IDX 9.00 class would have me facing Jr. Pellichino in Rd. 1, local AMA Dragbike Supersport racer Farly Hall in Rd. 2, and then in the finals I would race against best-friend and traveling partner Eric ‘Smooth’ Joseph.  Eric and I would split the pot, run heads up with no index, and Eric would take the win, running 8.90 to my 8.94.  The Pro IDX class would have 8 entrants, with 5 of them being Kawasaki ZX-14’s”!!

Patrick Chabaud thanks Schnitz Racing, Naarden Speedlinks, Richie’s Tires, and Lightspeed Motorsports of Gonzales , LA.

10-19-08

Hurricane Alley Drag Racing Series Cajun Rendezvous

Race #3 of 6 on the Hurricane Alley Drag Racing Series schedule, dubbed ‘Cajun Rendezvous’, would take place in the heart of Cajun Country at No Problem Raceway Park in Belle Rose, LA.

Local racer and Schnitz Racing sponsored rider Patrick Chabaud would once again end the day in victory, this time with a win in Street ET and a runner-up finish in Pro ET.

“I thought I was doomed after the first round.  I entered Street ET and Quick 16, and lost the first round in both of the classes.  Street ET offers a first round buy-back for $20, and Quick 16 offers a buy back also, but you buy back into Pro ET.  So I took advantage of the buy back’s, got my head back into the race, and managed to make 2 final round appearances, in Street ET and Pro ET”, says Patrick.

The Pro ET final round came first against local Pro ET racer James ‘Outlaw’ Enloe.  James had told me his bike was not running right.  He was not lying, he was a tenth off his dial-in, but got the quicker reaction time, which made it closer at the stripe.  I crossed first, but didn’t have enough track to avoid the break-out pass.

“Seeing that the air was getting cooler, and knowing my bike was getting quicker, I lowered my dial-in to a 9.00 for the Street ET finals.  Racing against another local racer, Brandon Pellichino, this would be another race to remember.  Brandon dialed a 9.27 and ran 9.236, while I would crack the 8’s, running 8.968 on a 9.00 dial.  I crossed first, it was a double-breakout situation, I broke out less than Brandon , and the end margin of victory was only .0022” !!

“This would be another day of hot-lapping my ZX-14, and once again it performed flawlessly and only got faster throughout the day.  I would like to thank Schnitz Racing, Naarden Inc., Hurricane Alley Drag Racing Series, Lightspeed Motorsports of Gonzales, LA, Richie’s Tires, and PCP Racing”.

10-17-08

This past weekend Stephens Motorsports and the Schnitz Racing Yamaha traveled north to Norwalk Ohio for the AMA Dragbike "Fall Nationals". First off in Saturday's Pro E.T. race we didn't make it very far getting put out in round one due to a horrible reaction time, but Sunday morning we arrived at the track determined to make it a good day. I went two rounds in Pro E.T. before getting nudged out by Debbie Kneble. In the Street E.T. race I had a really great day getting down to the quarter finals were I went -.016 red to Street Fighter points leader Wayne Robertson  who also went red by -.005 but I left first which made me the automatic looser. The bike was great all weekend and ran on the numbers almost every round. And speaking of numbers, the great northern air made the little 600 scream! I posted my best ever 10.50 E.T. as well as my quickest MPH ever at 131.9! Well gotta go! Thanks Schnitz for making this all possible for me!!

Greg Stephens
Stephens Motorsports

9-28-08

Hurricane's Gustav and Ike may have wreaked havoc on both Texas and Louisiana in August and September, but they couldn't stop the dedicated racers in the area from doing what they love most.

For Schnitz Racing sponsored rider Patrick Chabaud, the day would end in victory. Chabaud, who is also sponsored by the Hurricane Alley Drag Racing Series, made the drive from Gonzales, LA to Baytown, TX, expecting to only enter into the Street ET class. Upon seeing that the Quick 16 class would not make a full field, Chabaud quickly entered the class, only to find himself surrounded by bikes equipped with electronics, such as 2-steps and delay boxes. "I race these types of bikes often, but rarely do I race a full field of them", says Chabaud, who races a 2006 Kawasaki ZX-14. "I launch with a hand-clutch, with no 2-step, delay box, or wheelie bars", says Patrick. Chabaud raced in both Street ET and Quick 16, but lost in the 2nd round of Street ET when he red-lit. After the loss in Street ET, Patrick concentrated on his remaining class, Quick 16, which takes the fastest 16 bracket bikes and qualifies them on a ladder. "I was the #3 qualifier, and I faced some of the toughest racers in the area, with names such as Eddie Glaze, Paul Hollman, Michael Mathews, and Brenda Kay. The race against Mathews will be remembered for a long time, since I've never beaten Michael on his electronics bike. He got me on the tree, but I ran 9.185 on a 9.18 dial, which was able to get me close enough to Michael so that he couldn't lift in time. Michael broke out only by a few thousandths". In the finals, Brenda Kay, who was cutting near perfect lights all day long, shockingly went red, which automatically sent Chabaud to the Winner's Circle.

"I would like to thank my sponsors, Schnitz Racing, Hurricane Alley Drag Racing Series, Naarden Inc., PCP Racing, Richie's Tires, Lightspeed Motorsports, and Amsoil Synthetics. I would also like to thank my wife Lacie, daughter's Gabrielle, Chloe, and Cambrie, and my Dad, who made the trip with me despite having severe back pain. My Dad gave me encouragement throughout the day, which helped me out more than he will ever know. There's nothing like having your Dad at the race, especially when you win".

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