After a good day at the third round of the NSW Championships on Saturday, Mick has decided to enter the Nitro Champs in Competition Bike.
“The Short Bus is running consistent 60-foot times as well as half-track speeds now,” he explained. “From there to the finish line it’s just a case of tucking in and hitting shift points.”
This will be Mick’s return to Competition Bike after an absence of 22 years. His last Comp Bike outing was on a P/CB Harley at Canberra on 26 November 1994.
“I’ve always planned to return to Comp Bike it just took a bit longer than I originally thought it would!
With the format for the Nitro Champs different to past years, Mick will be able to find time between his duties as a Sydney Dragway official to race as a D/Altered Bike in the Competition Bike bracket.
“I have to thank Sydney Dragway for allowing me to wear two hats at this meeting. I’m really looking forward to this race. I know that I’m not the quickest in Comp Bike but I’ll be out there racing and not watching.”
Mick normally races in Modified Bike, a bracket that races against self-nominated handicaps whereas Comp Bike races against indexes that are based on records.
Mick (near lane) aboard John Parker’s P/CB Harley at Canberra International Dragway. 26/11/1994. That’s John in the far lane aboard his then-new P/CB Harley.
Photo courtesy of Lee Davis, Western Auto Pics.
Photo courtesy of Lee Davis, Western Auto Pics.
Mick (near lane) and Craig Bonwick on the startline at the 1994 Nitro Champs. 21/05/1994.
Photo courtesy of Lee Davis, Western Auto Pics.
Photo courtesy of Lee Davis, Western Auto Pics.
Mick will be riding The Short Bus at the 2016 Nitro Champs, a modified Suzuki Hayabusa that represents a quantum leap in dragbike technology compared to those P/CB Harleys of the 1990s.
Photo of The Short Bus, Sydney Dragway, 16/04/16
Leonard from Azzopardi Racing helped with one clutch change last meeting and that was enough to make a big impact on the bike’s consistency in the sixty-foot times as well as at every other measurable incremental down the quarter-mile dragstrip. “His advice and assistance really made the difference,” said Mick. “I’ve usually got half an idea but Leonard always has the bigger half and that makes a massive difference. I’m looking forward to representing Azzopardi Racing in Comp Bike. I already know that I’m not going to be the quickest bike in the bracket but I will be there and I’ll be doing my best.”