Bradford on the Outside

Memphis, TN 8/18/06) -- Friday's sudden rain storm at Memphis Motorsports Park meant only one round of Pro Stock Motorcycle qualifying went into the books for the NHRA O'Reilly Midsouth Nationals. Ignition problems bit Tom Bradford's Balbayis Asset Consulting/Hal's Speedshop Buell on that pass, so Tom and the team will have to hustle into the field on Saturday.

qualifying round 1
17th left lane Tom Bradford 7. 335 at 179.35 mph

"We're just trying to sort through an ignition gremlin," Bradford reported Friday night. "We've had something creeping up on us since the last run in Sonoma, and we chased it in Brainerd even as well as it ran there. But this round it was the worst that it's been. And we gave up a 1.06 60 foot time there too. It was gonna fly."

It turned out to be a broken wire on the ignition pick-up that spoiled the run. "You're gonna come across stuff like this, and I've been waiting for this moment," said Tom. "That was our first little gremlin we've had to deal with. But we found it and we'll get it tuned up for tomorrow. We've got our work cut out for us with the heat as it's supposed to be, but the air wasn't that good tonight."

Tom, whose 7 year old son Quintin is with him this weekend, thanked sponsors Balbayis Asset Consulting, Hal's Speedshop, Hal's H-D/Buell, Vanson Leathers, Stitch-it-Embroidery, CRD Inc., T-N-S Machining, S&S Cycle, Buell Motor Co., Mustang Shelly's Roadhouse, Red Line Oil, MicroBlue Racing, Autolite, Simpson, Wiseco, Rinehart Racing, and The Carburetor Shop for their support of the Hal's/Thunder Eagle team.

Find out more about Hal's at http://www.halspa.com
Find out more about the NHRA at http://www.nhra.com