2011 Ground Zro Racing News

October 8 & 9 - Rockingham, NC - GROUND ZRO RACING gets runner up for the 2011 season! The team had a great year with 2 final wins & 5 runnerups, with only one major let down; that was Atco when the sump pump broke. The finals were held on October 8th & 9th in Rockingham, North Carolina. The weather was just excellent with a number of records falling in 7 different classes. The Jim McClure Nitro Nationals grew a huge crowd to make the weekend even better.

The team did a test & tune session thanks to Dwayne paying for the test session. It was a good thing that we had the opportunity as the bike had some GREMLINS! After making a few passes Sparks & PeeWee decided that it was an electrical problem so we got new plug wires & switch. Ed Connors purchased the O2 sensors that we baddly needed. THANKS ED! On qualifying day the team qualified #2 and Shawn Reno set a new class record for Pro Stock with an impressive 7.89. What a goal we have to go after for next year.

As the day went on the RED DRAGON team had the Pro Stock/Pro Mod dinner & thanks goes out to Kevin & Bruce. On Sunday the ceremony got started with the top qualifiers & a dedication to one of the best Top Fuel Riders in our time Jim McClure.

The records started dropping right from the start with Top Fuel down to ET. In round one we had KW from the Red Dragon team & OJ ended that with a red light start. It seemed like the bike got pulled thru the light when he got on the 2 step. "I don't mind loosing, but I hate to give it away with a red light," OJ stated after the race. We had a good season & are looking forward to next year. Thanks to all the contigency sponsors in the Pro Stock class: Mickey Thompson, VPfuel, RC Components, PRFactory Store, Vanson Leather & Daytona Tech.

We also need to THANK 2 locals that helped us get the Renegade out of the sand when OJ made a wrong turn. Dan Carpenter & Robert Jacobs just happened along & thank GOD they did. Robert got his big tanker truck & dragged the big rig out & Dan took care of the trailer. THANKS guys!!

ALL in ALL we had a great year & a fun one. Thanks to ALL the locals that support the team & friends & family for letting us all do what we LOVE. DRAG RACE HARLEYS!

September 16 & 17 - Belle Rose, Louisianna - On September 16th the team took off for the Cajun country for the “Annual Cajun Nitro Nationals” in Belle Rose, Louisianna. The trip over was nice & the GPS did a good job of getting us to New Orleans, it just had a problem getting the team to the track. After a 3 hour detour we finally arrived at NO PROBLEM Raceway. The team was looking for some good numbers as the weather was a lot cooler than in Florida.

On the first pass of qualifying on Saturday OJ turned an 8.4 right out of the trailer. It held up all weekend & managed to get #1 qualifier for the weekend. The bike did not perform all that well after the other 3 rounds & it had everyone checking the bike for problems. On Sunday we decided to check the carbs only to find the the emulsion tube broke off the carb body. That was a major problem & THANKS to Joe Sternotti we got it repaired for the finals. On Saturday night Randall Andras held a Cajun feast for ALL the racers with some of the best Jambalaya in New Orleans. Thanks Randall.

Sunday looked great for the finals & things got underway with a tribute to Dick Fish who was a fellow racer & class sponsor that past away last month. We got the Top Fuelers & first round of Pro Stock then the rains came in & put a damper on the afternoon for about 3-4 hours. OJ had a fellow worker come over to watch the race, Delos Williams works for Utilities Inc in Louisanna. But as the rain came in he only saw a few rounds before he had to leave. The race was finished under the lights & Ground Zro came out with the number one win!! Thanks to everyone for the support. The FINALS are October 8th & 9th in Rockingham,NC. The team is only 50-60 points from that #1 plate, so it should be a good weekend.

August 6 & 7 - Bristol, TN - The team looked forward to the trip to Bristol, Tennessee on August 6th & 7th for the "Thunder In The Valley " Nationals. This track is one of the best tracks on our circuit. This year they held the qualifying sessions on Saturday afternoon with the Top Fuelers under the lights. The pro's didn't get started until 4 pm; that made for a long afternoon. They had an open test & tune from 12 noon to 2 pm & we took advantage of those 2 extra tune up runs. The bike performed well with an 8.4 out of the trailer. As the afternoon session came up, the track was not hooking up that well, so it was a challenge to get some good traction. On our first pass we drew the left lane & that had a good bump at mid track that took OJ for a good ride, but still did an 8.6 pass. Sparks tried his best to get a good tuneup in the bike but things just never developed. We want to THANK Tom Caldwell who cooked up some Dogs with all the trimmings. The schedule of qualifying had us all a little off & no one really wanted to eat. On Sunday it looked like we were going to get rained out. It started in the morning & they said we may have a 2 hour window in the afternoon. Well the race gods wanted a show, so about 1:30 pm they started the eliminations. In the first round OJ & the team drew Danny Worth from Blue Springs Harley Davidson. That round went to OJ & now we have a bye in the next round. Again we take on Shawn Reno & the HEADBLADE team in the finals. Andy Simmon was the fastest qualifyer but bent a valve & could not make the rounds. As the final round approached Shawn had lane choice & chose the left lane. As they staged OJ cut a holeshot on Shawn with a .025 reaction time but Shawn had it on the big end. WE had a good weekend & want to THANK everyone for their support. A BIG THANKS goes out to Ed Connors for the donation he sent over the website Pay Pal. Ed is retired military which has been helping the team when we race in Rockingham. Thanks again to all who support HARLEY DRAG RACING!!!! The next event for the team is September 17th & 18th at the Cajun Nationals in Belle Rosem, Louisiana. See ya There!

June 25 & 26 - Atco, NJ - On June 24th the team flew out of Sanford to Allentown ,Pa to get the rig & head to Atco, New Jersey for the Northeastern Nationals presented by Brian's Harley Davidson. It sure was nice not to drive that 16+ hours to get there from Florida. The team was looking for a good weekend after the runner up in Ohio. The trip over to New Jersey from Andy"s shop was just over an hour; not bad at all. As we started to unload the bike OJ noticed the rear wheel seemed to be locked up. Wow! That was unusual as it rolled right in after the Ohio race. Well, it was time to check the situation out. We first checked the brakes, then the clutch and finally we found the problem to be in the transmission. As we elected to pull the tranny we found the bearing to be the problem, so Shaun had the bearing & back together it went. As PeeWee was installing the clutch basket the bolt on the main shaft twisted off. Now we needed to change the main shaft. Out with the tranny & look for a main shaft. After checking with the Headblade team they found what we needed. Now we get to the good part of the weekend! The team is getting ready to start the bike for a test when the front cylinder starts to make a noise & OJ shut it down. Up on the stands again & now we know we have a serious problem. OJ started to drain the oil while PeeWee & Sparks were checking the sump pump again. As OJ removed the drain plug a BIG chunk of metal was on the magnet! Now after checking the sump we found a broken gear. This ended our weekend! Not only did we break, KW put a valve into his piston & Andy damaged a crank. Shawn was the lucky one to get a FREE ride to the finals. Thanks to Frank Capones crew for a GREAT lobster dinner and Joey & Sharon Thompson for the steak & chicken. It was a great PS/PM dinner with a lot of GOOD friends! Also Happy Birthday to Ray Price. It was a long haul home, but we will be ready for Bristol, Tenn the first weekend in August. This will be a night qualifying event, so it should be outstanding. One great facility. Thanks to everyone for supporting Harley Drag racing.

June 4 & 5 - Norwalk, OH - First off we want to THANK Andy Simon for helping us get to the last few races. We managed to save a lot in diesel fuel by leaving the rig at Andy's shop in PA. The flights into Sanford from Allentown, PA saved a lot of drive time & fuel.

The team headed from Pennsylvania to Norwalk, Ohio on June 5th & 6th for the "Ohio Bike Week Nationals." The Ohio track is OJ's home track as he lived a couple of hours south. On qualifying day the team had some work ahead to get ready due to the sump pump going bad in Numidia. The team had a few bad starts in the first 2 qualifying rounds, but managed to get #2 qualifyier with an impressive 8.3 pass. It was nice to see OJ's ex Navy pals show up to support the team; Gene from Chicago, Tommy from St Louis & CJ from upper Ohio all came down & even made a donation! THANKS GUYS! OJ's ex roomate Hanksie came up from Dover area with Michell & he bought a new rear tire for the team. What a friend!!!!!

The association dinner on Saturday was hosted by KW Seneca & the Red Dragon team. What a feast they had and everyone had a great time. THANKS KW!

Sunday started out with a lot of rain puddles in the parking lot due to some severe weather on Saturday night. We had a long delay due to rain seeping up from below the track. On Sunday a lot of old friends from Dover area rode up to enjoy the races & support Ground Zro. OJ's sister Candi & Jesse came up along with Pete, Steve, Paul, Matt, Shelia & Mason, Mom & Dad Swegheimer & Mikey Fisher. It was great to see them all. As the elimination got under way we drew KW in the first round with lane choice. We choose the right lane & it proved to be a good choice as we made it into another final round. As the afternoon dragged on waiting for the finals we clearly needed that cause Sparks & PeeWee found a lot of loose things on the bike. As the finals approached we had the #1 qualifier Shaun Reno & the Headblade team which ran an 8.15 earlier. Both bikes staged & neither cut a go light but Shaun made a great pass with 8.5 to OJ's 8.30. Again we got runner-up & some valuable points & MONEY! The team will head back up on June 24th for the "Northeastern Nationals" in Atco, New Jersey & hope for some great times. THANKS to all for the support & donations.

May 21 & 22 - Numidia, PA - Ground Zro Racing is starting the season off great. The team took a 17 hour ride to Numidia, Pa. for the 2nd year to compete in Vreeland Harley Davidson's Liberty Nationals. What a great track located in the country setting of rural Pennsylvania with the mountains in the background. The weather was a little on the wet side when we arrived on Friday. They cancelled the test n tune session on Friday, and Saturday eliminations started late in the day due to track conditions. As the qualifying sessions took off, the team had high hopes of that #1 position. The first pass they laid down an impressive 8.246 & the Headblade team laid down an 8.22. This had the team pumped to be that close to the #1 qualifier. The team managed to stay in #2 position & did some damage to the scavanger pump. Sparks & PeeWee took the pump off & found it to be bound up due to a piece of metal getting in the pump. Now we have a problem on where to get a pump? Just so happens that Andy Simmon's Performance shop is 2 hrs. away & Dick Fish had his Pro Gas bike in the shop with the same pump. We called Dick to see about borrowing it for eliminations on Sunday & being the sportsman that he is, we got the pump. On Sunday the eliminations started at 12:30 with the Top Fuel laying down some good numbers. Pro Stock was next & we took on the Red Dragon team, but we had lane choice. The right lane seemed to be hooking alot better & OJ launched to turn in an impressive 8.15 pass. Now we made it to the finals one more time. It was also nice to see OJ's sister-in-law Barb drive down from Wilkes-Barre to be part of the team for the day. On the finals we had Shawn Reno & the Headblade team which had trouble with their clutch bearing. As the teams went to the line the wholeshot went to Shawn, & OJ & the Ground Zro bike laid down on the line but still managed an 8.4 to Shawn's 8.10. We had another great weekend & are looking forward to June 4th & 5th in Norwalk, Ohio for the Ohio Bike Week Nationals. We want to THANK the Fox Head for helping the team this year & all the friends we have that SUPPORT HARLEY DRAG RACING.

May 1 - Rockingham, NC - The team headed North bound to the North Carolina Spring Nationals in Rockingham on April 31st & May 1st. The weather was just great for any racer. It was a welcome change from our 80 + temps we have been getting. The racer turn out was a little low for the area, we usually have a BIG turnout for the fall outing. The economy has really hurt the racers especially the fuel prices.

The Pro Stock class for the weekend had 3 entries. As qualifying started it sure looked like records were going to be set. All classes were turning good times due to the great air & track set up. On the first pass we managed to turn 8.32 so we knew we had a good handle on the air & track conditions. The next passes kept getting better as PeeWee & Sparks worked on the clutch & air, that pass was an 8.25. Shawn Reno managed to set the pace with a great pass of 7.97 & was going after a new mile per hour record. As the afternoon started to heat up the track conditions got even better. The team was happy with that 8.25 which was the fastest pass the team made to date.

Saturday night the Pro Stock Racers Association had a feast at the RED DRAGON team trailer. Hamburgers & all the fixings were on hand for the Pro Stock & Pro Mod teams to chow down & exchange stories on the days qualifying sessions. Thanks to KW & the team for hosting this event. As the night rolled in the “Peacepipe Band" took to the stage for some good old Rock n Roll.

April 3 - Sanford, FL - The race team just wanted to take the time & THANK everyone that came out Sunday for the Mission Impossible Fun Run. It truly was a huge success & what a great day for riding. The day started off with over 100 bikes going on a mission that OJ had created & from the feed-back it was a good one. The winner was Morris & she took home $100. One of the best biker bands around "SPLIT PERSONALITY" had the joint hoppin' all afternoon. A big thanks for the people that helped make it such a huge success: my wife Bonnie, sister-in-law Brenda & mother-in-law Evelyn along with Van, George, Dale, Doug & Carla, Tommy, Shane & Paul. This year along with the BarBQue, we had some award winning chili from Austin, Texas. That was some of the best chili I've ever had!

The auction came off well & thanks goes out to Foxhead, Tucker Rocky, Hangar Bar, Jonny Rotten & Geneva Inn for their donations. We also had a visit from the law offices of 911 BIKER LAW, and we are happy to announce that they will be helping the Drag Bike team this year. Thanks!

We had a few brave bikers that tried the old fashion bike games with Crazy Dave & Tommy taking charge. The winners were Jimmy Swegheimer in the slow race & Lilly Pad with Al who won the Winnie Bite. The whole afternoon turned out to be one of the best & the team just wanted to say THANKS to all our friends for their support.

March 5 & 6 - Orlando, FL - WOW! What a start to the 2011 season. The team took runner-up at the Bike Week Nationals at Orlando Speed World. The weekend looked really gloomy on Friday as the rain came in, but the weekend was picture perfect. We would like to THANK EVERYONE that came into the pits & hung around, it was really nice to see the support. The whole gang from the Bar Out Back & Jonny himself had a great time.

Our condolenses goes out to the Kevin Winnie family as we lost a great guy & a true supporter of Harley Drag Racing leaving the track on Saturday afternoon.

Well back to the performance, right off the trailer the bike did a 8.54 which was a good start to do some tuning. Sparks & PeeWee had things together & managed to get an 8.39 as the best pass of the weekend. OJ had trouble with the shift points but cut some good llights. We managed to qualify #2 which had us up against Kevin with the Red Dragon team from New York. We knew we had to be on in order to make it into the finals. The only problem the whole weekend was the fuel pump filter had cracked & we needed to replace the pump.

OJ had invited some friends Mickey & Laurie Shue that are into photography & did they get some great shot on Saturday. Check out shueshots.smugmug.com & click on sports. You can do the rest!!! A big THANKS. We even managed to do some filming for a possible TV series trying to startup. Eric showed up & got a press pass to film some live action on the line. So be on the lookout for HotRods & Cycles coming soon!

The whole weekend was a huge success for the team. We managed to get into the finals & took on the previous champ Shawn Reno. OJ did manage to tree Shane but did not have it on the top end. The team also hosted the dinner for the teams on Saturday night which turned out quite well & everyone had a good meal.

We are still looking for support for the rest of the season so call if you can HELP. Keep the date April 3rd open that will be the 10th Annual "Mission Impossible Scavenger Run" to support the team. Download the flier from the link at the bottom of our events page. The team will go to Rockingham NC on April 30th & May1st. THANKS to ALL the LOCALS for their SUPPORT!!!!!!

WELCOME to 2011 racing season. The team is getting ready for what we hope is an outstanding year. The off season we spent a lot of time trying to find some sponsorship, but times are tough for everyone. As the season starts in 2 weeks at Orlando Speed World on March 5th & 6th we will have a few new people interested in helping the team. This year we have been out doing some PR work for the AHDRA in hopes that we have some good attendance at the race.

On Feburary 29th the team will be at Seminole Harley for the 3rd Annual Sam Swope Charity Ride, this is sponsored by the Bahia Shrine to help the burn center. We have also added "a day at the races" for some lucky high bidder in the silent auction. So come out & support the team & the Shriners.

This year we are doing the "Mission Impossible Run" on April 3rd hopefully we will have good weather. Everyone is welcome to come out for a day of FUN & good eats. You may even win at Biker Bingo so come out & enjoy – Support Harley Drag Racing!