NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

The Pingel NHRA Top Fuel Motorcycle Series will return to the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series this weekend at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals presented by Peak at Route 66 Raceway.

Reigning champion Larry "Spiderman" McBride, Finland’s Elmeri Salakari, championship runner-up Mitch Brown, Top Fuel Harley record holder Bob Malloy, and Maine’s Micah Fenwick will all be slinging their 1,600-plus-hp two-wheeled beasts down the legendary speed facility just south of Chicago.

McBride and his crew chief/brother Steve are the all-time performance leaders of the sport, clicking off 4.80s to the 1,000-foot mark seemingly at will to take last year’s title in bracket bike fashion. Will they be content to win with consistency this season, like they did last? Or will they go back to roasting motors and setting records?

Brown co-owns his bike with Dennis Bradley and has Pro Mod driver Todd Martin helping tune with the bike’s FuelTech-controlled and -fired system. They’re no longer content with second and shooting for the top.

Salakari’s blown, dual overhead cam, four-valve per cylinder, hybrid fuel “Harsh” V-Twin was the only bike to beat McBride on track last year. Jaska Salakari says he’s solved the ultimate nitro riddle and intends to tune his son Elmeri to a mind-blowing performance.

Like Brown and Salakari, Malloy controls his bike with a FuelTech ECU. He’s stated his goal in life is to beat the McBrides, and he thinks his Chuck Redfern-owned Sam Wills chassis is the tool to do it.

The John Alwine-designed ATF-1 bike fielded by Fenwick is potentially the most beastly machine in the field, and Fenwick is gathering the experience necessary to ride that beast to winning results.

“The 2024 NHRA Top Fuel Motorcycle class was a great success, and we look forward to an even more competitive 2025 season,” said Donna Pingel, who, along with her husband, Wayne, runs the most legendary business in motorcycle performance.