These results reflect the record holders, qualifiers, and eliminations contestants at each of the
Doc’s Harley-Davidson Street Bike Shootout Series events held each Wednesday at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois.
All motorcycles compete utilizing street equipment including Department of Transportation (D.O.T.) approved tires without wheelie bars. All other modifications are permitted. Wednesday SBSS Track Records can be set during official qualifying or championship rounds. The Official Street Bike Shootout “suicide qualifying” period, (one qualifying run only), begins at 7:30 PM, (barring unforeseen circumstances). At 8:00 PM, the four quickest qualifiers meet in no-handicap eliminations with the championship final round held at 8:30 PM.
GATEWAY INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, MADISON, ILLINOIS
2008 DOC’S STREET BIKE SHOOTOUT SERIES TRACK RECORDS
Class Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine ET MPH Date
SBSS Eric Sanzottera, St. Peters, MO 03 GSX1100 Suzuki 8.131 04/18/2007
SBSS Eric Sanzottera, St. Peters, MO 03 GSX1100 Suzuki 181.72 05/08/2007
AUGUST 13th, 2008 DOC’S STREET BIKE SHOOTOUT SERIES QUALIFIERS
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle Engine ET MPH Date
EVENT 16 08/13/2008
1 Eric Sanzottera St. Peters MO 03 GSX1100 1100 Suz 8.266 176.44
2 Rickey Johns St. Louis MO 06 ZX1400 1400 Kaw 8.934 157.61
3 Evan Holland St. Louis MO 03 Hayabusa 1300 Suz 9.478 143.83
4 Rick McCarter Dittmer MO 02 GSXR1000 1000 Suz 9.767 142.64
AUGUST 13th, 2008 DOC’S STREET BIKE SHOOTOUT SERIES ELIMINATIONS
Pos Name Hometown ST Vehicle R.T. ET MPH
Round One:
W Eric Sanzottera St. Peters MO 03 GSX1100 0.184 8.192 166.25
RU Rick McCarter Dittmer MO 02 GSXR1000 -0.032 (foul) 9.734 139.43
W Rickey Johns St. Clair MO 06 ZX1400 0.022 8.972 156.23
RU Evan Holland St. Louis MO 03 Hayabusa 0.204 11.108 92.49
Final Round:
W Eric Sanzottera St. Peters MO 03 GSX1100 0.026 8.228 159.46
RU Rickey Johns St. Clair MO 06 ZX1400 -0.055 (foul) 9.236 155.38
Eric Sanzottera almost broke a record while breaking records in scoring an historic fifth consecutive event victory during the 2008 Doc’s Harley-Davidson Street Bike Shootout Series at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois. Taking advantage of exceptional atmospheric conditions for the month of August, Sanzottera came within milliseconds of resetting his own SBSS Elapsed Time Record while pushing his fabled candy apple red QuickTime Motorsports 2003 Suzuki to the quickest and fastest runs of the year.
Traditionally, the sixteenth event of the season at GIR would include near 100-degree temperatures and a corrected elevation of over three thousand feet above sea level. A large field of twenty-five qualifying hopefuls were instead greeted with 83-degree temps and, by the time the final round was contested, a corrected elevation of only 1477 feet above sea level!
With those conditions, crewchief Rudy Sanzottera made the decision to “go for the throat” during the SBSS “suicide qualifying” session which allows all entries only one official qualifying attempt to make the field. “We‘ve got the ‘air‘ to reset the record“, said Rudy before the qualifying run, “and we‘ve also got an opportunity to pick up some points toward the season championship since Shawn (Ingram, the Kawasaki rider who is currently second in the standings), couldn‘t be here tonight due to a medical problem which, hopefully, won‘t keep him away very long“. True to his word, Rudy tuned brother Eric to the fastest speed of the 2008 SBSS with an 8.26-second, 176.44 mph blast which easily led the field while earning the team its first record of the event, a sixth consecutive low qualifying effort.
In preparation for his first round match against Rick McCarter‘s GSXR1000, Rudy Sanzoterra made a surprising admission. “We‘ve calmed it down for this run just to make sure it goes down the track“, he said, “and we don‘t want to blow an opportunity here. If we can get to the final round, we‘ll decide if we want to go for a big number“. The race ended quickly when McCarter fouled by thirty-two thousandths of a second but Eric Sanzottera made a wild pass which found his Suzuki all over its lane. In fact, Eric shut down the bike just before the finish line as evidenced by a slowing 166.25 mph speed. However, even Rudy was stunned when the scoreboards relayed the quickest elapsed time of the SBSS season at 8.19 seconds!
Facing Rickey Johns, whose most recent SBSS victory came in the September 29, 2007 event, the QuickTime team made provisions for a serious assault in the final round. “We can get that number”, said Rudy, referring to Eric’s sixteen month-old 8.13-second series record, before the trophy dash. For the second straight round, Eric’s opponent pushed the ‘Tree and Johns’ black Kawasaki fouled by fifty-five thousandths. Eric, meanwhile, streaked to the finish line in the best conditions of the night. As hoped, the Suzuki was within striking distance of a new ET record; the 330-feet ET showed an 8.14-second pace as did the 5.41/144 mph eighth-mile. The QuickTime bike’s renowned top end charge was just about to come into play when it happened…the bike refused to shift into its final gear. Eric coasted across the finish line at only 159.48 mph…but with an 8.22 elapsed time!
“That was going to be the new ET record”, said Eric during trophy presentations in front of the main grandstands. His voice tinged with frustration, Eric added, “People don’t believe me but I’ve got a deadly accurate ‘speed indicator’ that told me it was a record run. I knew it before the bike failed to shift. There was no question that was the pass”.
How did Eric Sanzottera know it was a record run? He pointed to his right foot and his black leather, steel-toed dragbike boot. “Whenever I’m on a record pass, whether it’s on our street bike or our ProStar National Event bike, I can always tell because the asphalt burns through the toe of my boot”. Sure enough, Eric wiggled his white sock-clad little toe in a gaping hole burned through the leather, the steel tip and the boot’s insulation. “You’d be surprised what happens when your toe hits the track at 180 mph”, laughed Eric, “and you’d really be shocked at how hot it gets inside that boot, too!”.
DOC’S STREET BIKE SHOOTOUT SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS (as of AUGUST 14th, 2008)
Pos Points Name
1 (26) Eric Sanzottera St. Peters MO 03 GSX 1100 Suz
2 (15) Shawn Ingram Robertsville MO 06 ZX1400 1400 Kaw
3 (9) Amir Brandy St. Louis MO 05 Hayabusa 1300 Suz
4 (5) Josh McDaniel Robertsville MO 03 ZX10-R 1000 Kaw
5 (3) Greg Cave Jacksonville IL 02 GSXR1000 1000 Suz
6 (3) Rickey Johns St. Clair MO 06 ZX1400 1400 Kaw
7 (2) Janie Palm Bunker Hill IL 03 Hayabusa 1300 Suz
8 (2) Jesse Gatlin St. Louis MO 04 Hayabusa 1300 Suz
9 (2) Don Klarer St. Charles MO 00 ZX1200R 1200 Kaw
10 (2) Evan Holland St. Louis MO 03 Hayabusa 1300 Suz
11 (2) Joe Jordan St. Louis MO 04 Hayabusa 1300 Suz
NOTE: Points toward the 2008 Doc’s Street Bike Shootout Series Season Championship are awarded on the basis of one (1) point for qualifying in the Final Four field with one (1) bonus point awarded for winning the first round of eliminations and one (1) bonus point awarded for winning the final round of eliminations. Ties are broken by (1) the earliest date upon which the final point total is earned, (2) quickest elapsed time recorded during the current SBSS season and (3) fastest speed recorded during the current SBSS season.
Photos of the August 13th Street Bike Shootout Series event are now available for viewing at Bret Kepner Photos.com.
Eric Sanzottera, St. Peters, MO 2003 Suzuki GSX1100R
Eric Sanzottera (left) and crew
Eric Sanzottera’s “speed indicator” boot after the final round
Rickey Johns, St. Clair, MO 2006 Kawasaki ZX1400
Rickey Johns, St. Clair, MO