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Romine
Racing News
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Going home to AMRA’s all-motorcycle events after thrashing and destroying parts at IHRA events is like a breath of fresh air to Mike Romine. Not only did he qualify number one and win the race, he also ran his quickest ever on the Competition Dist. Flyin’ Banana.
The final round 6.81 and a 203 miles per hour in qualifying was his best of the weekend. On what could have been a better prepared track, Romine was impressed with the bike’s performance. “I ran 6.91 at 203 in qualifying, ahead of the number two by two thousandths of a second.” Romine was the bike that clocked 200 mph bike that weekend.
The final round competition wasn’t impressive competition as Romine won by almost four tenths of a second. But Patty Romine jumped for joy with the win as Mike bested his best 6.83 on the Flyin’ Banana in that set-up. “It was fun to be back racing Harley races. We race so many IHRA events that conflict with these that we forget how fun it is to go back. There was an incredible crowd. The facility is a really nicer than ever. It’s a long track, which means we can go fast and not worry about stopping. I hope when we return in the fall the surface will be better prepared.”
Normally a low-key guy, Romine got excited in the semi-final round. “We left the line normally, but my face shield, when I crossed the finish line, was totally wet. At the starting line it was dry. A big windstorm came up when we were getting ready to run. There was no one at the top end to tell us what we were driving into. Thankfully, nothing bad happened. And, I won the round. Then they waited 10 to 15 minutes before the next semi-final pair. I don’t fault them, though. They just didn’t know. We’ll go back in October for the finals.”
A portion of Mike’s goal was to win the event. He also spent time working through some set-up challenges. The Flyin’ Banana is the bike Mike’s brother Jack will ride in Michigan this summer. His best miles per hour has been 175. “So we learned quite a bit by going there – specifically, how to tune it to run through the finish line. We have high expectations for Michigan. It sure would be nice to see an All-Romine final. It should run a BUNCH better than it did in Canada.”
Between now and October, Romine will ride the number one plate two other times at AMRA nationals. He’ll race closest to home on the AMRA schedule at the incredibly attended Route 66 event. Another fun race he’ll make that doesn’t conflict is the AMRA Bunker Hill event.
We’ll ride the number one plate three more times this year: Route 66, the Bunker Hill and finish the AMRA season Nin Bowling Green.
Meanwhile, the Chromatic Nuclear Tomato and the Flyin’ Banana get ready for two IHRA Nationals in a row – New York (near Buffalo) and Michigan (at the new Martin track).
Mike Romine’s Competition Dist. Flyin’ Banana is sponsored by Chromatic and Romine Racing. The Chromatic Nuclear Tomato is sponsored by Andrews Products, Ross Pistons, Saddlemen, Autolite, Silkolene, and Romine Racing.
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