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Eric
McKinney Continues Reign in Drag965 Pro Extreme Motorcycle
PITTSBORO, N.C. (November 11, 2016): Looking at the last
three championships in PDRA’s Drag965 Pro Extreme
Motorcycle, one would assume that Eric McKinney has had
complete and total domination. But that is only part of
the story. While he walked away with the championships in
‘14 and ‘15, this year almost didn’t happen.
McKinney’s season started off well, with two final round
appearances early in the year. But then, McKinney says,
“We got a little sidetracked.” Chris Garner-Jones took
over McKinney’s familiar number one place in points and
stayed there for much of the year. “We’re always trying to
be faster and progress the class,” McKinney explained. “We
got behind and it was a struggle. It was quite
challenging.”
Going into the final race, McKinney was still over two
rounds behind Garner-Jones. “We drew it out on a piece of
paper before the last race and said, ‘We have to do this
to win the championship’,” McKinney added. “After the
makeup race in Bradenton we were 206 points behind Chris.
He had to go out first round and I had to win the race.”
And that’s exactly what happened. Garner-Jones made an
uncharacteristic first round exit and McKinney went on to
win the event, resetting the PXM National ET Record in the
process - twice. Thanks to McKinney’s final round effort,
the record now stands at a 3.986.
“This is by far the most satisfying season we’ve had. It
was a struggle being down, you feel like you just lost
your touch. But to come back in that way at the last race
and to win was very rewarding and almost unbelievable. We
were pretty fortunate to pull it off. It’s all my team. I
can’t take any credit.”
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After two previous PXM
championships (‘12 and ‘13) and the AMA Dragbike championship in ‘09
McKinney’s total is up to six.
“It’s a pretty amazing feeling,” McKinney said, searching for words to
describe the enormity of his feats. “To be so dominant like we have been,
it’s pretty amazing. To able to do five in a row is unbelievable. I’ve got
a good crew behind me. We keep plugging away. We work hard at everything
we do, whether it’s work or drag racing. We give everything 150%. I’ve
told people, never give up. We wanted to give up a couple of times this
year, but we didn’t and we pulled it off. I’m still kinda speechless about
it. This championship is my team’s. It’s theirs, not mine. I get the
credit, but it’s them behind the scenes.”
With the 2016 world championship coming in a much different manner than
his previous titles, McKinney and team felt the thrill of victory in a new
way. “The first two seasons we had such an advantage on everyone, we put
it in cruise control,” McKinney storied. “The class caught up. We were on
cruise control too long. There were a lot of downs. There were times I
didn’t even want to go. I thought we had lost our touch.”
The team recognized their mistake and went to work: “This last month we
probably put in 50 test runs before Bradenton and Virginia, just trying to
get our combination back. We had good help from the Vance and Hines guys.
We went testing with them a week before the Virginia race and learned a
lot of stuff we were overlooking. It makes for very good racing, and it’s
very rewarding to win this way. We earned every championship we’ve ever
won, but this one was very hard fought. It’s definitely more gratifying to
win this way rather than to have the cushion over the competition like we
have in the past. This year was by far the best championship. It’s
gratifying to win this one. The torch is going to have to get passed on to
someone else at some point, but it worked out again this year for us.”
Although McKinney and team pulled off their fifth championship in a row,
he recognizes that the class has a new level of parity and expects several
teams to post three second runs more often next year. One thing is sure,
however, McKinney and his team are not about to let their guard down
again.
“My mom and dad are the heart behind this thing,” thanked McKinney. “If it
wasn’t for them I couldn’t do it. Dad’s been pushing me since I was little
to be the best that I can. I try my hardest and he gives me good
equipment. We pull it off. I want to thank my fiancee. She’s my rock and
she pushes me, too. When we get down and out she keeps us going. My uncle
Steve is at just about every race with us doing the clutch and in between
round maintenance. Ashley Owens is the man behind the tune up and the
chassis. That guy forgot more about all that stuff than anybody else ever
knew. He’s amazing with what he knows and what he can do with that
motorcycle. It makes it easier for me because I know it’ll be consistent
every pass. I can do my job a lot better because I’m not worried about the
motorcycle. If it wasn’t for him and dad we couldn’t do this. Their
combined experience and knowledge make them almost untouchable.
“I definitely want to thank the guys in our shop, D&S Auto Parts. When
we’re gone they take care of things. My counter man, Jaimie, keeps the
place together. Fast by Gast, Paul Gast, he helps us with our motor. He
gets repairs done in a timely fashion. Vance and Hines, Eddie Krawiec was
actually helping us at the test session a week before the last race. I
also want to thank Vance and Hines for helping to sponsor the class this
year, and I want to thank the class title sponsor, Drag965. I definitely
want to thank the PDRA. Everybody at the PDRA is just great to deal with;
they’re awesome to be around. From the time you pull in the gate until the
time you leave everybody is trying to help you out. We’ve raced a bunch of
organizations. It’s good to go to a place where you feel at home and still
treated professionally.”
In his young career, McKinney has already accomplished more than many do
in a lifetime of drag racing. McKinney will celebrate his championship
this off season while also planning his wedding to take place next May, in
between races of course.
Photo: Gary Rowe /
PDRA660.com / RaceWorks.com
ABOUT THE PDRA
Based in Pittsboro, North Carolina, the Professional Drag Racers
Association is the top sanctioning body in the United States for the sport
of eighth-mile drag racing. The PDRA’s professional categories include Pro
Extreme, Pro Nitrous, Pro Boost, and Pro Extreme Motorcycle along with Top
Sportsman, Top Dragster, Pro Jr. Dragster, and Top Jr. Dragster. The 2016
PDRA schedule consists of nine national events. For more on the world’s
premier eighth mile drag racing organization visit
www.pdra660.com.
Follow the PDRA:
Facebook,
Twitter,
Instagram,
YouTube.
PRESS CONTACT: Lisa Collier
Professional Drag Racers Association
lisa@pdra660.com
704.692.4636
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