Pingel Top Fuel Motorcycle (TFM) drag racing is going hot on the NHRA Mission Drag Racing Series at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Illinois, this weekend!
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 1600+ horsepower two-wheeled beasts down the legendary speed facility just south of Chicago.
Larry and his mastermind crew chief/brother Steve are the all-time performance leaders of the sport, clicking off 4.80s to the 1000 foot 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. Along with her husband Wayne, the Pingels run the most legendary business in motorcycle performance.
Fire in the hole, let’s race!
This story was originally published on May 15, 2025.
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