Racing Team
Gail’s Harley-Davidson sponsors Grudge Night every Wednesday and Friday night at the Kansas City International Raceway, 8201 S. Noland Rd., Kansas City, MO. The Gail’s Harley-Davidson Feel the Power Race Team includes John Crabb, John Solecki. and Robin Thiem. Come out to the speedway and watch the team rip up the track!


Fueling his appetite for speed
John Crabb, Executive Director at Gail’s Harley-Davidson, jumped at the chance to race the VRXSE Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod Destroyer, Harley-Davidson’s first production race bike. Crabb wanted to push his limits and see how fast the Destroyer would take him. The Destroyer is Harley-Davidson’s first out-of-the-box, drag racing motorcycle. Based on the VRSC family and tuned by Custom Vehicle Operations, this bike can do a quarter mile run in under 10 seconds.

“The Destroyer is a great production piece to get a lot of people involved in racing,” Crabb said. The price point is good for someone who may not be able to spend the money to build a bike. You can literally go to the dealerships, buy the Destroyer, take it to the track and be ready to race.

The All Harley Drag Racing Association (AHDRA) made a class specifically for the Destroyer, with specific rules making it rider competitive. “You can’t alter the motor,” Crabb said. “The chassis set up, clutch setting, fuel injection mapping and final gearing are the only things you can change.” The motorcycle must maintain the stock cooling system and intake system. This is a heads up, .400-second, Pro-street class. The combined weight of bike and rider must be a minimum of 730 pounds.

To compete in the Destroyer class, it comes down to who is the best rider and who can set up their bike the best, according to Crabb. The heads up race rewards the faster rider. Crabb’s best time was 9.42 seconds at 143.6 m.p.h. in Gainsville. This motorcycle goes 60 ft in 1.36 seconds, Crabb said. “Learning how to set and leave makes it a true rider’s class.” Crabb has qualified in the top half of the field in 2006. He also races in the Super Gas Class, which is reserved for street legal or non-street legal V-Twin motorcycles with any frame configuration. The class has a 9.70 E.T. dial-in index.

Crabb took a drag racing class in Gainsville in March of 2006 to sharpen his racing skills. The course started with classroom instruction, equipment fitting and safety instruction, followed by a burnout practice and runs, which were done in progressive lengths. Following the riding session, John returned to class to watch his performance on videotape and to receive individualized instruction. “The class was great in teaching you how to get comfortable, how to leave, how to launch and shift on the first 60 feet,” Crabb said.

You can catch Crabb and the rest of the Gail’s Harley-Davidson racing team at the Kansas City International Raceway, located at 350 Hwy and Noland Rd, testing and tuning at Grudge Racing on Wednesday and Friday nights and on Saturday’s during the racing season. To learn more about the Destroyer or to find out more about the team, call Gail’s Harley-Davidson at 816-966-2222.