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Reproduced from The Prostar Report Volume 5 Issue 5 August 1994
By: Pam Fast
VIRGINIA MOTOR SPORTS PARK JUNE 19: Since breaking a wrist pin at the World Finals last year. Dan Rudd's Kawasaki wasn't running until the Spring Nationals in Rockingham this season. Missing the first two Prostar races and; doing poorly at Rockingham put Rudd in a bad position. "The competition is too tough to give them that big of a head start," Rudd, the owner of MPS, stated. "I knew I would have to race well in Richmond to get back in the hunt." Rudd wasn't kidding, taking his 1973, 1260cc Kawasaki to victory and capturing his second career win in the Pingel E.T. Series.
Making two good time trials Saturday with good lights and consistent ET's, Rudd prepared to run the Saturday's Gamblers Race. As it turned out, it was the best confidence builder Rudd could have received. Getting by the first three rounds against some real heavy hitters, then losing the final to Claude Debonis made Rudd want the Pingel ET win even worse.
The Pingel ET Series started off good for Dan with two easy rounds; his opponents not cutting good lights and running off their numbers. Things got a little tougher in the third round when he met the "Bad To The Bone Dude" Andy Baumbach. Rudd had put Baumbach out in the Gamblers Race the day before so Baumbach was out to even the score. But he cut a bad light letting Rudd get by for the win. The fourth round Dan was the recipient of an earned bye run. The quarter finals gave him a chance at payback for the Gamblers Race final by meeting Claude Debonis. The bike had been running consistent 7.97 and 7.98 thousand footers all day which results in 9.50 laps, so he kept his dial-in at 9.51. This would be the worse race of the day for Rudd. Both cut their worse lights of eliminations, a .535 for Rudd and .574 for Debonis. Rudd ran a .049 off 9.559 to Debonis' .Ol5 off 9.215 giving Rudd a .005 margin of victory, his closest race of the day.
The semi would be no gimmie either with Wade Clark. Rudd had watched him tear up the field just two-weeks before at Twigs County, Georgia. This one turned out to be much easier than anticipated. Clark cut an off the pace .552 light and couldn't run the number.
Dan Rudd & Larry Eperjesi
The final paired him against Larry Eperjesi's Uniforms Unique/FBG Kawasaki
2-stroke from Texas. "One of the nicest competitors at the race track," commented
Rudd of his opponent. "But that can't matter when you're racing." Larry made
it easy for Dan with a red light.
Rudd said this was definitely one of the best race weekends he'd ever had. One of the few where everything went according to plan. His line lock installed prior to the race helped keep his lights and ET's consistent. Of he 16 passes during the Featherlite Dixie Nationals, his average was a .519 with no red lights, and it allowed him to stage in the exact same spot without fear of rolling. Rudd also credits his success to his weather station, MPS air throttle stop, auto shift, air clutch, crossover delay box, nitrous oxide and his practice tree, which didn't hurt the effort either.
Thanks go to Bruce Sauer, Claude Debonis, Mike Hullet, and Big Benny for all their help at the race. Since most races he comes by himself, he couldn't do it without them.
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