Barkley has mediocre results in Mission

The Suzuki Canada / Walt Healy / EB Speed team was at Mission Raceway Park for the Canadian Motorcycle Drag Racing Association’s 5th stop. Barkley was hoping to turn things around after a poor performance at Fort St. John. The team arrived in Mission a day early and participated in a track rental in order to get some additional passes. The session went well, with the team running in the mid to low 8 second range. On the new Hayabusa Ethan was running consistent 9.5’s @ 150+ mph. Barkley also took time to do some media appearences as well with Global TV National (video here), News1130 AM (link here) and AM980 CKNW. The premise was to discourage street racing, and promote racing at the track.

Saturday’s qualifying was shortened to just one round due to heavy rain. Ethan ran an 8.78 @ 172 mph on the turbocharged Suzuki GSX-R1000 which was good enough to hold 3rd spot. In the Mission Springs Brewing Co. Street Series, his new 2008 Hayabusa ended up in 3rd spot with a 0.037 reaction time.

Sunday’s weather was great and the track was in excellent shape. A second round of qualifying was held in the morning session, but Ethan failed to improve on his previous results. In the opening round of eliminations he was paired up against fellow Walt Healy Motorsports rider Chris Klassen. Barkley had a great pass and pushed his GSX-R1000 to a season’s best of 8.26 @ 178mph. The other top contenders were also running well, Glen Fraser ran an 8.31 and Ken Froese went 8.30. In the semi-finals Ethan faced Ken Froese who had been running better and better with every pass aboard his turbocharged Suzuki Hayabusa. What should have been a great match up proved to be anything but. Unfortunately Ethan's GSX-R1000 slid slightly at the line and Froese pulled away cleanly to finish first with an 8.30@ 170mph. Ethan tried to catch him, but it was too late.

Although he had such a disappointing run, hopes were still high in the EB Speed camp for a good result in the Street Class. In the first round he was up against Dave Burleigh. At the 1000’ mark, Ethan looked over his shoulder to see if Dave was near him. Although he let off the gas near the end of the track, he still ran too quick posting a 9.503 on a 9.51 dial in, thus losing the race. Barkley came back to the pits shaking his head in disbelief.

Heading in the CMDRA’s last event of the season at Castrol Raceway Sept. 13th-14th in Edmonton Ab., Ethan is currently in third position only 64 points back of the leader in the Power Up Lubricants Pro Street Series. In the Mission Springs Brewing Co. Street Series he is in second spot, 89 points back.

*high resolution images available on request

All photos by Laura Barkley