Ethan Barkley sets benchmarks at CMDRA Finals

Ethan Barkley came into the final event in second place in the CMDRA Championship standings. He needed to make up 55 points in one single event, a very tall order. To do so Ethan would need to set a 1/4 mile elapsed time record, a 1/4 mile speed record and win the event. Nothing is impossible and he had "Eleanor" set up to run some big numbers.

Ethan Barkley contemplating his next move in the quest for the 2013 title

The weekend didn't start off well as rain put a damper on Saturday's racing which forced the entire event to be run on Sunday. The track staff at Castrol Raceway did an amazing job getting the track ready in the cool overcast morning. There would be no test and tune session as the schedule needed to be fast tracked. So it was imperative that Ethan come out of the gate strong on his opening pass, and he did by posting a new record of 7.477 @ 191 mph! This was a new personal best for Ethan and he was just warming up. He made some slight adjustments to "Eleanor" in hopes of even better performance. Well his tuning worked perfectly as Ethan dropped a bomb on the entire Canadian Pro Street scene as well as the entire CMDRA. The launch was strong and the shifts were clean, the scoreboards flashed 7.389 @ 192.67mph! CLICK HERE to watch video. It was an amazing run but it was a little too quick. To achieve a CMDRA record the competitor must have two runs within 1%, and the 7.38 vs. 7.47 were just outside that margin. At this point the weekend was on track but the elimination rounds were up next where Ethan was hoping to run a time within 1% of the 7.38. Ethan had a bye run in the opening round and left the tune up the same, but the rear wheel lost traction mid track resulting in a 7.49 elapsed time. Next up was the semi-final and it was obvious the traction was going away as the rear wheel lost grip again in a similar spot on the track. Ethan went back into the bikes computers and dialed the power down just a touch for the finals. This run would be do or die in regards of the championship where anything less than pulling off the win and running within 1% of the 7.38 would result in second place overall. "Eleanor" left the line cleanly and was on another great pass until the tire let loose again, about three seconds into the run. Ethan let up and coasted through the finish line, knowing that his championship hopes were now over.

Ethan Barkley laying the power down at Castrol Raceway

It was a triumphant season, finishing second overall and still being able to lay claim the quickest and fastest Pro Street bike in Canada honors. Accomplishing all that while starting with a completely new turbo and engine management system. Ethan now has his sights set on taking on the top racers from throughout the world at the Manufacturer’s Cup World Finals in Bradenton Motorsports Park in Florida, November 8-10th.

Ethan Barkley bringing the revs up as he stages "Eleanor"

Photos by: seven62 & B. Wickland

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