Barkley makes history at the Badland's Nationals!

The final stop on the CMDRA National circuit was the Badland's Nationals at "The Strip" in Medicine Hat, AB. This volunteer run track is a sound facility with god track prep allowing Barkley to put up great numbers here at previous events. Ethan had a commanding lead in the title chase over fellow racer Rob Aston, but not enough to wrap up the championship prior to the event. Both racers knew that in order to have a shot at the title, they needed to leave nothing on the table. Ethan struggled during the three rounds of qualifying on Saturday and the best he could muster was a 7.64 / 190. He was having trouble getting the 500+ hp GSX-R1000 "Eleanor" to hook up at the start, but past half-track the bike was pulling hard. Aston on the other hand was the exact opposite, great starts but a little down on speed. However it was good enough to qualify in top spot with a 7.47 which was a little too close to the existing E.T. record of 7.42 for Ethan's liking. "If Aston has a record setting weekend and we continue to struggle, this championship could slip through our fingers", Ethan stated at the end of qualifying. Not wanting that to come to fruition Barkley and his crew chief Tom Bodrovics went back to the drawing board in order to find a soft setup that would net them an improved elapsed time yet still keep the down track speed up. Ethan entered the King of the Hill class at the end of Saturday in hopes of gathering some data from the new "conservative" tune up. It appeared that the team was on the right track, posting a 7.48 / 196! Without the rear tire spinning, the drive was smooth and consistent and that speed was well in excess of the existing record of 192 MPH Ethan set at this very same event 1 year ago.

Barkley puts a little heat into the rear tire!

Photo by: seven62media

Coming into Sunday's eliminations the team was confident they had the tune up that would keep them in the power the entire track. In the semi-finals Ethan faced number 3 qualifier Dave Burleigh who was running strong all weekend. AS the lights came down Barkley charged forward instanlty and he kept his head down, hitting his 13,750 rpm shift points perfectly. The scoreboards flashed 7.28 /197.70 shattering the old elapsed time and speed records! The team was ecstatic as the years of hard work finally paid off! Barkley faced off against Aston in the finals, the two rivals looking forward to putting up great side by side numbers. Unfortunately the track had gone away slightly and both bikes spun slightly. Ethan came out on top and managed a great 7.37 /197.4 pass for the win. That run also backed up the 1/8th and 1/4 mile elapsed time and speed records.

Trying to put the power down leaving the line

Photo by: seven62media

With the event win and the Barkley's name on all 4 records, he now had a substantial points margin over Aston, and proudly claimed his 15th CMDRA Championship! It was a perfect way to wrap up the Canadian series.

From L-R: Tom, Ethan and Chris take home #1 for the 15th time!

Photo by: seven62media

The EB Speed team will now head for the IDBL Fall Nationals / Pro Streeet Battle Royale taking place October 2-4th, where the top 40 Pro Street teams from all over the globe will decend on Maryland International Raceway in hopes of taking home some of the $24,000 USD purse!

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