"I've never raced at Bandimere," said the Aberdeen, Md. native. "Because of the track elevation and thin air, I know I will have to be on my game as a rider."

 

Bandimere Speedway is situated 5,860 feet above sea level, creating an air-deprived atmosphere that slows down the performance of the Pro Stock Motorcycles.

 

At the last event, the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Horne was eliminated in the second round by Andrew Hines. Undeterred by the disappointing finish, Horne is optimistic and looks forward to improving his performance.

 

"I'm looking to qualify toward the top and make a few more elimination rounds," said Horne. "It's a tough track for a tuner, but as long as we get a handle on the motorcycle we'll do well. I want to put on a good show."

 

Horne is currently fifth in the championship points standings with 454 points, 170 points behind the point leader, Eddie Krawiec.

 

 

Denver, Saturday:  Doug Horne piloted his Horne Racing Buell Pro Stock Motorcycle to the twelfth qualifying position for tomorrow's Mopar Mile-High Nationals here at Bandimere Speedway.

The 21-year-old rookie rider improved his elapsed times from the first day of qualifying, with a final run at 7.466 e.t. at 173.87-mph at the notoriously slow track.

"We had a rough second run on the first day," said Horne. "The Pro Stock Motorcycle got away from me and we ended up coasting down the track."

The Aberdeen, Md., native will face the number five qualifier, David Hope, who ran a 7.374 e.t. at 176.44-mph during the first round of eliminations.

"I was hoping to qualify toward the top," he added. "It's frustrating for our team to be on the bottom half, but we're glad to be in the show and we're using it as motivation to try harder. I'll concentrate on putting on a good show for the fans and staying toward the top in the championship points."

Horne is currently fifth in the championship point standings with 454 points, 170 points behind the point leader, Eddie Krawiec.

 

 Horne exits the show in quarterfinals

Denver, Sunday: Doug Horne of the Horne Racing Buell Pro Stock Motorcycle team exited the show today in a quarterfinal run against current point champion Eddie Krawiec here at the Mopar Mile High Nationals at Bandimere Speedway.

Horne qualified twelfth for today's race and ran a 7.442 e.t. at 173.16-mph during the first round against David Hope, who broke before he staged. During the quarterfinal pass, Horne recorded a 7.430 e.t. at 175.50-mph against Krawiec, who recorded 7.388 e.t. at 178.02-mph, but suffered a red light foul.

"I was trying to focus and go back to how well I was doing at the beginning of the season," said the 21-year-old Aberdeen, Md. native. "I'm disappointed by the foul and want to apologize to my team.

"Eddie is a very good driver. Even if I didn't get the foul, if I had to be eliminated by anyone it's fitting that it's the current championship points leader."

Coming into Denver, Horne is fifth in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing championship point standings with 454 points, 170 points behind the point leader, Eddie Krawiec.

"We have some time off since the next race has no Pro Stock Motorcycles so we'll use that time to regroup as a team and head into the next event better than ever," Horne added.

 

Special Thanks: 

Douglas was on with Steve Schoenfeld of "The Racing Fan" radio show.  He was glad Steve and Mark got a chance to stop by our trailer at the race. 

Douglas would like to thank Mark & Gina from Dragstar for their continued support and also Greg Brynes a fellow All Harley Pro-Drag racer from the Denver area who provided support for this race, along with our sponsors, Chesapeake Harley Davidson, Maryland Portable Concrete, Cecil County Dragway and Horne Concrete.