Kit Palmer | April 19, 2021
Ryan Oehler grabbed his second NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle victory at the Denso Four-Wide Nationals in Las Vegas, but his path to a victory was anything but easy. During Friday’s first qualifying session, Oehler suffered a brake failure and put his EBR into the sand trap at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Things didn’t get much easier on race day when Oehler and his team had to swap engines after the first round of eliminations. Somehow, Oehler persevered and won the final quad of the unique event over Cory Reed, Steve Johnson and Scotty Pollacheck.
Ryan Oehler worked hard for the win in Las Vegas. Photo: Matt Polito
“This is crazy. We started the weekend off in the sand at the end of the track and we had to fix the bike,” Oehler said. “Then, in round one, we basically ruined an engine. It had no oil pressure all the way down the track. We changed motors and made a rapid turnaround. Then, we go out and get our second Wally [NHRA trophy]. There’s gonna be more.”
Oehler won the first race of the Covid-shortened 2020 season and ended the season with a runner-up finish in Houston. He finished the year as the number seven-ranked rider in the class, but for all his recent success, Oehler admitted that he still wasn’t quite sure about the four-wide format, a twice-a-year spectacle that features four bikes at a time instead of two. The first two finishers in each “quad” advance until the final round. The presence of a second Christmas Tree starting system and the lights at the end of the track that signal the winner and second-place finisher, have been known to confuse even the most experienced racers, and Oehler wasn’t immune.
“It took a few rounds, but I finally know how the lights work here,” Oehler said. “If the light in your lane, is flashing, you’re the winner. If it’s solid, you’re the runner-up. We want to see more of those flashing lights.”
Oehler kicked off eliminations with a win against Denso EBR’s Angie Smith and Suzuki racer Kelly Clontz. Oehler was first off the starting line and rode to a 6.97 to cover Smith’s quicker 6.94. Clontz trailed with a 7.21 elapsed time. Oehler finished second to MacRak Suzuki’s Steve Johnson in the second round but that was good enough to reach the final.
The last round of the day featured Oehler and Johnson alongside Denso EBR’s Scotty Pollaceheck and the Reed Motorsports Suzuki of Cory Reed. Pollacheck, the favorite, took himself out of the running with a red-light start allowing Oehler to win with a 6.91 while Reed was credited with a runner-up finish after his 6.94.
With the win, Oehler finds himself at the top of the Camping World NHRA points standings for just the second time in his career. After two of 16 rounds, he’s got 209 points, 26 more than reigning NHRA champion Matt Smith and 57 more than Johnson, who is celebrating his 34th season in the class. The next event will be the Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway, April 30-May 2.
-Kevin McKenna
2021 Camping World NHRA Championship
NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle
Las Vegas Denso Four Wide Nationals
Las Vegas, Nevada
RESULTS (April 16-18, 2021)
Final
| 1. |
Ryan Oehler |
(EBR) |
| 2. |
Cory Reed |
(Suz) |
| 3. |
Steve Johnson |
(Suz) |
| 4. |
Scotty Pollacheck |
|
Click here for complete Las Vegas Denso Four-Wide results.
