4-06-09

Getting a win on the road is always a tough feat.  Getting two win’s on the road, in two separate classes, is near impossible.  At the 2009 AMA Drag Bike MTC Elmer Trett Nationals in Commerce, GA, Schnitz Racing’s Patrick Chabaud defied the odds by taking home wins in both Pro ET and Street ET classes.

“We left Louisiana on Friday morning at 6am.  The nine-hour drive, combined with a few pit stops and a time zone change, had us arriving at the track around 5pm.  We unloaded the bikes and got them teched in.  I was eager to try out the all-new Michelin Power One, so I found Richie from Richie’s Tires in the pit area and bought a scuff, had it mounted at the PR Factory Store trailer, and prepared for Saturday’s race.

 Saturday started out chilly, but soon warmed up.  My 2006 ZX-14’s first two qualifying runs seemed slower than expected.  I knew my clutches had over 500 passes on them, so I decided to go ahead and change them out before my next two qualifying passes later in the day.  The decision to replace my clutches turned out to be a good one.  The bike was getting more and more consistent as the day went on.

I entered Saturday evening’s Street ET race and the Pro ET race.  Since Pro ET is run right before Street ET, I usually enter it as a test run to see what my bike will run for Street ET.  The first round of Pro ET ended in victory, and I adjusted my dial-in accordingly for the first round of Street ET.  As luck would have it, my worst reaction time of the weekend would come in the first round of Street ET, and I found myself unable to catch my opponent, thus taking the loss.  That left me concentrating on the Pro ET class, which was being run round robin for the first three rounds to save time.  As the night progressed, I found my reaction times getting better and better.  I managed to run in the left lane every round, so I became accustomed to it.  The win in the quarterfinals left me with a bye to the final round.  I ran my bike all-out for the bye run, to make sure my ET hadn’t changed.  However, it was now midnight, and had turned quite cold.  The bye run had me running under my dial, so I knew I needed to lower my dial-in for the finals.  Since I had broke-out during my bye-run, lane choice was given to my opponent, one of AMA Drag Bike’s most recognized racers and multi-time champion Mike Konopacki.

Mike knew I liked the left lane, and although for him the right lane seemed to hook better, he decided to throw me in the right lane, thinking it would distract me.  But on this night, I was in my zone, and there was no way I was going to let anything distract me.  I dialed 9.07, which allowed me to leave first over Mike’s 9.02 dial.  I drilled the tree, cutting a .002 light, and never allowed Mike to come around me.  I crossed first, running 9.071 on my 9.07 dial.  The end result was a .003 package that was untouchable.  I stopped at the return road to shake Mike’s hand for a well-fought race.  He looked at my bike and asked where my ‘box’ was.  I then pointed to my clutch hand…and told him “no box here”.  It’s rare to see a no-bar, no-box street bike go so far in Pro ET.  But I am proof that it isn’t impossible.  Anyone can win on any given day.

On Sunday, it was just the opposite.  I lost a hard fought battle in Pro ET in round two, but everything kept going my way in Street ET.  My ZX-14 was running near dead-on all day, and I had a few .00 reaction times in the mix.  Quarterfinal round of Street ET had me racing my hometown friend James Harris.  I would cut a .004 light, and take the win, leaving me with yet another bye to the finals.  In the final round of Street ET on Sunday, I was up against Connecticut racer Bob Carlson on yet another ZX-14.  Bob was the winner of Saturday night’s Street ET race, and was eager for another win, just as I was.  I scored yet another great reaction time (.018), and took the win in Street ET.

The 2009 AMA Drag Bike MTC Elmer Trett Nationals will go down as my greatest and most memorable weekend of racing ever.  Next stop on the AMA Drag Bike tour takes us to Memphis, TN May 2-3.  Check back for what will hopefully be another exciting and victorious weekend of racing”.

Patrick Chabaud thanks his sponsors, Schnitz Racing, Naarden Inc, Richie’s Tires, and Lightspeed Motorsports

2-25-09

Chabaud Comes Up Short For Hurricane Alley Season Finale'

11-2-08  

Hurricane Alley’s ‘Hard Core Drags’

The 4^th race of the Hurricane Alley 6-race series took place once again at Houston Raceway Park .  The weekend consisted of two separate races, the regularly scheduled race on Saturday, and the rain-out, first race of the series was made up on Sunday.

The weekend would start off slow for Schnitz Racing sponsored rider Patrick Chabaud, but after Saturday, Chabaud would redeem himself for a win in Pro ET and a runner-up finish in Pro IDX 9.00 on Sunday.

“I purchased a 5 gallon can of VP’s MR9 race fuel from local dealer Steven Miller.  I was unsure  on how the weather conditions were going to be, and I wanted to assure I could run 9.00 for the Pro IDX class.  I found myself breaking out, running low 8.90’s all weekend long.  On Saturday in the Pro IDX class, I ran 8.999 at 138 MPH .  That would break me out by a thousandth of a second, even though I scrubbed off 12 MPH from my normal 150 MPH .  I also broke out in Street ET on Saturday as well”.

“On Sunday, I entered three classes, Street ET, Pro ET, and Pro IDX 9.00.  I red-lit first round of Pro ET against local bracket master Michael Mathews, and I wasn’t going to buy-back since I was still in two other classes.  But when I lost out of Street ET in Rd. 2, I quickly bought back into Pro ET before their round 2 began.  Round 2 of Pro ET put me up against local racer Lee Paterson.  I took the stripe for the win.  Round 3 faced me against another local racer Ricky Kay.  Ricky would break out by .001, giving me another round win.  In the semi-finals, I would get the coveted ‘bye to the finals’.  I ran my bike all out, and amazing would set my quickest pass ever of 8.860.  In the final round, I raced another Texas native Tony Davis.  Tony and I would have near identical reaction times, and I would be able to pass him and take the stripe for the win in Pro ET”.  See Video Below

“Sunday’s Pro IDX 9.00 class would have me facing Jr. Pellichino in Rd. 1, local AMA Dragbike Supersport racer Farly Hall in Rd. 2, and then in the finals I would race against best-friend and traveling partner Eric ‘Smooth’ Joseph.  Eric and I would split the pot, run heads up with no index, and Eric would take the win, running 8.90 to my 8.94.  The Pro IDX class would have 8 entrants, with 5 of them being Kawasaki ZX-14’s”!!

Patrick Chabaud thanks Schnitz Racing, Naarden Speedlinks, Richie’s Tires, and Lightspeed Motorsports of Gonzales , LA.

10-19-08

Hurricane Alley Drag Racing Series Cajun Rendezvous

Race #3 of 6 on the Hurricane Alley Drag Racing Series schedule, dubbed ‘Cajun Rendezvous’, would take place in the heart of Cajun Country at No Problem Raceway Park in Belle Rose, LA.

Local racer and Schnitz Racing sponsored rider Patrick Chabaud would once again end the day in victory, this time with a win in Street ET and a runner-up finish in Pro ET.

“I thought I was doomed after the first round.  I entered Street ET and Quick 16, and lost the first round in both of the classes.  Street ET offers a first round buy-back for $20, and Quick 16 offers a buy back also, but you buy back into Pro ET.  So I took advantage of the buy back’s, got my head back into the race, and managed to make 2 final round appearances, in Street ET and Pro ET”, says Patrick.

The Pro ET final round came first against local Pro ET racer James ‘Outlaw’ Enloe.  James had told me his bike was not running right.  He was not lying, he was a tenth off his dial-in, but got the quicker reaction time, which made it closer at the stripe.  I crossed first, but didn’t have enough track to avoid the break-out pass.

“Seeing that the air was getting cooler, and knowing my bike was getting quicker, I lowered my dial-in to a 9.00 for the Street ET finals.  Racing against another local racer, Brandon Pellichino, this would be another race to remember.  Brandon dialed a 9.27 and ran 9.236, while I would crack the 8’s, running 8.968 on a 9.00 dial.  I crossed first, it was a double-breakout situation, I broke out less than Brandon , and the end margin of victory was only .0022” !!

“This would be another day of hot-lapping my ZX-14, and once again it performed flawlessly and only got faster throughout the day.  I would like to thank Schnitz Racing, Naarden Inc., Hurricane Alley Drag Racing Series, Lightspeed Motorsports of Gonzales, LA, Richie’s Tires, and PCP Racing”.

9-28-08

Hurricane's Gustav and Ike may have wreaked havoc on both Texas and Louisiana in August and September, but they couldn't stop the dedicated racers in the area from doing what they love most.

For Schnitz Racing sponsored rider Patrick Chabaud, the day would end in victory. Chabaud, who is also sponsored by the Hurricane Alley Drag Racing Series, made the drive from Gonzales, LA to Baytown, TX, expecting to only enter into the Street ET class. Upon seeing that the Quick 16 class would not make a full field, Chabaud quickly entered the class, only to find himself surrounded by bikes equipped with electronics, such as 2-steps and delay boxes. "I race these types of bikes often, but rarely do I race a full field of them", says Chabaud, who races a 2006 Kawasaki ZX-14. "I launch with a hand-clutch, with no 2-step, delay box, or wheelie bars", says Patrick. Chabaud raced in both Street ET and Quick 16, but lost in the 2nd round of Street ET when he red-lit. After the loss in Street ET, Patrick concentrated on his remaining class, Quick 16, which takes the fastest 16 bracket bikes and qualifies them on a ladder. "I was the #3 qualifier, and I faced some of the toughest racers in the area, with names such as Eddie Glaze, Paul Hollman, Michael Mathews, and Brenda Kay. The race against Mathews will be remembered for a long time, since I've never beaten Michael on his electronics bike. He got me on the tree, but I ran 9.185 on a 9.18 dial, which was able to get me close enough to Michael so that he couldn't lift in time. Michael broke out only by a few thousandths". In the finals, Brenda Kay, who was cutting near perfect lights all day long, shockingly went red, which automatically sent Chabaud to the Winner's Circle.

"I would like to thank my sponsors, Schnitz Racing, Hurricane Alley Drag Racing Series, Naarden Inc., PCP Racing, Richie's Tires, Lightspeed Motorsports, and Amsoil Synthetics. I would also like to thank my wife Lacie, daughter's Gabrielle, Chloe, and Cambrie, and my Dad, who made the trip with me despite having severe back pain. My Dad gave me encouragement throughout the day, which helped me out more than he will ever know. There's nothing like having your Dad at the race, especially when you win".

Goals: To safely continue my success in the sport of motorcycle drag racing, while endorsing and promoting sponsors’ products, websites, literature, and reputation into the racing environment.

Personal Information

Age: 32
Home: Gonzales, LA
Occupation: Process Technician
                  Motiva Enterprises
                  Convent, LA

Past Motorcycles Include:
1996 Kawasaki Ninja EX 500
1998 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R
2000 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-9R
2000 Kawasaki ZX-12R
2002Yamaha YZF-R1
2006 Kawasaki ZX-14 (Current)

Drag Racing:
2003-Present
Hometown Track: No Problem Raceway, Belle Rose, Louisiana

Patrick Chabaud currently uses the following components:

Muzzy M14 Pro Stock Series Sidewinder Drag Race Exhaust System
McIntosh Underbraced Swingarm w/8- 12” of Adjustment
MPS Sportbike Air Shifter
Catalyst Racing Fiberglass Drag Seat/Tail
MSD Shift Light
Factory Pro Billet Race Velocity Stacks
Michelin Power Race Tires 
Adams Performance Low Profile Billet Oil Pan 
Adams Performance Straight Link
Vortex Sprockets 
EK DR Heavy Duty Drag Racing Chain
Sidi Drag Boots
Puig Windscreen
BMC Air Filter
Cyclelogic Lock-up Clutch
NGK Spark Plugs
Dynojet Power Commander
Schnitz Front End Lowering Strap
Brock's Lowering Strap Bracket
MPS Dial In Plate
Cycle Logic Engine Ice
Kawasaki Clutch Plates
EBC Brake Pads
Renthal Handlebar Grips

Best quarter-mile E.T. to date: 8.745 (sec.) on 1/16/2009
Best quarter-mile MPH to date: 155 (mph) on 11/02/08