Top Fuel Motorcycle 2025: Looking Ahead
Top Fuel Motorcycle 2025: Looking Ahead
The 2025 competition season for the class of Top Fuel motorcycle is looking to be a very strong one, with new teams forming and new bikes being built to contend for championship titles across the competition spectrum. Fans the world over want to know, what they have to look forward to in 2025, for there is no other class of motorcycle drag racing quite like Top Fuel.
While motorcycle racing fans will step into the stands for many classes of motorcycle competition, drag racing fans around the world line the fences and stands whenever the big nitromethane-powered fuel bikes fire up. It doesn’t matter if it’s a thousand horsepower Top Fuel Harley or a fifteen-hundred horsepower, inline-four-cylinder bike: massive exhaust flames and ear-splitting thunder always attract maximum attention.
A motorcycle that can and will accelerate from standing still to 100 MPH in 1.2 seconds is a visual that has to be seen to be believed. Add to this a decibel level in league with a shotgun blast, and you’ve got the basic recipe for viewing Top Fuel motorcycles. If you like violence and loud volume, you’ll be thrilled to see and experience Top Fuel motorcycles live in person. Bring ear plugs or muffs.
With the new season unfolding before us, we here at Dragbike.com decided to query many of the top contenders from last year to see what their intentions are for the coming season. Here’s what we have discovered from some of the world’s best Top Fuel motorcycle racers and teams:
Wayne & Donna Pingel of Pingel Enterprise, Inc. have carried the financial weight of the class of Top Fuel motorcycle for over a decade. Without their financial backing and commitment, the entire landscape of Top Fuel motorcycle drag racing in the USA would be very different than it is today.
The toughest team to beat in the class of Top Fuel motorcycle drag racing is Larry “Spiderman” McBride’s team. Larry’s core elements to his team each have over four decades of experience in tuning, building, and racing Top Fuel motorcycles. There is no substitute for seat time in Top Fuel motorcycle drag racing.
“I’m really looking forward to this season with the National Hot Rod Association. We are out to defend our #1 plate, and we are excited about the level of competition we will share. We will be at all the NHRA events.” – Larry McBride
“My plan for 2025 is to repair and rebuild everything, then prepare for hopefully 1-2 test sessions and the 4-race NHRA Pingel Top Fuel Motorcycle series. We are desperately looking for partners who will allow us to make all four events and gather some much-needed spares and updates. I am committed to finishing the new Monster Top Fuel cylinder head and hope to be testing it in April. We showed some great consistency last season and progress.
We had our four quickest runs of the season at the last event at Charlotte and posted our season-best 4.911, with a hole going out at 4.6 seconds into the run, which shows us we can run 4.80. We were the quickest bike up to the 1/8 mile in Charlotte as well, and we hope to build on that formula in 2025.
With our relationships and the ability to produce key components at Monster Race Products, the potential of our program with some good partners or sponsors could really change the future of Top Fuel Motorcycle. I intend to run the only sanction that runs Top Fuel Motorcycle, NHRA.” – Mitch Brown
“Our situation is in a state of flux at this time.” – David Vantine
“I’m hoping to complete the full schedule this year if all things line up for my team.” – Bob Malloy
“My plans for next year, as of January 2025, are to finish rebuilding everything and start the season off with two good motors, two good clutches, and enough spares to get me through at least the first two races. These months of downtime may seem like a long time to get everything done, but it really isn’t. We’re doing some upgrades to the bike that will hopefully get me in the 4-second zone.
We’ve also been working on getting a few more sponsors for the upcoming season to help out with all the travel costs. We are shooting to get out in April and the first week of May to get some testing in. We want to get in at least six, to hopefully 10 runs in before we head to Chicago for the first race with NHRA. Currently, I plan on doing all the NHRA series and one or two exhibition shows and finishing up with the last Man Cup race in Valdosta.”
– Micah Fenwick
“Team Red Neck Racing has 2025 participation in Top Fuel Motorcycle in its sights and is giving it due consideration.” – Chris Hand
“I intend to race the full schedule with the AMRA, and we will do the Night of Fire in Michigan in August.” – Jay Turner
“With the retirement of Mike and Pam Henry (Blue Fire Racing) at the end of the 2024 season, I was available for the 2025 season. In Top Fuel, I will be racing with Stewart Racing/ Romine Racing in a 3 bike team. With help from BADD (Bikers Against Drunk Drivers), and Cottonmouth Customs, I will be teamed-up with Samu Kemppainen in Top Fuel and Brian Conley in Pro Fuel.
Our plans at the moment are to attend the AMRA events, along with the possibility of attending IHRA events, depending on what they do for their schedule. Stewart Racing will also be available for exhibition for race tracks interested in adding Top Fuel Harley to their shows.
I will also continue to race for Phil Lower and Romine in Nitro Funny Bike at AMRA events. This is also an amazing bike and an opportunity to be involved with. In addition to racing Top Fuel with Stewart/Romine racing, I will also be doing some Top Fuel outlaw events/ exhibitions with my old pal Alvin Kobernusz at Kobernusz Racing. Including the Iowa Hog Drags and Nostalgia Reunion at Humboldt County Dragway outside of Humboldt, Iowa, on July 3-5. Also, the Truett and Osborn bike drags at Kansas International Dragway in Maize, Kansas, September 6-7. I cannot thank everyone involved enough. It is a great group of people to be involved with and has incredible opportunities. Plus, we always have a great time together.” – Jordan Peterson
“Here we are on the last day of 2024 and anxious to get 2025 race season started. The only full schedule in front of us is the AMRA 2025 schedule, and I plan to run all of those events. AHDRA has yet to release a full schedule, so I’m not sure what I’ll be running there. Social media has been blowing up with the return of IHRA Nitro Jam. When I started coming around the Top Fuel Harleys in 2014 the IHRA Nitro Jam was the top sanction to race for.
I’m looking forward to see what their schedule brings and a chance to run for an Ironman trophy.” – Ryan Peery
Johnny Toth finished 5th in AMRA points in 2024
Tim Kerrigan finished 6th in AMRA points in 2024, going quicker in almost every outing.
Jimmy Mac was back and riding full throttle in 2024; watch for him to finish strong in 2025. Tracy Kile, tuning for Jimmy Mac, has Bad Apple Racing looking like the championship contenders they truly are.
Samu Kemppainen of Vantaa, Finland, will be piloting one of the Chris Stewart Top Fuel Harley bikes in 2025. His #22 spot on the “Quickest List” is proof of his credentials.
“As you know, we will be running the Stewart Race Team in 2025 with Jordan and Samu running in the AMRA with Mike Romine as our Crew Chief. Along with the AMRA, we will probably do some exhibitions throughout the summer and possibly compete with the IHRA, depending on schedules. The AMRA is our home, and we intend to race the full AMRA series in 2025.”
“White Lightening Racing is pleased to announce that WLR will be racing Top Fuel with Johnny Vickers of Hawaya Racing Products. We plan to start testing our new Top Fuel bike this year. We hope testing will go smoothly and be ready to run the full schedule in 2026.”
No word yet from Salakari Racing on 2025 season plans.
No word yet from Tii Tharpe on 2025 season plans.
“As you all know, I had a major accident in 2023, severely damaging the bike, and I received some injuries. In late 2024, the team managed to complete repairs to the bike, and I did a couple of events to test the bike and my riding ability. The results of these tests were overall positive. Our plans for 2025 are to run at ACU events at Santa Pod to further my confidence on the bike and then compete in the full FIM European championship and further ACU rounds where possible.”
The toughest team in Top Fuel motorcycle from across the Atlantic is the heartbeat of Neil Midgley’s racing efforts.
Rikard Gustafsson, of Falkenberg, Sweden, went 5.87 back in 2017 @ a Man Cup event. In 2024, he improved that to a personal best of 5.73. This quicker ET moved him up to #6 on the “Quickest List.”
Damian Muscat, of Queensland, Australia, in 2024, captured the Top Fuel motorcycle world’s attention with a stunning 5.80 pass on November 9th, 2024, in the “Land Down Under.” All eyes will once again be upon him in 2025 to see if he can better this elapsed time.
The “Quickest List” of all piston-powered motorcycles, compiled and managed by Par Pippi Willén of Stockholm, Sweden, is considered by many to be the benchmark by which all rear-wheel-powered motorcycles are measured.
For racers and fans who wish to see the world’s fastest and quickest motorcycles in action, the following sanctions have schedules for Top Fuel motorcycles in 2025:
NHRA Pingel Top Fuel
May 15-18, Route 66 NHRA Nationals, Chicago
June 20-22, Virginia Nats, VMP
August 14-17, Brainerd, MN
September 19-21 at the zMax Dragway, Charlotte, NC
AMRA
March 21-23 No Problem Raceway, Belle Rose LA
May 16-18, National Trail Raceway
June 27-29, US 131 Motorsports Park, Martin MI
August 8-10, Byron Dragway, Byron, IL
September 19-21, Beech Bend Raceway Park, Bowling Green, KY
October 24-26, Rockingham Dragway, Rockingha, NC
AHDRA*
April 11-13 at Silver Dollar Motorsports Park, GA
May 31-June 1: Rockingham Dragway, NC
August 3-5: Sturgis Dragway, SD
August 23-24: Dragway 42, OH
October 31-Nov 2: No Problem Raceway, LA
** As of Feb 2, 2025, it has not been confirmed if TF will race at all events.
EDRS Pro Nordic Motorcycle Drag Racing Championship
June 13-16 / Tierp Arena SWE (NDRS MC)
August 1-4 / Gardermoen NOR (NDRG)
August 8-11 / Tierp Arena SWE (NDRS MC) – FINALS
European Championship 2025
May 24-26 / Santa Pod
Aug 8-10 / Tierp Arena
Aug 29-31 / Hockenheim
September 5-7 / Santa Pod Finals
NDRC – National Drag Racing Championship
March 1-2 / Westernationals / Perth Motorplex
May 3-4 / Nitro Champs / Sydney Dragway
June 5-8 / Winternationals / Willowbank Raceway
| Until Next time…
– Tom McCarthy |
The post Top Fuel Motorcycle 2025: Looking Ahead appeared first on Dragbike.com.