A Top Fuel Motorcycle clutch is a beautiful thing.

2016 Season Start-up: while most Top Fuel motorcycles are silent in the winter months, such is not the case for the T/F Harley motorcycles. On Sunday, Feb. 28, Top Fuel Harleys were racing at the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series, 32nd annual CARQUEST Auto Parts, NHRA Nationals. Jay "Bull Dog" Turner won the event with a solid 6.295 @ 228.96, over Tii Tharpe 6.496 @ 219.83 in the final round.

There were nine entries for Top Fuel Harley class. Number-one qualifier was the Bull Dog with a stout 6.338 @ 223.99 mph and Tharpe was number two (Q) with a 6.462 @ 210.41. Incidentally, Tii's bike is also tuned, built and maintained by Jay Turner Racing.

With a full field and a DNQ to spare, the 2016 NHRA Harley Davidson Drag Racing Series (HD DRS) is off to a good start. Jay Turner Racing will be the force to be reckoned with this season.

The second race of the year for the Nitro Harley bikes was on March 4-6 with the IHRA DRS at the AMSOIL Nitro Nationals, Orlando Speed World.

Ten Top Fuel bikes entered the race. Number one qualifier was Jay Turner, with a thundering 6.26 @ 227, fresh off his win at the NHRA race. Number two qualifier was Ricky "Sharkey" House with a 6.30 @ 215, letting Jay know he was not alone in the competition department this race.

When eliminations started, Jay torched a head in round one against Jake Stordeur and went out first round. Jake, who started the race on the bump spot, went all the way to the finals to face Randal Andras on another Jay Turner Racing-prepared bike.

Andras stormed to the final round win against Stordeur,6.380 at 215.62 mph against Stordeur’s 6.649 at 207.75 mph for his first IHRA "Iron Man" of the 2016 season. That's two wins in a row for Jay Turner Racing in as many races.

Sportsman Racing News: A new racing series has emerged in the southeastern United States this season for Sportsman M/C racers only. It’s called the Southeast Dragbike Racing Series. The creators, Roy Hagadorn, Mike Moore Jr., Bart Spivey, Wade Rich and with input from SGMP, launched their venture on March 5 at South Georgia Motorsports Park when 164 racers attended the first event and raced in seven classes.

This series bills itself as “A motorcycle series about racers for the racers.” Their goal as stated is to “Put fun back into racing for a one-day event.” To date their series is slated as follows: a four event series to be run, March 5 SGMP, May 28 Orlando Speed World, October 15 SGMP, and they will close out their season November 5 at Orlando Speed World.

- Tom McCarthy