Welcome to Kirk Walton's Motorcycle Drag Racing Homepage

Welcome to my website.  I will try to do updates of the racing every week. Also in 2004 we started a new website called www.utahdragbike.com  It has been a big help for us to promote the motorcycle class.  Thanks for supporting it!  This will give the ladders and results of each race during the year.  I hope you will visit there every week to keep track of the standings.  If you have any comments or want to get a hold of me my email is zxr@dragbike.com  THANKS! Kirk

I drag race (1/4 mile straight line) a 2005 Kawasaki ZX-10R and a 2000 Kawasaki ZX-6R. Of course I also enjoy other forms of racing, even cars! So if you have any drag racing pics or any other pics, please let me know.  I have put my racing results on the "What's new" page..please don't laugh too hard!

1997: RMR 4th Sears Craftsman ET

1998: RMR 2nd Sears Craftsman ET, 2nd Street Legal

1999: RMR 2nd Street Legal Motorcycle, 4th Sears Craftsman ET

2000: RMR 2nd Street Legal Motorcycle, 4th Summit ET

2001: RMR 6th Big O Tires Street Legal Motorcycle, 7th Summit ET

2002: RMR 1st Big O Tires Street Legal Motorcycle, 9th Summit ET series, National Motorcycle Racing Association (NMRA) 16th Pro ET, 3rd Street ET

2003:  NHRA Summit ET Pacific (Divsion 7) Motorcycle champion,  2nd RMR Street Legal Series, 5th RMR Summit ET series,  NMRA Pro ET,  10th NMRA Street ET 

2004:  3rd RMR Street Legal Series, 11th RMR Summit ET series, NMRA Pro ET (didn't get found in their computer...should be top 15 though)

2005:  RMR Street Legal Champion, 9th RMR Summit ET series, NMRA Street ET (trophy class only, no points)

2006:  RMR Tied 12th RMR Summit ET Motorcycle/Snowmobile series, 8th RMR Street Legal Motorcycle

 

 

I've always been into racing.  I suppose you could blame it on my environment, being raised in Salt Lake City and close to the Bonneville Salt Flats.  Seeing the "golden age" of the land speed records when the record went from 400mph to over 600mph in a decade.  Names like Craig Breedlove, Art Arfons, Gary Gabelich, are some of those heros as a kid.  I also loved anything on TV, so I watched the Indy 500 every year and the first one I really remember was watching Mario Andretti winning his only 500.  I also like NASCAR when Richard Petty, Bobby and Donnie Allison, and David Pearson were battling each other.  I was lucky to see David Pearson and Richard Petty when I was living in South Carolina.  But I think the biggest influence was seeing racers live in Salt Lake.  We would go watch the oval track races at the Fairgrounds on Saturday nights.  The neighborhood finally had the city shut it down in the mid-70's.  Dick Simon who later would race and own his own Indy team started racing there as a student at the University of Utah.  Most of the local guys never made it to the "big time" but were great role models for us kids.  Some of them still race today some 30+ years later.  The biggest influence was at the drag strip however.  I forced my Dad and brother to go see the Nitro Top Fuel cars at the old Bonneville Raceway.  (Now a remodeled Rocky Mountain Raceway, the home track).  For an 8 year old kid, seeing, hearing and feeling a nitromethene car for the very first time....wow!   I still remember it, and also how mad I was that we didn't get to see them run at night.  I also saw "Dandy" Dick Landy race his Pro Stock Dodge Hemi at that race.  That began a long love affair with the dragstrip. 

So when I finally could drive and got my license, I headed out with my grandma's old car I bought with my brother for $300.  It was a 1966 Chevrolet Impala 2 door.  It only had a 283 with a powerglide auto transmission.  But hey I was RACING FINALLY!  (I later learned my Grandma wanted the 425HP 427 CI engine but her brother and brother in-law that worked at the dealership talked her out of it.  Yes, my Grandma was the coolest!)  I would race the "grudge races" every weds. night and the major races on saturdays.  We would get about 10,000 out to the major races.  My best was when I made it to the semi-finals one race. 

Of course I wanted to go quicker and faster.  I found a 1970 Plymouth Roadrunner right out of high school for $600.  It was a nice AZ car but the previous owner put in a 383 TWO barrel carb engine.  Even with that it ran high 16's.  But I was looking for more power.  So why not a HEMI?!  I found that one of the local Pro Stock drivers (Mark Panos) was selling a bunch of parts.  I ended up buying a race engine from him.  I was pretty trick for 1980 with all aluminum internals.  At the time it was tough getting parts for the Hemi.  I had to scour all over the country to get the engine together.  Mark ended up getting most of the parts and put the engine together for me.  November 1981 it was finished literally when I was on the plane to move to South Carolina.  So I took it out for a ride at the airport...WOW!  I was worried leaving it behind with my Dad and little brother. :) 

I came back in 1983 to Salt Lake and started going right back to the University of Utah.  Being a poor college student I could never get the Roadrunner finished.  It ran but didn't have the safety equipment to race and then the safety and emissions in Salt Lake tightened and I couldn't get it registered.  So I'd sneak it out and scare friends with it.  (I only got caught once :) )  So since I had no way to get it to the track, I'd race my little Plymouth Horizon once or twice a year.  It was about as quick as the old Impala and more consistent.  I could dial that thing in, and it was basically up to me to get the reaction time down to win.  I never did win a trophy in that car but came close a few times.  But I really wanted to get back racing every week.

So in 1994 I buy a streetbike.  My sisters old Honda Elite 125 scooter was fun but well you know...lol.   I bought a Kawasaki 250 ninja.  I wasn't sure I could handle the power of the bigger bikes without killing myself.  Good choice for a first bike.  One night I wanted to see how it was compared to my old cars.  I went out to Bonneville raceway and have been hooked on racing the bikes ever since.  I won't ever go back to racing the cars.  The bikes are SO much fun and (to me anyway) more challenging.  I got a 2nd place trophy on the very last ET race at Bonneville.

In 1997, Bonneville was razed to the ground (other than the old tower) and rebuilt by the Young Automotive group.  I raced the 250 that year and ended up 4th for the season.  The next year I bought Rick Newport's 1992 Kawasaki ZX-7.  I sold the Roadrunner.  That was a great bike that ran low 12's at around 118mph.  I kept that bike until 2000 when I bought my current streetbike a Kawasaki ZX-6R.  I know, why did I go and buy a 600cc after having a 750cc?  Well the new 6R had the same HP with weighing about 90lbs less.  I still race this bike on the street legal events.

At the beginning of 2006 I was planning on buying a new bike at the END of 2006.  But Mark Pittman found a 2005 ZX-10R that was brand new at a dealership.  He was going to buy it to race it.  But other things came up and he offered it to me for what he paid for it.  With all the drag racing stuff as well, I just had to get it all put together.  Well we got it done in March and this year was a learning year.  Hopefully 2007, I'll have it all dialed in.