What’sNewattheAlbuquerqueDragway

StorybyThaisonGarcia

As an average spectator attending any sort of motorsports event for the first time, it will feel like a circus of sorts. The first thing one will notice is that just about any track in New Mexico is located at least forty five minutes from the city. The second aspect to a local track is the extreme heat and lack of shade due to the vast desert from which most tracks are located, next would be the announcers, loud motorcycles/cars, testing their machine in the pits, the loud sound of the races themselves and occasional dust storms. Though these tracks may appear to be a bit chaotic, for the racers and the managers it’s an organized sort of chaos, one that becomes a strong addiction for any thrill seeking adrenaline junky.

The nearest dragstrip to Albuquerque is known as the Albuquerque Dragway, which has had a long track record of sixty successful years that will be celebrated this July 28th and 29th. That’s a pretty good run, as the track puts on close to sixty plus events a year, while many tracks across the country seem to be disappearing. What has led Albuquerque Dragway to have such a successful record? What is the future of drag racing - and more specifically, do motorcycles play a part in its future here in New Mexico?

Drag racing motorcycles is a timeless motorsport that dates back to the early 1950’s - with one of the first known tracks located in Santa Ana, California, not surprisingly, just shortly after our own humble track just south of Albuquerque was built. Most people have an idea what drag racing involves, but for those who don’t it simply involves racing a high-performance car or motorcycle in a straight line over a short distance for the shortest amount of time. To some this might seem like an easy sport to participate in, believe us it is not, and drag racers will tell you that it is all about acceleration at the light, maintaining speed, and of course, reaching the finish line before your opponent.

Though the motorcycle class might not be as large as the car class, the Albuquerque Dragway had their first motorcycle only event, fittingly named Motorcycle Mania, on June 24th and was sponsored by Harley Davidson Thunderbird and Wicked West Harley. This event had four bracket races including, purpose-built drag bikes to modified production motorcycles and an electric motorcycle sprinkled in from time to time. Drag bikes often undergo extensive modifications to maximize power output and acceleration. These modifications can include engine upgrades, such as increased displacement, high-performance camshafts, porting and polishing the cylinder heads, and adding forced induction (such as turbochargers or superchargers). Some modifications might also include stretching the motorcycle's swingarm, lowering the bike, and using wheelie bars to prevent excessive wheelies.

With all the talk of EV’s (Electric Vehicles) in the motorsports world these days, it’s inevitable that there would be pioneers in the racing world. We’ve already seen electric bikes in road racing and motocross, as well as desert racing and of course daily commuting. So it should be no surprise that electric motorcycles would make their way into drag racing. One such proponent of the electric motorcycle is a Rust is Gold Coffee customer Alex Alcala. Alex has been a Harley Davidson Livewire owner for close to two years and has become an Albuquerque Dragway regular. I had the pleasure of being able to sit down and hear his story first hand over a cup of coffee.

Alex bought his Livewire in 2020 and was blown away by the instant torque and the 105 hp that will literally whip your head. I had the chance to ride Alex’s bike at the Sandia Speedway and was impressed by the smooth acceleration and speed of 0-80 in about 4-5 seconds! This makes the Livewire an ideal if not controversial drag bike right? Well, Alex was determined to get to the track and give it a go. After some apprehension and slight learning curve, he now has a year and a half under his belt. Making about 3-4 races a year, Alex has managed a 11.5 sec quarter mile and max speed of 110. Although he is the only electric bike currently on the strip, he has had no shortage of challengers. Motorcycle Mania had anywhere from 16-20 motorcycles show up and on a given race day there may be 10-15 gas aspirated bikes. Alex admits there’s some good natured ribbing from some of his fellow racers, but for the most part he has been accepted by the majority of riders at the track with his Livewire.

The Albuquerque Dragway puts on quite a show. According to Alex, “Music is blasting constantly, and you can have your own theme song playing as you get ready to line up at the start.”

Sounds like a great time and a growing event that is much needed in the state of New Mexico, and maybe soon Alex won’t be the only electric bike out there, as there are already Teslas and other EV’s in the car classes. P ut it on your list of summer events to attend the celebration on July 28th and 29th at the Dragway

Dragway Rd SE, Albuquerque, NM 87105