Wyss: Local motorcycle drag racer is national champion

Local motorcycle racer Kevin Winters has had an exciting year.

Winters, 37, has been racing in the national All Harley Drag Racing Association circuit for three years, and this year he took top honors in the Sportsman's division of the Pingel Super Eliminator 10.90 index class.

Winters, who grew up in Algonquin and now lives in Richmond, is, as of the race last weekend in Rockingham, N.C., a first-time national champ, based on points accumulated throughout the season.

He also placed third in the Screamin' Eagle Performance class and fourth in the Elapsed Time class, all on his modified, black 1998 Buell S1 Lightning.

It's a long way from the Thursday night in 2002 when he first plunked down $25 to enter a novice class race at Great Lakes Dragaway in Union Grove, Wis.

"They had a new thing called the Midwest Harley Shootout," Winters said. "That night I won my first round of racing, and I was hooked."

Winters, an auto mechanic, races most weekends from spring through fall. This year he's been to Woodburn, Ore., Dallas, St. Louis, Gainesville, Fla., Norwalk, Ohio, Richmond, Va., Atlanta and Cecil County, Md., among other locales.

Winters said in the 10.90 index class, competitors scorch down the quarter-mile straightaway in pairs going about 120 mph. The winner is the one who crosses the finish line closest to 10.9 seconds without going under. If both go under, then it's the one closest to the 10.9-second time.

"I've always had a love for motorcycles," said Winters, who first powered around on two wheels on a Honda 50 mini trail bike when he was 8.

Now, with a national championship under his belt, Winters is in no mood to quit.

"I've got to try and back up my No. 1 plate for next year," he said.

So, is this like NASCAR? Did that trophy come with big cash?

"You win prize money," Winters said. "It's not really enough to make it worth your while; ... it's for the love of the sport."

Do sponsors at least cover expenses? No, Winters said, although he does have a couple of sponsors – McHenry Harley Davidson and O'Leary's Bar and Grill of Ringwood – for which he is grateful.

McHenry County is home to a growing number of motorcycle enthusiasts who ride for pleasure or plain old transportation. When he's not racing, Winters drives a 1998 Harley Ultra Classic.

Motorcycle drag racing is a fairly niche sport, not something that draws a ton of mainstream media attention. Anyway, it's great to hear about and to share news of a local guy who set a lofty goal in his avocation and was able to achieve it.

Congrats, Kevin. Next year, I hope you win all three.

• Cyndi Wyss is a Northwest Herald community editor. She can be reached at 815-526-4534 or cwyss@nwherald.com.