Team Bio Sheet for:
F&P Motorsports Racing Team
#1 Street Elimination "F&U" Classes
1996-1997-1998-1999
2001 Pro Gas-#6 Plate Holder
2002 Pro Gas National Champion #1 Plate Holder
2003 Eastern Champion
All Harley Drag Racing Association (AHDRA)
Frank S. Dove, Jr.
15475 Homeland Drive
Hughesville, MD 20637
Home: (301) 870-0572
Fax: (301) 274-5620
Email: dovehd@aol.com
RACERS BIO
Frank S. Dove, Jr., age 43 has been racing Harley Davidson motorcycles for 7 years. After riding Harley-Davidson motorcycles for 15 years, he decided to start racing them. He began sanctioned racing in 1995. Prior to racing Harleys, he raced Japanese motorcycles for 10 years at local area race tracks. He has the full support of his family and wife, Paula, who is also his Crew Chief, and crew members.
Frank graduated from Lincoln Technical Institute in 1979 and became an ASE Certified Automotive Technician in 1980. He is currently employed as an automobile technician in Clinton, Maryland, As part of his F&P Motorsports business, he performs maintenance on other's motorcycles.
Following are brief excerpts of his racing career:
1995
Ended the year #4 in the E.T. Class of the East Coast Racing Association (ECRA)
1996
At the end of the 1996 race season, he finished 1st in both the Eastern and National Divisions of the All Harley Drag Racing Association. He competed at 11 tracks in 10 states and traveled over 25,000 miles. This earned him the #1 Plate making him the #1 National Champion in the Street Elimination category. Frank became the first African-American to ever win a #1 plate in any Harley- Davidson racing sanction . He was also awarded "Rookie of the Year" at the AHDRA Awards Banquet for his accomplishment of winning the #1 Plate his first year out with the AHDRA.
1997
For the 1997 race season he traveled over 27,000 miles competing at 12 tracks at which the AHDRA sponsored sanctioned races. By the end of the race season he had earned yet another #1 Plate. He completed the year as the National Street Eliminator Champion for 2 consecutive years.
1998
In 1998 we finished #1 again, earning the National Championship title for 3 years in a row. He competed at 13 tracks covering over 15,000 miles. His 1985 FXR displayed the #1 Plate proudly!!!. He was awarded "Wrench of the Year" and his Crew Chief Paula was awarded the "Racers Lady of the Year" award AHDRA's Awards Banquet.
1999
By putting all his efforts into setting records and being the best, Frank did it once more. He won the #1 Plate again for the 4th consecutive year. He ended the year in first place in National and Eastern points.
2000
After 4 consecutive years of winning the championship and setting records in the Sportsman Classes, he set his sights on building a championship caliber Pro Gas bike. It took all year to accomplish this task. During this time he also earned his NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) "Pro Stock Motorcycle" license.
2001
Unfortunately, because of funding, he missed five races in 2001, but this did not stop him from proving that he still had what it takes to make the top 10 which he did by ending the season ranked #6. He also set 2 national mph records and was awarded the "Best Appearing Pro Gas Team" at the AHDRA Awards Banquet in Las Vegas, Nevada.
2002
The 2002 race season turned out to be an outstanding one. After racing at 8 AHDRA tracks, he won 4 out of 8 races, qualified #1 five times and ended the season with the National and Eastern Championship in Pro Gas. At the final race of the season in Las Vegas, he qualified #2 but was eliminated after the second elimination pass due to a very broken transmission. All efforts to repair it for the next round failed and he was unable to complete the elimination rounds. He has low E.T. and top MPH of the meet. Even though he had already clinched the #1 Pro Gas plate, it was disappointing not to be able to complete the competition. On a good note, at the Awards Banquet, he was awarded "Wrench of the Year" with an award to the team of "Best Appearing Pro Gas Team" for the second consecutive year.
RECORDS SET FROM 1996 TO 2002
F CLASS- 1/8 MILE E.T.
F CLASS-1/4 MILE E.T.
U CLASS-1/8 MILE M.P.H
U CLASS- 1/4 MILE M.P.H
"PRO GAS" CLASS - 1/8 MILE M.P.H.
"PRO GAS" CLASS - 1/4 MILE M.P.H.
TRAINING
Frank's professional training began in 1995 when he started racing with the ECRA (East Coast Racing Association). This was his rookie year at drag racing and the experience taught him a great deal. It laid the ground work for him to join the AHDRA and become a #1 National Champion for 5 consecutive years and set 7 National Records on Harleys.
Frank completed the Frank Hawley's Drag Racing School in Gainesville, Florida on December 1, 2000 and earned his NHRA Pro Stock bike motorcycle license with the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association).
He now races in the "Pro Gas" class of the AHDRA.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Frank participated in Career Day at Lexington Park Elementary School in 1997 & 1998 by putting his motorcycle on display and talking with the students making them aware of how being an Automotive Technician ties in with drag racing, i.e., having the knowledge and know how to build and maintain a top running motorcycle vs. repairing and maintaining an automobile. He stressed to them how dedication and perseverance go hand in hand in accomplishing goals and being the very best you can.
In 1998, his bike was put on display at the Race Rock Café in Daytona, Florida prior to the Daytona Bike Week Drag Races. He signed autographs and answered questions regarding the make-up of his motorcycle and questions about motorcycle racing in general.
In 1997,1998,1999,2000, 2001 and 2002 his bike has been on display at H-D of Washington's Ride to the Veterans Memorial Wall. Here he signed autographs and answered questions by the veterans and friends that came to join in the memorial ride and just to browse.
His bike has been on display at several local Motorcycle Club events. Pictures were taken of him and his bike by the participants.
He has been published in several magazines as well as local newspapers and even a West Coast newspaper printed an article on him in their local paper (Sturgis) in 1998, 1999, and 2000.
In October 2001, he modeled several outfits on the new Harley Davidson V-Rod for the H-D Motorclothes Division while in Las Vegas for the final race of the season. His picture is in the 2002 issue of the Harley-Davidson Motorclothes catalog.
On October 18, 2002, Frank and his "Pro Gas" Harley were on display at the Harley-Davidson Cafe' in Las Vegas, Nevada where he handed out autographed pictures, promoting his 2002 sponsors, and conversing with the spectators. The crowd was very impressed when he started his engine and they heard what the bike sounded like with the "4" carburetors that everyone had so many questions about.
CAREER ACCOMPLISHMENTS WITH THE
ALL HARLEY DRAG RACING ASSOCIATION
1996 NATIONAL STREET ELIMINATION CHAMPION
1996 "ROOKIE OF THE YEAR" AWARD RECIPIENT
1997 NATIONAL STREET ELIMINATION CHAMPION
1998 NATIONAL STREET ELIMINATION CHAMPION
1998 "WRENCH OF THE YEAR" AWARD RECIPIENT
1999 NATIONAL STREET ELIMINATION CHAMPION
2001 FIRST PRO GAS TO RUN 180+ MPH
2001 "BEST APPEARING PRO GAS TEAM" AWARD RECIPIENT
F CLASS- 1/8 MILE E.T.
F CLASS-1/4 MILE E.T.
U CLASS-1/8 MILE M.P.H
U CLASS- 1/4 MILE M.P.H
1ST AFRICAN-AMERICAN TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP IN ANY HARLEY-DAVIDSON SANCTIONED RACE
SPONSORS AND REFERENCES
Long Riders Magazine
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
(717) 234-8705
Website: www.longridersmagazine.com
Contact:
Charles McGee
Publisher
All Harley Drag Racing Association (AHDRA)
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
(336) 924-2095
Website: www.ahdra.com
Contacts:
Craig Tharpe, General Manager
Lisa Hegler, Media & Communications
Riverside Cycle & Machine
Bristol, Connecticut
860-584-8870
Contact:
Paul Matyka, Owner