O'FALLON, MO (October 27, 2011) – In 2010, Ashley Owens put together one of the most dominating years in American Drag Racing League (ADRL) history.
A year later, the spoils were even sweeter for the Pro Extreme Motorcycle standout.
Owens accomplished nearly everything possible during a truly magnificent 2011 season, ending it with not only a "Battle For The Belts" shootout win but his first ADRL world championship.
"We were just happy with how the whole year turned out," Owens said. "I can't say enough about Paul and everyone at Fast by Gast. The bike has just been flawless and it's been a great year for us. I'm just happy with everything."
The soft-spoken Alabama native has always let his performance doing the talking and his magnificent riding reverberated throughout the class and the ADRL in 2011.
Owens racked up four victories and two additional finals berth, recording the most points of any ADRL competitor and winning the points championship by the biggest margin in any class.
The Fast by Gast rider would be the first to shrug off all of the high praise, instead focusing on the brilliant team surrounding him.
"We've just enjoyed while we're on top because it can turn around in one race," Owens said.
"We've just enjoyed it while we can and our thing is just not being satisfied. We're always trying new things and trying to go faster."
Leading that charge is bike owner Paul Gast, who runs Fast by Gast and has consistently given Owens unbelievable bikes.
The newest debuted at the first race of the 2011 season and Owens went 4.02 at more than 180 miles per hour in Houston, setting the E.T. and speed records.
Things only got better from there and Owens gave plenty of credit to Gast's endless work to give him the perfect bike.
Owens marveled at Gast's innovative and hard-working ways to try to make more horsepower and to get his red bike to go even faster.
"He puts a lot of time into things," Owens said. "He literally works on the bike every day. It's a motivating factor. He spends a lot of time and effort, but that makes it easier for me. I've said it a million times – the riding is the easy part for me. I get the best bike and I just have to show up and ride."
Owens more than proved his worth as a rider, winning the first two races of the ADRL season.
By the time the 2011 ADRL Tour had completed, Owens had the most wins (13) of any competitor in ADRL history, also becoming the first PXM rider to make an unprecedented 3-second run.
That came in Virginia in August, as Owens went 3.989 during the quarterfinals. He then topped it with a 3.977 in the finals to win his fourth event of the year.
A month later, Owens went an unbelievable 3.96, re-writing the record books in nearly every way possible.
"I just want to thank Paul. He built me an even better bike for me this year and that means a lot to me," Owens said. "We were so close (to running 3 seconds) several times last year and this year, and just to run the (3.98), it was definitely a highlight for me."
The season also couldn't have ended any better as Owens won the BFTB for the first time in three tries.
A year ago, he lost in tragic fashion, but he made up for it by beating Billy Vose in this year's final on what was an adversity-filled day.
The team swapped motors and changed nearly everything multiple times, overcoming those difficulties as Owens hoisted his first belt.
"We were struggling a little bit and a lot of work went on between rounds. The crew jumped in there, got the motors swapped out and even though we struggled, we pulled it off," Owens said.
"Winning the belt after being in the finals the last two years, that was great, too. It really means a lot. It was a perfect end to the season and just a perfect year for me."
