Santapod UK/Zwolle, The Netherlands 20th October 2023: Santapod Raceway was again host to another Straightliners event. Straightliner organization organizes straight-line events, drag racing, and motorsport for anything on wheels, from motorbikes to supercars. The focus lies on beginner racers. It’s also a moment for several veteran racers to do their last testing before the winter period. The weather gods were at their best as the weather forecast was cold & dry, and it was noticeable in the entry list. One name that stood on the entry list was Shernon Martis. After building for a long time, testing, breaking parts, and rebuilding, Speshi Racing Team is back!

Text Benjamin Wefer
Pictures Blackett Photography/Benjamin Wefer/J.Mangion Photography

It’s been a while since the name ‘Shernon Martis’ popped up on any entry list. To be more specific, it has been six years! After testing a Suzuki GSXR-1000 on nitrous at Hockenheim in 2017, it was quiet in Speshi’s Racing Team garage. There was no news to the outside world until 2019 when Shernon appeared on the island of Malta on a Suzuki Hayabusa built for the FIM Category: Super Street Bike. After that, it was quiet again, until now!

Shernon entered the ‘straightliners’ event, made passes on the Suzuki GSXR-1000, and is preparing for the 2024 season. Of course, I took the opportunity to ask him a series of detailed questions.

Where have you been all these years? It’s been a long process, and I am still learning. I didn’t stand still over the years. It was a slow but steady build. It is not easy to work on two bikes at the same time. And I didn’t want to show up with a project half-finished.

What was the purpose of your visit to Santapod Raceway? Well, I had several purposes. First, get the bike ready for the dyno, and don’t break anything during the dyno. The second purpose was to get to the track and make a safe pass. The last purpose was to get as much data from the bike, to set the bike properly, and to get a good sixty feet.

How did the process go? It was exhausting! We left Thursday afternoon and arrived the following morning at the dyno. We took both bikes with us, but the focus was on the GSX to get that one ready. It took us a whole day to get the desired results. Also, it was a learning course for me on how to tune a bike and the different tuning methods. Although it was raining on Friday, we didn’t lose hope that we would have the right results.

What are your plans for 2024? My best E.T. last weekend was 9.7 seconds, but that was without Nitrous. The aim is to go for the complete racing season with the nitrous bike. The Hayabusa project is parked until the performance of the nitrous bike is at the desired level. And, of course, we need to monitor the financial equation.

It’s a new adventure for the Speshi Racing Team, with two bikes on the schedule with a lot of potential. What the future will bring, only time will tell. But for now, it is confirmed: Speshi Racing is Back!