I’ve been to two FuelTech Man Cup races this year, and racers named Mantez Thompson won Wheeler Machine 4.60 at both of them. Mantez Sr. won the class at Gateway and Jr. won at U.S. 60 Dragway. These family racers approach the class using very different tools.

Mantez Sr. rides a traditional, Pro Mod-style nitrous Suzuki wheelie bar bike. It’s basically what the class was designed for as today’s PXM bikes moved to longer wheelbases beyond the capabilities of countless, existing Pro Mods. De-tune, run the number, stop sawing motors in half and enjoy your racing weekends. This combo represents what the Man Cup is all about.

But the U.S. 60 event partners with Kings of Grudge, and that’s the culture that Mantez Jr. bike “Chucky” represents. “Its a flat slick Hayabusa with a little 1441 engine with some nitrous, pistons, and a Robinson Industries auto transmission,” said Junior. “I use Motec ECU. I also won doing it the ‘old school’ way—no closed loop, no delay box, no auto-shift. Yes, I button shift—without a shift light! Going strictly off sound of the engine. I don’t even own a shift light!

“My dad has always taught me from Day 1—’If you win, I want you to know you earned the win.’ He’s trained me to know my motorcycles, any of them that I ride, listening to the engine to know where to shift at etc. I might be at work or at home making a thousand mental laps in my head going through all the motions. People be looking at me like I’m crazy! And I translate that to the track come testing or race day!

“When we first put my bike together, I told him I wanted to button shift myself and we went out there and I made three passes in a row and all three I hit the shift points where he wanted the bike to be shifted at going strictly off the sound of the engine. He was so shocked hisself he had to check and make sure the auto shift wasn’t on. That day I truly shocked him and he knew that I was something special.”

Detailed results are unavailable on the Man Cup website, but Junior beat Heather Wagner in E1 while Senior lost to Brevin Bond. Robert Mann is listed as Junior’s next victim, followed by a bye. He beat number three qualifier Curtis Winston in the semis and class sponsor Deshawn Wheeler in the final.

“I’d have to say the semis against Curtis Winston and the final against Deshawn Wheeler were tough!” said Junior. “Going up against two OG’s that I have much respect for and grew up watching them race my dad was truly an honor to line up against! Curtis Winston & I had a straight up battle he was .047 to my .041 on the tree & I was able to squeeze out a 4.6009 and advance to the final.

“In the final I had to run one of the G.O.A.T.s of motorcycle drag racing, Deshawn Wheeler. Deshawn has raced my dad for years, but not only that, he use to go at it with my grandfather Benny Thompson way before my time. So to even line up against him in eliminations was truly an honor! He took me to school on the tree with his .017 to my .029, but I was able to make it up in ET and mustered a 4.62 to his 4.67 and brought home the major victory!”

It was the first-ever Man Cup win for a n0-bar bike in 4.60, and probably the second over all. Jeff Dalton won on his turbo no-bar ‘Busa at a 2019 NHDRO event. “He had to beat more racers, that’s for sure,” said Dalton, who also noted that Junior’s “Chucky” is the first no-bar bike to accomplish the feat.

Interestingly, both no-bar 4.60 bikes feature graphics supporting causes. Dalton’s bike supports Autism research and Mantez Jr.’s bike supports breast cancer awareness. “I’m close to some people who have fought it and came out on top, but I also do it for all women that have to fight breast cancer,” said Junior. “Just a tribute to show my support for them

“My dad start letting me race motorcycles back in 2021, but I drove Junior Dragsters on and off when I was 9 years old up until about 15,” said Mantez Jr., who works at work at Monarch Steel in Decatur , Alabama. “Matter a fact my first ever Junior Dragster race was in Paducah, Kentucky back when I was 9 and I won the event! Since I started racing bikes back in 2021, I’ve won 30 plus events and two championships!”

“I wouldn’t be able to do this without help from my sponsors,” finished Mantez Jr. “Ray Mancini of Extreme Motorsports, Lynn Layton Chevy, Brownsferry Mercantile, 190Hookup-Rob Bush, Chip Ellis-Tater Gun exhaust systems, Ruthless Designs, David Young with Dave’s Auto Body, and all the guys on the team #Hwy20Racing. Without all of those people this wouldn’t be possible! Truly Grateful!”