Fritz Kling holds up the winner’s trophy after taking victory in the WERA Pro Series Formula USA race at Indianapolis Raceway Park in August of 1992. Kling was joined on the podium by second-place Michael Martin (left) and Donald Jacks (right) who was third. (Larry Lawrence photo)

For years Fritz Kling toiled away winning countless club-level races in the Midwest on out-dated machinery. So-called racing experts said that Kling was too big (at 6 feet, 4 inches and over 200 pounds) to make it on the national level. Or that Kling was a one-track wonder because of his domination of Grattan Raceway. In 1992 Kling set out to prove the pundits wrong.

Kling had success in the AMA 750 Supersport and Endurance Series. But his Indianapolis WERA Formula USA victory in Aug. of 1992, may have been the high-water mark in Kling’s roadracing career to that point.

Kling, riding a Gold Hill Racing Yamaha FZR 1000-powered OW01, won both legs of Formula USA and in the process shattered Scott Russell’s then track record of 1:36.93 (92.850 mph) with a lap of 1:35.36 (94.381 mph) during leg one of the F-USA doubleheader.

Valvoline’s Michael Martin (left) finished second with 2-2 finish. Martin’s teammate Donald Jacks (right) 3-4 finishes was good enough for third place overall.