If you’ve spent any time near the Pro Fuel lanes over the last few decades, you know the name Kirby Apathy. For 40+ years, he was the one setting records, raising the bar, and leaving the competition chasing smoke.
Originally from Chicago and based in Deland, Florida, Kirby ran Veetwin Racing with support from JIMS and Lucas Oil. Although he’s retiring from racing this year, the impact he made on the sport is still reverberating through the ranks.
Kirby’s journey kicked off in 1984 with a 96” Ironhead XL Pro Stock. From there, he built and piloted an arsenal of Top Gas bikes, 114, 125, 131, 149, and 167ci, before diving into the nitro world and making Pro Fuel his domain for the last 15 years of his career.
He didn’t just race across AHDRA, AMRA, and Man Cup—he rewrote their record books:
- 2010 AMRA National Champion
- 2010 AMRA 1/4 ET Record – 7.32
- 2010 AHDRA 1/8 MPH Record – 158.6
- 2011 AMRA 1/4 ET Record – 7.23
- 2011 AMRA 1/8 MPH Record – 164.05
- 2011 AHDRA 1/8 MPH Record – 162.98
- 2016 Man Cup 1/4 ET Record – 7.07
- 2018 Quickest Pass in Pro Fuel History – 6.85
- 2019 Man Cup 1/4 ET Record – 6.96
- 2019 Man Cup 1/4 MPH Record – 184.8
- 2019 AHDRA 1/4 ET Record – 7.12
He’s not just a record holder, he’s the first and only Pro Fuel racer to break into the 6s with a blistering 6.85. When you’re building and piloting your own machines to this level of precision, that number means everything.
Kirby didn’t chase trophies; he chased perfection. From 69 #1 qualifiers in gas and nitro to three consecutive Man Cup wins (2016–2018) with a slowest pass of 7.16, his goal has always been the same: "Be the best we can be."
Mentored by Dean Mickley on the nitro side and self-taught when it comes to gas bikes, Kirby's racing philosophy has always been built on work ethic and competitive fire. Off the track, you’ll find him fishing, though he’s more comfortable reeling in records than redfish.
He summed it up simply: “We’ve always been very competitive and strived to be the best we could be.”
Kirby Apathy isn’t just part of Pro Fuel history; he is Pro Fuel history. He may be retiring from racing, but the legacy he built at full throttle lives on. From the pits to the podium, he embodied what it means to be AHDRA: fast, fearless, and fuelled by passion.
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