Cycle News

NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series Shawn Gann wins lor the STORY AND PHOTO BY KEVIN McKENNA c re am in' Eagle Harley-Davidson's And rew Hines was les s than eight seconds away from his second career NHRA Pow erade series Pro Stock Bike victory, but an itchy trigger finger resulted in an unexpected tum of events that made a winner out of underdog Shawn Gann. Gann could hardly believe his good fortune as his 7.24 prevailed against Hines, who negated his quicker 7.17 with a red light start in the final round . "I saw his red -light, and yeah, I was pretty shocked," Gann said. "I can honestly say that was the last thing I expected , but I'll take it. A win is a win, no mat ter how you get it. I'm sure he'd feel the same way if I was the one that red-lighted . The way those Harleys have been running, I figured I might need a little luck to win anyway." Coming off a strong performance a week earlier in Atlanta , where he reached the final round, Gann has begun to sense that his fort unes have made a 'dramatic tum for the better. Following his Chicago victory, he is now second in the points standings, trailing only Hines. "I'm trying to make up for lost time," Gann said. "ln the past, I've neve r started a year off strong, and it has always cost me . I don't know w hy that is, but I figured it was time to fix it. Right now, I'm as prepared as I've eve r been. Hopefully we can keep this up." Gann qualified his Suzuki TL-I 000 sixth in the 16-bike field and moved into his S 40 JUNE 16,2004 ��� tenth career final round with wins ove r David Feazell, Mike Berry and Michael Phillips. Gann's race with Phillipswas one of the highlights of the weekend as both riders ran matching 7.27 elapsed times . Gann crossed the finish line first by just one-thousandth of a second. "O bvio usly, I had no way of know ing who was going to win," Gann said. "I could hear him coming, but I didn't dare look over. It was a big relief when the win light finally came on in my lane. They always say that in order to be good , you've got to win the close ones, and I think this is what they meant. "I didn't realize that I was second in the po ints until after t he race was over, but it's a pretty good feeling," Gann continued . "Hopefully, we can keep it up." On the fli p side , Hines was nearly inco nsolable after throwing away an almost certain victory. Holding an almost insurmountable performance advantage over Gann, Hines didn't need to gamble but also didn't want to lay back and risk getting beat on a holeshot . "My lights had bee n close all day, so I was a little worri ed about a red-light," Hines said. "I tried to slow down a little, but I guess my adrenaline was pumping too much . I've got no body to blame but myself. I should have won this one, but I didn't . At least I've still got the points lead." For most of the weekend, it was obvious that the only one who could beat Hines was Hines . In qualifying, the CYC LE N EW S Screamin' Eagle rider grabbed the number-one spot with a 7.16, slightlyahead of his Harley-Davidson teammate, GT Tonglet. In eliminations, Hines had the quickest run in each round, including the semifinals, where he made the quickest run of the weekend with a 7.09. No other rider ran quicker than 7. 16 during the event, and Gann's best elapsed time was just a 7.20. "I short-shifted the bike in the final after the red-l ight; otherwise it probably would have run eve n quicker than that 7.09," Hines said. "We tried some new th ings early this weekend, and they didn't work. Between our two bikes, we went through five rod bearings. I changed engines before the first round, and the bike seemed to respond . We str uggled last week in Atlanta but really seemed to make progress here. Hopefully, I can make up for this at the next race. It' s about time I beat a Suzuki in the final ." Gann wasn't the only rider who got healthy at Route 66. After losing early in the season's first three races, Matco Tools' Craig Treble arr ived at Route 66 Raceway with a new bike, having purchased the Suzuki of three-time NHRA champ Matt Hines . Treble borrowed the bike late last year and won the final two events of the season. "I still think my bike can be a better bike, but right now, I've got to win some rounds and score some points ," Treble said. "That' s why I bought this bike from 40th Anniversary Matt. It's extremely fast, and it responds when you tune it. I still have faith in my old bike, but I will ride this one until I can come up with something quicke r,' In addition to Andrew Hines, Gann and Treble, the other rider to make it to the semis was privateer Michael Phillips. The winner of last year's Reading race, Phillips is acknowledged as one of the class' best riders, eve n though his limited budget often prevents him from realizing his full potential. At Route 66, Phillips displayed his considerable talent with a perfect reaction time in the first rou nd that fueled his win over Star Racing's Fred Collis. Phillips also upset Tonglet in the second ro und before ultimately losing to Gann. "I red-lighted in the first round in Atlanta, so I had to redeem myself this weekend," Phillips said. "Right now, I'm just out he re trying to survive. I'm on a limited budget, and my only crew is a few friends from home, so anytime I can win a round or two, it's a big help." eN RoUTt 66 RACEWAY JOUET, IWNOIS RESULTS: MAy 20-23, ( R OU ND 4 Of 15 ) 2004 PRO STOCK FINAL: I. Shawn G""n (Suz) 7.24/18U6; 2. Andrew H""" (H-D) 7.17/186.56_ NHRA POWERADE PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE SERIES POINTS STAND INGS (Alter. oilS "",nds): I. And..... H""" (HBI I win ): 2. Shawn G..n (295/1 w;n): 3. GT Tonglet (282): 4. Antn>n Brown (256): 5. Angelle Savoie (255/1 win ). UPCOMING ROUNDS: Round 5 . Columbus, Ohio, June 10-13 Round 6 . St. Louis, Missouri, June 24��27

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