VOL. 50 ISSUE 9 MARCH 5, 2013 P75
Rule changes or not,
Vance & Hines HarleyDavidson���s Eddie
Krawiec still goes into
the NHRA Pro Stock
season as the favorite
to earn the title again.
reigning World Champion Krawiec.
���On December 23 we got the final approval on our design, which has given
us a little more than three months to
get it done. The reality is that it should
be a six- to eight-month project. That
means a lot of late nights for the guys
in the shop, and that doesn���t count the
outside vendors that we���re working
with.���
The flow of information from inside
the team���s Brownsburg, Indiana headquarters has been sparse with one
source claiming the team might not
have a fully-functioning engine combination completed until the week
before the NHRA season-opener in
Gainesville, Florida, on March 14-17.
Other sources claim that the team testfired their first engine in late February.
Whatever the case, most observers
both inside and outside the Vance &
Hines team concede that the days of
the team topping 199 mph are over for
Hector Arana Jr. didn���t win a final
last year after winning three times
in his rookie season in 2011. He���s
aiming for a better 2013.
For the
first time
in many
years, the
NHRA
Pro Stock
Motorcycle
title is
there for
the taking.
the time being.
The announcement of the 2013
rules package also sent shockwaves
through the rest of the class as rival
teams have lined up to take a shot at
the title in a season that now figures to
be wide open. The following is a look
at some of the likely contenders.
SCREAMIN��� EAGLE VANCE &
HINES HARLEY-DAVIDSON
No one really believes that Vance &
Hines V-Rods won���t be competitive
this season, but the big question is
when. Krawiec and Hines are more
than just riders; they are also involved
in the day-to-day operation of Vance
& Hines so they should have a solid
understanding of the team���s engine
program.
���Initially, everyone just said, that
we���d go back to our old two-valve combination but we can���t do that,��� Krawiec
said. ���Even if we could, I don���t like that