Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1162518
IN THE WIND P32 Savoie Claims Second NHRA Indy Win F or most of the 2019 season, NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle teams have watched five-time world champion Andrew Hines and the Vance & Hines Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson domi- nate the class. Hines entered the U.S. Nationals, NHRA's oldest and most pres- tigious event, in Indianapolis, September 2, as the runaway leader with seven wins in nine races, but a rare foul start threw a wrench in his bid for another title. The rider who put a stop, at least tem- porarily, to Hines' reign is White Alligator Suzuki's Jerry Savoie, who has had a knack for stealing the spotlight through- out in his career. Savoie, the 2016 NHRA World Champion, won his second-career Indy title after Hines red-lighted at the start on his new Harley FXDR. Hines would have been hard pressed to keep pace with Savoie, who made the four quickest runs on race day to win his 10th career NHRA race. "When I started doing this, I said all along that I just wanted to win one race," said Savoie who also defeated Hines in the final for his first win at the 2014 St. Louis race. "You've got to realize at my age; I'm 60 years old. My day is com- ing. I only planned to be out here for a couple of years. I've been here for eight now. It's tough. To all the armchair quar- terbacks out there, if you think this is so easy, come and get you some. Also, after Sonoma, I was eating a piece of pizza and broke a tooth and my jawbone, and I'd made up my mind I wasn't even going to come here. Finally, my wife told me to just go and have fun. "The Suzuki's have been struggling lately but thanks to Vance & Hines and Tim [Kulungian, crew chief] they've been working on a couple of combinations, and it paid off," Savoie said. "We found the sweet spot, and I maintained my composure all day, and we made some good runs. The Harley guys, you can't take anything away from them. They win races because they're not only the fast- est, but they are the most consistent. "When I dumped the clutch, I saw An- drew's red light come on. I knew we had him covered. He was a little nervous. They tested here, and this is his home track, so I'm actually a little surprised he didn't run better. We had a very fast mo- torcycle, though. I think we'd have had something for him even if he was green." Savoie was the number-eight qualifier in the quick field, but his Suzuki came to life during Monday's final eliminations with a string of 6.8-second runs that were among the quickest of the day. Savoie made the quickest run of the opening round with a 6.847 in his win against Ryan Oehler and followed with an identical run in the quarterfinal round to stop Joe Gladstone. Savoie punched his ticket to the final with a 6.864 in the semifinal round to stop Hines' teammate, Eddie Krawiec. With seven wins in nine events and a 29-2 record in elimination rounds com- ing into Indy, not much has gone wrong for Hines this season, and the five-time Mello Yello series Pro Stock Motor- cycle Champion stretched his record to 32-round wins by beating Kelly Clontz, Suzuki-mounted Jerry Savoie scored an emotional win at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. PHOTO: MATT POLITO