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/1176510
IN THE WIND P46 Hines Scores Rain-Delayed Charlotte NHRA Win W ith five world championships and more than 50 race wins to his credit, Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson's Andrew Hines has had some incredible seasons in his long career, but so far noth- ing compares to what he's been able to do in 2019. Hines won for the eighth time in 13 races and extended his lead in the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle standings when he rode to a final-round win against Big St. Charles/Skillman Auto Suzuki's Karen Stoffer in the final round at zMax Dragway, October 11-4. In a rematch of the most recent final two weeks ago in St. Louis, Hines reversed the outcome with a 6.805 that edged Stoffer's quicker 6.804 elapsed time. Both riders crossed the fin- ish line at more than 199-mph in one of the fastest final rounds in the history of the class. Hines has now won 56 races in his career and eight of them have come at zMax Dragway, making the Charlotte track the most suc- cessful venue on the tour for the Vance & Hines rider. "I don't know what it is about this track; I have no idea, but if I could bottle it up and sell it, we'd all be winners," said Hines. "I feel very comfortable here, but it took me a while to win. I think the first four years we came here I didn't do much, but it's been good to me ever since. This was big because we needed a win after losing to Karen in the final round in St. Louis. We need to get our momen- tum back. "Hats off to my team, and espe- cially my brother, Matt," Hines said. "From home, he came up with some good ideas as far as our tune-up and together we got this bike to run some speed from half-track to the finish line. I'm just happy I beat that bike [that Stoffer rides]. That's the bike that LE [Tonglet] rode last year and he was tough and then Karen beat me in St. Louis." When Hines lost to Stoffer in St. Louis, his lead in the Mello Yello standings shrank to just 11-points, and had he lost the Charlotte final, he'd be relegated to second place. That didn't hap- pen because Hines' Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson FXDR came to life during Monday's rain- delayed final rounds and deliv- ered solid performance numbers including his 199.37-mph speed in the final. Hines, the third quick- est qualifier, beat Michael Ray, Scotty Pollacheck and Hector Arana Jr. during eliminations. With a win and a runner-up at the last two races, Stoffer is not only a serious contender for the championship, but she's also helping to lead a Suzuki revival in NHRA's premier two-wheel class. Since joining Jerry Savoie's White Alligator team this year, Stoffer has been a force since the start of the season with a runner-up finish in Chicago in addition to her St. Louis victory. The number- five qualifier, Stoffer beat Kelly Clontz, Eddie Krawiec, and low qualifier Steve Johnson. She ran the sports fastest Suzuki speed in the final, at 199.20 and also ran 6.797 in her semifinal win against Johnson. With their consistent perfor- mances, Hines and Stoffer have threatened to turn the points battle into a two-horse race. Halfway through the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs, Hines leads Stoffer by 57-points. Hines' teammate Eddie Krawiec is third, but the four-time series champion is 115 points back while Jerry Savoie, who has suffered back-to-back round-one losses after winning in Reading, is 142-points back. Kevin McKenna Andrew Hines won the Charlotte NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle final on Monday after Sunday's racing was postponed a day due to rain.