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NHRAIPowerAde Drag Racing Series Round S: Infineon Raceway (Above) Mateo Tools' Craig Treble (near lane) scored a crucial win In the Pro Stock Bike points chase when he downed Vance & Hines rider Matt Hines (far lane) in the final of the Fram Autollte Nationals in Sonoma, 7.12 to 7.14. STORY AND PHOTOS BY KEVIN McKENNA SONOMA, CA, AUG. )ยท4 f you're looking for Craig Treble to fall off the radar screen any time soon, forget about it. The Mateo Tools rider, who has spent most of the season in a heated points battle with reigning NHRA Pro Stock Bike champ Angelle Savoie, closed the gap by claiming his fourth win of the year at the Fram Autolite Nationals in Sonoma. Though he is seldom the quickest rider in the field, Treble simply refuses to give up, and as a result he has now scored more wins this year than anyone else in the class, including Savoie. The final round might have been the best race of the season in the Pro Stock Bike class. At the flash of the Tree, Treble and Hines left as one and remained side by side for the entire quarter-mile. At the finish line, Treble's bike surged ahead for a narrow victory, 7.12 to Hines' game 7.14. "This is four wins this year, and sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure its really happening," Treble said. "The turning point was at the start of this season, when we brought out our new chassis. Initially, I wasn't sure about being the first guy with an all-new bike, but I think it has worked out. 48 AUGUST 21,2002' cue I (Rlghtl After winning Just once In his first three ,ears on the NHRA tour, Treble has now won four times In 2002 and Is pressuring reigning champ Angelle Savoie in the PowerAde points standings. "To be honest, I was worried about running Matt," Treble continued. "We decided that we needed to step up, so we wicked it up for the final. I figured that it was either going to rip, or it was going to blow up. Either way, I wasn't about to give up without a fight. I saw him out of the corner of my eye, and then I hit third gear and didn't see him anymore." In addition to his new chassis, which is unlike any other bike in the class, Treble also credits his success to a steady diet of testing. Following the most recent round in Denver, Treble went to Woodburn, Oregon, and made several runs before heading for Sonoma. "When we race in Denver, we have to change everything on the bike," said Treble. "The only way to make the bike run up there in the thin air is to make it really violent. At sea level, you've got to calm the bike down. We e n.Vlls made several good runs at Woodburn, and it really helped us when we got here." In qualifying, Treble was third with a 7.11, but was less than a hundredth of a second behind Hines, who set the pace with a 7.105, and SaVOie, who wasn't far behind, with a 7.107. Treble got through the first two rounds with runs of 7.10 and 7.15, but he figured to have an uphill battle in the semi's against Savoie, who had earlier set the track record with a 7.07 in the opening round. Savoie's CVEC Suzuki is normally one of the most consistent bikes on the tour, but in Sonoma a freak parts breakage sidelined the reigning champ during her crucial bout against Treble. Savoie felt the engine