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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128172
NHRA PowerAde Drag Racing Series Round 1 1 : Indianapolis Raceway Park In a rematch of the 2001 U.s. Nationals final, Star Racing's Angelle Savoie (near lane) extended her lead In the points stancllngs with a 7.23 to 7.26 win over Shawn Gann (far lane). lavoieel Indy million accompli/fied PowerAde Pro Stock Bike Championship, and the $50,000 bonus that goes with it, Savoie's primary goal was to advance further than Treble and extend her lead in the standings. Savoie accomplished her mission, and much more, after winning her second consecutive U.S. Nationals title. In a rematch of the 2001 final, Savoie scored a decisive victory over Shawn Gann, 7.23 to 7.26. Nearly as important as the final was Savoie's semifinal win over Treble, one which allowed her to extend her points lead to a nearly insurmountable 111 with three races remaining. The win also allowed Savoie to quickly overcome the disappointment STORY AND PHOTOS BY KEVIN McKENNA lNDIANAPOUS, IN, AGG. 28-SEPT. 2 inning the U.S. Nationals, the oldest and most prestigious event on the NHRA tour, is every racer's dream, but for Star Racing's Angelle Savoie it was only part of her mission last weekend in Indianapolis. Locked in a heated points battIe with Matco Tools' Craig Treble for the After winning her fourth race of the season, SavoIe n_ holds a comfortable margin over Craig Treble with three Pro Stock Bike events remaining In the 2002 season. "'-poIn1 34 SEPTEMBER 18, 2002' cue • • n _.., s of her loss in the K&N Filters Pro Bike Klash, a big-money specialty event that was contested during the U.S. Nationals. Treble won the race, and the $15,000 top prize, after Savoie was ousted in the opening round. "The first thing I thought about when I crossed the finish line was that this made up for losing in the K&N Klash," Savoie said. "Winning the money would have been nice, especially since we don't have a sponsor, but the PowerAde points are where it's at. We really needed to score points this weekend, and we did just that." Savoie stumbled at the most recent event in Brainerd, Minnesota, but at Indy, she was back to her old self. In qualifying, she put her Star Racing Suzuki into the top spot with a 7.15, well ahead of Matt Hines, who was second with a 7.21. The only other riders who were in the 7.2-second zone were Gann, who was third with a 7.22, and Brainerd winner Geno Scali, who qualified the only Kawasaki in the field with a 7.29. Treble finished fifth with a 7.30. The U.S. Nationals normally attracts a large field of Pro Stock Bikes, and this year's event was no different. A total of 32 riders attempted to qualify for 16 spots, resulting in a bump spot of 7.36 by Greg Underdahl. Though he did not qualify, G.T. Tonglet made some progress with a 7.45 best from the Screamin' Eagle/Yance & Hines Harley-Davidson. After a slow start, the V -twin project has begun to show signs of improvement lately. Tonglet believes that the bike should be solidly in the 7.3-second zone at the next event in Reading, Pennsylvania. After breezing through the first two rounds with wins over Underdahl and Andrew Hines, Savoie was paired with Treble in a match that was crucial to the championship. When it mattered most, Savoie made her best run of the day, a 7.21, to easily cover Treble's off-pace 7.34. "Beating Craig was a huge win," Savoie said. "Coming into this race, our first goal was to go further than he did. I felt a little pressure in that round because Craig is such an awesome racer, but I didn't let it get to me. Ninety percent of the time, when we don't win, its my fault, but I feel like I did my job this weekend. My Treble's weekend wasn't a total loss. On Saturday, the Mateo Tools rider captured the $15,000 first-place prize In the K&N Filters Pro Bike KIash, a non-points specialty even1 that Is open only to the eight best riders on the tour. Treble beat MIke BerTy In the final.