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/128180
NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series Round 13: The Strip at Cas Vegas Motor Speedway In the final round, Savoie (near lane) left first against Matt Hines (far lane) and held on for a 7.24 to 7.21 holeshot win. The difference between the two bikes at the finish line was less than two-thousands of a second. STORY AND PHOTOS BY KEVIN McKENNA LAS VEGAS, NV, OCT. 24-27 hat little drama remained in the battle for the 2002 NHRA Powera de Pro Stock bike title quickly evaporated during the AC Delco Las Vegas Nationals as Angelle Savoie used another dominating performance to secure her third-consecutive series championship. Coming into Las Vegas with a massive lead in the standings, Savoie and her Star Racing Team resisted the temptation to count points and simply focused on one thing - winning the race. The Mohegan Sun rider accomplished her mission and won her sixth race of the season with a final round victory over her nemesis, former three-time champ Matt Hines. "This championship will be very special for the entire Star Racing team because of everything we've gone through this year both on and off the racetrack," Savoie said. "It has probably been one of toughest seasons, so even though it's hard to compare this year's to the other two, we feel like we really had to fight to get this one." After qualifying second with a 7.22, Savoie rode past Karen Stoffer in the opening round with a 7.30 and then improved slightly with a 7.29 in the second against Geno Scali aboard the field's lone Kawasaki. Savoie officially locked up the title in the semifinals with a win over Mateo Tools rider Craig Treble, the early season points leader and the only rider still with a mathematical shot of dethroning the Star team. Needing an early advan- W 62 NOVEMBER 13, 2002' tage against a quicker bike, Treble took a shot on the starting line and came up empty with a red-light start. By the time she reached the finish line, 7.30 seconds later, Savoie had a $50,000 bonus check waiting for her. '"1 was more excited than nervous against Craig," Savoie said. "I just wanted to get it over with. Craig pushes me to do my best. I had in mind that I was going to cut a good light. All I could pull out for him was a .450, so when I saw his red-light, I was happy. "I knew' long before the finish line that it was over, and that was a big compliment to see tl1at he felt he had to push the tree as hard as he did. He's such an awesome racer, and he was pushing it because he knew he had to, but it's so unusual for him. When I saw that, I went into autopilot and really can't remember anything about the run, other than thinking, 'Oh my God, it's finally over.' "I can't say enough about this Star Racing team. They are so awesome and are such good people. They are honest racers, going back to our trailer after every run and working to get better. We all get along, which helped us through the difficult times this year. If we didn't gain any respect in the past, this year should certainly do it." Once the championship celebration subsided, Savoie's team went about their business of preparing for the final round against Hines and his Vance & Hines/Eagle One Suzuki. Though he has struggled at times this year, Hines had the dominant bike in Las Vegas. In qualifying, he set the track record with a 7.21 and also recorded the track's first 190- cue • e n e _ s mph Pro Stock Bike speed with a 191.08-mph blast. Hines also had the quickest bike on race day as he posted a 7.27 in the first round against Michael Phillips and a 7.29 in the second that was good enough to stop Fred Camarena, who red-lighted. A red-light start by defending event winner Shawn Gann in the semis allowed Hines to make it to the 46th final round of his career. Hines did nothing wrong in the final as he left with a competitive .438 reaction time and matched his best qualifying run with a 7.21. However, he still came away empty handed as Savoie cut a near-perfect .408 reaction time, and won on a holeshot by less than two thousandths of a second with a 7.24. In addition to clinching the championship, Savoie also won the 28th title of her career, and is just one win behind Hines for third place on NHRA's all-time Pro Stock Bike win list. "There is nothing better than to win on a holeshot," Savoie said. "Naturally, the Star team gets most of the credit, and they should, because they build and tune my bike, but to beat Matt on a holeshot is such an awesome feeling. I can't really explain it, but, as strange as it may sound, I feel like I finally have something to do with our winning. "We made our fastest run of the day in the final, and we needed it, because from what I hear, he was catching us. I don't know what he did to pull up a .21 - they must have had a great setup. We did the same thing and had a terrific 7.24." Though disappointed, Hines couldn't feel bad about the performance of his Eagle One Suzuki, which is once again the quickest bike in the field. "Our weekend couldn't have been much better," Hines said. "We improved on every qualifying run; the bike ran solid in eliminations; we made the correct tune-up calls when it counted. We just came up less than two-thousandths short at the end." eN The Sbip at las Vegas Motor Speedway las Vegas, Nevada Results: Octllber 24-27, 2002 [Round 13 of 141 PRO STOCK FINAL: 1. Angelle Savoie (Su,) 7.24.183.99: 2. Matt Hines (Su,) 7.21,191.08. NHRA POWERADE PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE SERIES POINTS STANDINGS (After 13 of 14 events): 1. Angelle Savoie (1308); 2. Craig Treble (1094); 3. Antran Brown (950); 4. Mett Hines (941): 5. Shown Gonn (901). Upcoming Round: Round 14 - Pomona, California, November 6-8