Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

I NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series Round 9: lnfineon Raceway • Scali breaks away with Sonoma win where between third and fifth in the points, and that would have been okay with me. Now, I realize that we're capable of much more." Following his final round win over Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson's Andrew Hines, Scali has a massive points lead over reigning three-time champ Angelle Savoie, and it appears that only a slump of epic proportions can keep him from winning the championship. Two weeks earlier in Denver, Scali didn't look or feel like a champ after blowing a golden opportunity to extend his points lead with a red-light in the semifinals of a race that was eventually won by upstart Blaine Hale. "I know I messed up in Denver, but after that race, I took a week off, and my wife and I went on a vacation," Scali said. "We rode horses and just took it easy. I realized that I'd been running full throttle, and I wasn't taking the time to enjoy this season." Refreshed when he arrived in Sonoma, Scali didn't let opportunity pass him by a second time, remain- STORY AND PHOTOS BY KEVIN McKENNA SONOMA, CA, J(]LY 31-A(]G. 3 [lfl eading into the 2003 NHRA Powerade W Drag Racing season, it would be safe to say that Geno Scali had modest expectations. Scali won his first race last season aboard Pete Briggs' Kawasaki but made a surprising announcement shortly after the season ended when he tendered his resignation. Scali raised even more eyebrows when he quit his regular job as a Lexus salesman and formed his awn team with former AMA/Prostar racer Joe Koenig and crew chief Earl Deglopper. Now, after winning his third race of the season at the Fram Nationals in Sonoma, it's obvious that Scali knew exactly what he was doing. "The biggest thing is that I found people who believe in me," Scali said. "We knew we had something special here, but I still tried not to set my goals too high. I figured that realistically, we'd be able to finish some- 50 AUGUST 20. 2003' cue I e n eVIl's ing rock solid even as many of his opponents self destructed around him. During qualifying, Scali was just sixth quickest with a 7.09 from his Vance [,. Hines-powered Trim- Tex Suzuki. Mateo Tools Suzuki's Craig Treble led the field with a 7.06, followed by championship contenders Shawn Gann (7.07), Reggie Showers (7.07) and Savoie (7.09). The 16bike field was officially the quickest in NHRA history, with Fred Camarena occupying the final spot with a 7.18, meaning there were no easy draws in any round. Scali got by the opening round of Sunday's eliminations with a 7.07 win over Sean Conner, but for just about every other contender, it was a catastrophe. Savoie, Showers, Gann and number-six qualifier Mike Berry all exited via a red-light start. "Once I saw Angelle, Reggie and Gann go out, I thought to myself, 'This is my big chance; don't blow it,'" Scali said. "I've had problems red-lighting myself this year. These bikes leave so hard that it's tough to Trim-Tex Suzuki's Geno Scali (far lane) won his third NHRA event of the season with a 7.17 to 7.26 victory over the Screamin' Eagle HarleyDavidson of first-time finalist Andrew Hines (near lane) in Sonoma. wait for the green light. I know. Last year, my reaction times were the best for anyone in the Pro Stock Bike class so it should be a bigger problem for me, but we've taken steps to correct it, and so far, it's working." Scali's toughest challenge came in the semifinals where he was paired with low qualifier Treble. After slumping for a good part of the season, Treble arrived in Sonoma with a new engine package and a renewed drive. "We finally decided to get more aggressive with our tune-up," Treble said. "We've been conservative all year. Now, it's time to take the gloves off. Everyone else leans on their equipment, so now we're going to." As a result, Treble made some of the best runs of his career in Sonoma, and he was well on his way to a victo-

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