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/128317
Eagles Scream at Gainesville! Willie G. Davidson stood alongside NHRA sto rter Rick Ste w a rt a s th e first all Ha rley·Davidson Pro Stock final in NHRA National history left the line at Gainesville Raceway. T he Screamin' EagleNance & Hines I Harley-Davidson Pro Stock racing team scor ed an historic victory at the 35th annual Mac Tools NHRA Gatornati o nals at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida, on March 21, as Harley-Davidson V-Rod riders Andrew Hines and G.T. Tonglet dom inated the first NHRA Pro Stock Bike event of the season. Both riders advanced to the final round of eliminations , and Hines beat his teammate to win the event. It was the first time a V-Twin-powered motorcycle has won an NHRA Pro Stock Bike event, and the first time for an all-Harley final. Tonglet and Hines both reached final rounds du ring the 2003 NHRA Powerad e seas o n, pos ting ru nner-up finishes. At Gainesville, there was litde dou bt that the team's two-year journey toward the limelight would come to fruition at the event where the Byro n Hines-built VRod made its debut in 200 I. Hines is the fathe r of Andrew Hines and former NHRA Pro Stock Champion Matt Hines . Andrew Hines and Tonglet set the tone for their weekend in qualifying. Hines too k the number-one spot away from re igning NHRA Pro Stock Bike champion Gene Scali, setting a new Pro Stock Bike track record in the third round on Saturday with a 7.097 - second elapsed time at 189.43 mph to Scali's 7. 104/192 .80 . Scali found himself in a V-Rod sand wich, with Tonglet pos ting a run 01 7. 141/188.16 to take the third spot in qualifying. Hines and Tonglet advanced clea nly th rough th ree rounds of eliminations on Sunday, each reaching the finals without the be nefit of an opponent's red -light start or mechanical failure . That put both Screamin' Eagle riders in the finals. Tonglet (0.04 5) had a slight edge over Hines (0.055 ) off the line, but Hines made up the difference by the 60-foot mark and roared away to his first National win (7.0761189.83 vs. 7.161/1 82 .96) and the first Pro Stock Bike win for the Screamin' EaglelVance & Hines team. "We worked so hard to get this bike to a point w here it's competitive with the top bikes," Hines said of the Screamin' EaglelVance & Hines Pro Stock effo rt , now In just its third season of competition. "Now we are the to p bike. It's nice because a lot of people have put a lot of time into th is project. Let everyone else chase us lor a wh ile. I'm out here to win the championship, and right now , with the bike I have, I th ink I'm a strong contender." Tonglet runner-upped again, his second aboard the V-Rod since he debuted it at Gainesville in 200 I. "It was sure a race," said Tonglet. "The crowd was going nuts , and I could hear them as we staged. I guess we both spun a litde , so it wasn't as pretty as it could have been, but it's great to have one of these Harley - "Let everyone else chase us for awhile. I'm out here to win the championship, and right now, with the bike I have, I think I'm a strong contender." - Andrew Hines Alessi Stars at Moisier GNC MX Finals Ho nda's Mike Alessi topped the win column at the 28th annual GNC Motocross Final with six tides fo llowing three days of racing at the Mos ier Valley USA MX facility in Fort Worth/Arlington, Tex as, March 19-2 1. Alessi's performance in the 12Scc Stoc k Inte rm ed iate , 12Scc O pen , 2SOcc Stock and Modified Inte rmed iate , 2S0cc Ope n and Four-Stro ke 20 1-6S0cc even ts were dazzling. Kawasaki Team Gree n's Ryan Vill poto o also had much success in Texas, as he came awa y with three champi onships in the Mini Bike 8Scc ( 14-16) Stoc k and Mod ified and the MARCH 3 1, 2004 • Davidson V-Rods in the winners' circle: ' For Vance & Hines team owner Byro n Hines , the Gatonational performance was a sweet payoff for the more than two years of hard work spent developing the Screamin' Eagle V-Rod bikes . "It' s something to get both bikes in the final," he said. "I guess all that work finally paid off at once." Sportclassic Reservations Being Taken 1000c (0- 16) classes. Suzuki's Matt Goerke matched Villopoto on wins, taking tides in the 12Scc Stock and Modified Expe rt and 2SOcc Expert events . For the second week in a row, Hon da took the majo rity of the titles , end ing the GNC even t with 13 victories. Suzuki laired we ll, too, but ende d run ner-up with I I championships. Kawasa ki took eight titles, w hile Yamaha and KTM shared six each. The GNC MX Finals had 1263 entries. Ka t S pann The recent announcement by Ducati to produce productio n versions of its Spo rtC lassic concept bikes has been followed by the 8 Andrew Hines scored his first ca reer NHRA Pro Stock w in a s well a s giving the Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley vRod its first victory. CYCLE N EWS 40th Anniversary announcement of a customer preproduction reservation program fo r the new bikes. By participating in this program, a cus-