t isn't often that NHRI\s Pro Stoc k
Bike race rs upstage th e ir fou rwheeled 320-mile -per-ho ur Top
Fuel dragster and Funny Car counte rparts, but then again, it isn't often
that a Harley-Davidson w ins an NHRA
event. In fact, no Harley-Davidson had
ever w o n a Pro Stock Bike tit le until
Vance & Hines Scream in' Eagle's Andrew
Hines rode to an histor ic victory over his
teamm ate, GT Tonglet at the Mac Tools
Gatorn ationals in Gainesville.
The historic significance of Harley's
first NHRAw in was not lost on the capacity crowd in Gainesville, who greeted the
Screamin' Eagle team with the loudest
ovations of the weekend.
"Even from the other end of the race
track, Icould hear the crowd goingcrazy,"
said Hines, the son of Vance & Hines
engine builder and tuner Byron Hines, and
the brother of three-time NHRA champ
Matt Hines. "This win will change the face
of Pro Stock Bike. It's my first win, and it's
monume ntal for me, but it's even bigger
for the class. This [Harley-Davidson] is the
future of Pro Stock Bike."
The Vance & Hines team debu ted their
V-Rod in Gainesville in 2002 , but the bike
was far from competitive and did not
qualify for a single event that season. Last
year, the team made major progress, as
Hines and Tonglet each scored a runner-
I
28 APRil 7, 2004 • CYCLE NEWS
40th Anniversary
