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/128318
NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series In add ition to Ha rley'. w in, Gainesville al so ma rked Hines' firs t career Pro Stock Bike w in. Defending NHRA Pawerade Champion Gena Scali came out swinging in Gainesville, lasting until the semis. up finish and e nded the year ranke d in the top lOin the Powerade po ints stan dings. This year, from the opening round of qualifying on Friday, it was obvious that the Harley team had done its homework over the winter. The only rider who even came close to matching the performance of the Harleys was Geno Scali, the reigning NHRA Powerade cham p. In qualifying, Scali prevented a clean swe ep of the top two spots with a 7. 10 that was sandwiched be tw e e n Hines' 7.09 and Tonglet's 7.14. "We tested in Bradenton [Florida] early this week and ran a 7.15, so we knew the bike was strong ," Hines said. "We' ve got a lot of new parts on th is bike, and we worked hard during the winter. Ob viously, that has paid off, and we think there's still a lot left." If the V-Rods were quick durin g qualifying, they were all but invincible on race day as Hines op e ned eliminations with a 7.0S I win over Lake Mortgage Kawasaki's Josh He lvie. Hines ' run was the secondquickest run in the histo ry of the class, just three thousandths of a second beh ind Angelle Savoie's national re co rd 7.049. Tonglet also advanced With a 7.09 win 30 over Ch ris Bostick, and the rou t was on . Hines continued through eliminations with wins ove r Joe DeSantis and Karen Stoffer, while Tonglet did his part by beating Antron Brown and Scali,setti ng up the historic final. "Wh en I ran that 7.05, I was pretty surpr ised," Hines said. " I knew it was a good run, but I didn't think it was that good. On ce we both won in the semis, that pretty much took all the pressure off. GT and I ta lked before the final, and we knew that no matter what happened, Ha rley- D avi d son was go ing to get its first NH RA win, and that was all that really mattered ." Tonglet, whose lone NHRA win ca me aboard a Suzuki in 200 I, left the starting line first, but his bike made a move toward the wall near half track, allowing Hines to ride by for a 7.07 to 7. 16 victory to cap the history-making event. Th ree years ago , the thought of an American -made V-twin being competitive in Pro Stock dr ag racing was unheard of. T he success of the Screamin' Eagle V-Rod is a testament to the gen ius of engine builder and team co- owner Byro n Hines. "Talk about ge tt ing an aOO-pound gori lla off your back," said the elder Hines, who has now won NHRA events with five different motorcycle brands Harley-D avidso n, Suzuk i, Kawasaki , Yamaha and Honda. "It took a little longer than we wanted to , but we finally got it done. I'd be lying if I said it was easy. I'm just really proud of the way our team stuck together and made this happen. Of all the things we've ever do ne in drag racing, this is right at the to p. I don 't think we eve n re alize how big this is yet ." Ne arly lost in the shadow of Harley mania was the performance of Scali, who began his title de fense with a sem ifinal fin- Karen StoKer was one of three fema les in the Pro Stock Bike fie ld and advanced the farthest, going aut in round two, APRIL 7 ,2004 • CYCLE NEWS PRO STOCK FINAL: I. Andrew Hines (H- D) 7.07/189 .83; 2. GT Tangle<(H-D) 7. 161182 .96. NHRA POWERADE PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE SER IES POINTS STANDINGS (After I of 15 events): I. Andrew Hines ( 118/1 win); 2. GT Tonglet (96) ; J. Geno Scali{77); .... Kare n Stoffer (75); S. Antra " Brown (54). UPCOMING ROUNDS: R 2 - Houston, Iexos, April J5-J8 ound R 3 -Arlonto, Georgio, April 29Moy 2 ound 40th Anniversary