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/128352
Vance & Hines, Drag Racing's Titletown Vance & Hines host ed a champions hip celebration party in recognition of its 2004 NHRA Powe rade Pro Stock Bike Championship wit h the Scream in' EagleNance & Hines Harley-Davidson at its Santa Fe Springs, California, headquarters o n November 16. Approximately 350 people attended the eve nt, including every employee of the com pany. "This is party time," Vance & Hines' Terry Vance said. "Whenever we win a championship, it's a tradition here that everybody gets halfa day off, and we have a little barbecue and introduce the team. We liketo get everybody involved." Vance addressed the gathering with a short speech, tha nking the company for its conti nued support and acknow ledging Harley-Davidson's significant ro le in the championship befo re intro ducing the team mem bers . "I can easily say this is the most significant thing we have done in racing as far as drag racing is concerned," Vance said. "We have given a championshi p to HarleyDavidson and brought them to the NHRA, so together I think that those are two big milestones in the sport. It has made the sport much more exciting for the fans. They are much more enthused about what is going o n. They're much more into the game as far as the brand mix out there." In addition to givingthe Harley brand its first NHRA title, the team's championship is even more significant in that rider Matt Hines, 21, became the youngest person eve r to win an NHRA World Championship in the professional ranks. In recognition of his achievement, Harley-Davidson Motor Company officials in attendance presented Hines with a customized Harley-Davidson V-Rod. BRC Sound Testing Program for OHVs w ill be at various off-ro ad racing eve nts and at dealerships educating the riding public. I am co nvinced that properly muffled bikes will help keep areas open for motorized recreatio nal use." "I know riders have appreciated this progr am and are glad to see FMFtaking the lead on 'e nginee red to be quiet' performance e xhaust systems," Don Amador, the Western representative for the BRC, said. "These products will help riders get quiet as land managers and local governments address user conflicts created by excessively loud OHVs." "Off-ro ad heroes Rodney Smith , Jimmy Lewis and Scott Summers use the Malcolm Smith-endorsed Q series of quiet mufflers and silencers that e nable all riders to become members of 'Team Stealth' wh ile still enjoy ing a high level of performance. I continue to be proud of FMF's commitment to help BRC promote responsible off-road use on public lands," Amador stated. "It has been a pretty ro ugh road, but we finally pushed thro ugh and got this championship," Hines said. "I never wo uld I have thought that we could have done it this fast, but with the support of allthe people here at Vance & Hines, my dad building the horsepower and my brother tuning the bikes, it paid off." Hines is the son of legendary tune r Byron Hines and the you nger broth e r of three-time NHRA Pro Stock Bike cham~ pion Matt Hines. "Growing up watchi ng those guys, I always knew that I wanted to do this someday, but I never knew that I would be in this position as young as I am, " Hines said. " Harley is loving this. They have a 10I-year history of racing motorcycles, and they don't wa nt us to sto p. We're going to try and repeat next year." It will be a tough task, says Vance, who added there are now eve n bigger goals to attain wit h the Harley program . "I think the goal now is to get more Harley-Davidso ns in the field, maybe have four or six bikes trying to qualify that are Harley-Davidson-sponsored bikes ," Vance said. "It's going to be a dogfight next year. T he Army [Suzuki] guys aren't slowing down, and the S&S guys aren 't going to be slowing down. It's going to be a big war next year. It isn't a question of w het her or not someone will go into the sixes [record sub-seve n second elapsed times] at the season opener at Gainesville; it's a question of how many willgo into the sixes. When you come out of the truck next year, you'd bet ter be ready." Scott Rousseau Wh ich r id er su r p rised you t he mo st with his performance o n the race track in 2004? A. Vale ntino Rossi winning nine MotoG P races and the title on a new bike . B. Ricky Carmichae l having ano ther 24 for 24 moto perfect mot ocross season after knee surgery. C. Mat Mladin winning an unprecedente d fifth AMASuperbike title. D. James "Bub ba" Stewa rt destroying the co mpet ition in I25cc supercross and mot ocross. E. Miguel Duhamel winning 12 races, four in Super bike and eight and the title in Formula Xtreme. F. Jeff Ward winning the AMA Supe rmoto Championship 14 years after his last 500cc motocross title. G. Chad Reed co mpletely dom inating the T HQ AMASupercross ser ies. Online poll results from last week With the Baja 1000 co ming up this weeke nd, do you believe the eve nt is as prestigious as it used to be? Yes 844 (31 .36%) No 1847 (68,64%) Total Replies : 2691 www.cyclenews.com CYCLE NEWS • DECEMBER 1,2004 101