Matt Smith Gets Second Indy Win
M
att Smith might just be the
most resourceful racer in
the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle
category, and he reached deep
into his bag of tricks to win his
second title at the NHRA U.S.
Nationals, the biggest and most
prestigious drag race in the
world.
NHRA rules allow for racers to
switch vehicles once per event,
and that suited Smith well as he
began the Indy event on his new
Suzuki and quickly switched
back to last season's champion-
ship-winning Denso Buell. That
switched proved to be key, as the
reigning NHRA champ delivered
a dominating performance during
eliminations to win his third race
of the season and the 35th of his
career.
Smith beat Big St. Charles/
Skillman Auto Suzuki's Karen
Stoffer in the final round, running
a 6.872 at 195.99 mph to seal
the victory. Stoffer chopped the
throttle early after her bike spun
the tire off the starting line.
"We started on the Suzuki
and our goal was to finish on a
Suzuki," Smith said "I have a new
motor for that bike so now I have
two and we made the first run on
Friday, and it just wasn't happy.
I had a bad 60-foot time, and I
just got frustrated and decided to
bring out the V-twin. On Saturday
morning we went to number one
until Angelle came around us,
but I set top speed at 201 mph
and had low E.T. of eliminations
and the last three qualifying runs.
I think I had the bike to beat.
Honestly, I didn't do my job on
the starting line; I couldn't get the
clutch out on time, but we found
a way to get it done.
"When it's on, I can run with
any Suzuki out there, but we're
still struggling a bit, so I'm going
IN
THE
WIND
P40
Matt Smith topped
the NHRA U.S.
Nationals at Indy.
PHOTO: MATT POLITO
