Herrera Completes The Sweep
F
or Vance & Hines Suzuki's
Gaige Herrera, the last three
weeks on the NHRA Pro Stock
Motorcycle tour have been a blur,
but one thing that has been a
constant is winning.
Herrera, in his second season
in the Camping World NHRA
Series, completed one of the
rarest feats in drag racing when
he swept all three races of
the Western Swing, a grueling
three-week tour through Denver,
Seattle and Sonoma, California.
Herrera finished off the ex
-
tremely rare hat trick on a solo
run, making a single in the final
of the Denso Sonoma Nationals
after Matt Smith's Denso Suzuki
would not start in the final.
It may not have mattered as
Herrera rode to a 6.775 elapsed
time, maintaining a pace that
almost none of his competitors
have been able to match.
"I can't put into words what
the last three weeks have been
like," Herrera said. "When we got
to Denver three weeks ago, I did
not think this [sweep] was pos
-
sible but our team had the mo-
mentum and drive to get it done.
I was probably more worried
today than I've been all season.
I had a weird feeling in my gut,
especially in the semi's when I
had to race Karen [Stoffer]. Her
and [husband] Gary are the ones
who gave me a chance to come
out here. They taught me a lot,
but you never teach someone all
your tricks so I was a bit nervous,
but it all paid off."
Herrera is happy to take a
win any way he can get it, but
the reality is that he didn't want
to make a single run. He would
much preferred to have a side-
by-side race against Smith, who
was plagued by an ignition prob
-
lem as he tried to fire his bike for
the final.
"I hate that we got it that way,"
Herrera said. "I waited as long as
WIND
IN THE
P30
Gaige Herrera completed
the rare Western sweep
when he won the Sonoma
round of the NHRA Pro
Stock Motorcycle final.
PHOTOS: MATT POLITO
