Herrera Wins Again
T
here are a lot of new things
on the NHRA Drag Racing
landscape in 2024, but the Pro
Stock Motorcycle winner isn't
one of them. For the 12th time in
his young career, RevZilla/Vance
& Hines Suzuki's Gaige Herrera
emerged as the champion dur
-
ing the season-opening Amalie
Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals
in Gainesville, Florida, March
8-10.
In his debut with the Vance
& Hines team last year, Herrera
won 11 of 15 events and easily
captured the season title. Appar
-
ently, little has changed this time
around, as his win in Gainesville
was the result of another domi-
nant performance.
Herrera qualified number one
in the tough 16-bike field with a
6.746 elapsed time and then ran
the table during Sunday's final
eliminations with a string of near
record-setting performances
including a 6.636 in the final
round to stop Denso Buell's Matt
Smith, who trailed with a 6.748.
Both riders were well over 200
mph at the finish line.
"Today was good and we ran
really well," Herrera said. "The
weather was close to Dallas [last
season], where I set the national
record. Everyone picked up in
the class, and we expected to do
so as well. Overall, I had a very
consistent motorcycle.
"We actually hurt the motor
in the semifinals, so we had
to swap motors for the finals.
Overall, I had a very consistent,
smooth motorcycle all day. As
long as I didn't miss a beat, the
bike didn't miss a beat. Even
though I didn't do any testing
during the off-season, it felt like
I didn't even have an off-season,
and I'm glad to come home with
a win."
The cool weather that de
-
scended on Gainesville early
Sunday allowed all of the Pro
WIND
IN THE
P40
Gaige Herrera and the Vance & Hines Suzuki Team celebrate winning the opening round of the
NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship race in Gainesville.
PHOTOS: MATT POLITO
