WIND
IN THE
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us. This is just the beginning. It's
all the haters that make us push
that much harder, and we're out
there to prove them all wrong."
Herrera was the top qualifier
in Charlotte with a 6.67 best,
but his advantage was slim as
Denso Buell's Matt Smith was
close behind at 6.68 following a
recent NHRA.
With his advantage over the
rest of the field greatly reduced,
Herrera simply relied on quick
reaction times and consistent
runs to get the job done. In the
first heat, Herrea stopped Chase
Van Sant, Steve Johnson, and
Hector Arana Sr.
Herrera went to the final after
winning his second head against
John Hall, Angie Smith, and
Chase Van Sant. In both races,
he had the quickest bike in the
field.
Hall was credited with a
runner-up finish in his second
event following a return to Matt
Smith's MSR team. The past U.S.
Nationals winner made some of
the quickest runs of his career
during the event, including a
6.72 in qualifying.
On race day, Hall defeated An
-
gie Smith, Marc Ingwersen, and
Chris Bostick in round one and
then finished second to Herrera
in the semi-finals to earn a spot
in the final quad.
With his seventh straight win,
Herrera is also within striking
distance of the record of eight
wins set by late Hall of Famer
Dave Schultz during the 1993
season. The sense of history
isn't lost on Herrera, who will
have a chance to tie the record
at the next Pro Stock Motorcycle
event at Route 66 Raceway near
Chicago next month.
"It's hard to put into words
what that means," Herrera said.
"I grew up watching Dave, and
to have my name anywhere near
his would be amazing. There's
still a lot of work to be done, but
I like where we're at right now."
Kevin McKenna
FINAL
1. Gaige Herrera (Suz)
2. John Hall (Bue)
VOLUME ISSUE APRIL , P38
Roberts' Run
J
oe Roberts is rightly drawing
attention for his current feats
in Moto2. The Californian be-
came the first American to lead
a Grand Prix World Champion-
ship since Nicky Hayden in 2006
thanks to a stirring second place
on Sunday.
His run of form couldn't be
better timed. With American
company Liberty Media set to
acquire MotoGP, series orga
-
nizer Dorna is desperate to grow
the sport in the States. Having
a home rider compete for the
American Trackhouse Aprilia
team would do just that.
"The possibility could be there
if the results are," Roberts told
Cycle News. "The one thing that
stays true is what you do on the
track. I do think it's a very excit
-
ing time for America. I'm excited
to see where this all goes, and if
I could fit in somewhere, that'd
be pretty sweet."
CN
With American company Liberty
Media set to acquire MotoGP, series
organizer Dorna is desperate to
grow the sport in the States and Joe
Roberts is already helping do that.
PHOTO: GOLD & GOOSE
