WIND
IN THE
P60
Van Sant's final against Her-
rera was a rematch of the final
round in Chicago earlier this
year, with a different outcome.
Van Sant also moved to fourth in
points with the win.
"Gaige and I have known each
other for a while, and every time
we raced, it's been a lot of fun,
and I've enjoyed it," Van Sant
said. "I was super happy for him
breaking all those records, but I
told him, 'If I can end your streak,
I will be the happiest person in
the world.' "
Matt Smith figured to have the
best chance to beat Herrera, but
in the semi-final round, Smith's
Denso Buell wouldn't start, giv
-
ing Herrera a free ride into the
final.
Although he lost in the final,
Herrera remains the runaway
championship leader in the Pro
Stock Motorcycle class. The
RevZilla/Vance & Hines Suzuki
rider advanced to his seventh
final this season and 19th in his
career with wins against Ja
-
pan's Eiji Kawakami and Jianna
Evaristo.
Surprisingly, it wasn't Herrera
who had the quickest bike in
Seattle. In qualifying, Herrera led
the way with a 6.734 elapsed
time, but Van Sant was close
behind with a 6.742, while Matt
Smith was third with a 6.755.
During eliminations, Evaristo
made news with a stunning
6.704 run at 203.95 mph on her
Scrappers Buell to set both ends
of the Pacific Raceways track
record and a personal best.
It will be a short turnaround
for the Pro Stock Motorcycle di
-
vision as they will head south to
Sonoma Raceway in California
wine country for next weekend's
Sonoma Nationals. The event
will also feature the Pep Boys
Pro Stock Motorcycle Allstar
Callout, a special high-dollar
event featuring the top eight rid
-
ers in the class.
Kevin McKenna
PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE FINAL
1. Chase Van Sant (Suz)
2. Gaige Herrera (Suz)
Herrera's 12-race win streak finally
came to an end in Seattle.
Van Sant celebrates the big win.
