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Cycle News 2025 Issue 25 June 24

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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Gaige Herrera Claims Third NHRA Win L osing one race is rare enough for RevZilla/Vance & Hines Suzuki's Gaige Herrera, so losing two in a row is almost unheard of, so no one should have been surprised when the reigning and two-time NHRA Pro Stock Motor - cycle World Champion rallied to win at Virginia Motorsports Park, June 20-22. Coming off a final-round loss to teammate Richard Gadson at the most recent NHRA round in Bristol, Tennessee, Herrera quickly bounced back to score a narrow victory against Denso Buell's Angie Smith in the Rich - mond final. Herrera success- fully defended his 2024 Virginia Motorsports Park win with a run of 6.826 at 198.79 mph in the final round. Smith won the race, but just barely, as Smith left the starting line first and came up just four-thousandths of a sec - ond short at the finish line with a 6.853 at 196.76. The win was Herrera's third of the season and 24th in his career, with all of those com- ing since he joined the Vance & Hines team at the start of the 2023 season. It may also have been one of his most challeng - ing races, as the temperature consistently hovered in the high 90s, presenting a challenge for both riders and crew chiefs. "I almost fumbled there in the final with my [reaction time]," Herrera said. "A 150-degree track temperature is just insane, but NHRA did a phenomenal job, and Andrew [Hines, crew chief] had my bike consistent all day. Angie had a fast bike, and I had a little doubt when I looked over before we got to 1000 feet and I saw her and thought, 'This is a little too close,' because the Buells always have the mph. So, when I looked over, I saw I was actually pulling away from her and that was a good feeling." WIND IN THE P48 Gaige Herrera got back to his winning ways in Virginia.

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