DRAG RACING
NHRA PREVIEW
PREVIEW
P82
heading to Gainesville.
"We tested with the new en-
gine and it didn't really show
much improvement but it's pos-
sible we just missed the tuning
window," said Savoie. "We know
it's better on the dyno and I'm
optimistic that it will be better on
the track. We're actually working
on a lot of things. Tim [Kulung-
ian, crew chief] has a lot of ideas
on stuff we've wanted to try for
years. And we've got some bud-
get to work with so we'll see what
happens."
The rest of the Suzuki field also
figures to include Jim Underdahl,
who will be looking to make the
top ten on his Bad Boy Buggies
entry after a sub-par 2013. Un-
derdahl and his father, Greg, plan
to race as part of a two-bike team
along with Katie Sullivan, who is
attempting to race a full season
for the first time in her career.
Last year, with veteran tuner Gary
Stoffer as her crew chief, Sullivan
made the best run of her career,
a 6.87 and reached a pair of
semifinals.
"We're going to try to make
all the races," said Sullivan. "It's
something that I've wanted to do
ever since I started racing. Last
year, I think we turned the corner.
Thanks to Gary, I made some of
my best runs and I gained a lot
of confidence. I think we can fin-
ish in the top ten and if that hap-
pened, I'd be the happiest girl in
the world."
The Gainesville season-opener
will also mark the NHRA debut of
European sensation Elvira Karls-
son. The 18-year old Swede is
the first and only European rider
to run in the six-second zone with
a 6.99-second run at last year's
race in Santa Pod, England.
Karlsson will also have the luxury
of removing more than 20-pounds
of ballast from her Suzuki, which
should allow her to be competitive
from the start. Karlsson won't be
the only European in Gainesville.
She'll be accompanied by Fin-
land's Fredrik Fredlund, whose
Suzuki will be powered by a
Vance & Hines engine and tuned
by Gary Stoffer. CN
John Hall will
again ride for
Matt Smith's
team.
