VOL. 51 ISSUE 50 DECEMBER 16, 2014 P167
win two races that season, he did not make the
Countdown to the Championship, NHRA's six-race
playoff to determine the champion.
"Before the 2013 season we basically had to
re-build our whole engine program," Hines said. "I
hated having a three-digit number on my bike [after
missing the top ten in 2013] but it brought back
the fire from my rookie season. Now, I know how
much I appreciate having the number one on my
bike. Before last year, I'd never finished lower than
fourth in the points, but this [championship] makes
up for that one bad year."
One could not have blamed Hines if he took the
rule change personally since he's not just a hired
rider. He also works at the team's headquarters,
helping to design, build, and assemble engines
and bikes. Following their struggles in 2013, the
team went to work and continued to refine their
two-valve engines. As a result, Hines and team-
mate Krawiec were far more competitive in 2014.
When they arrived in Gainesville in mid-March for
the traditional Pro Stock Motorcycle season open-
er, there was a renewed sense of optimism and
their results improved dramatically
Hines and the
Screamin' Eagle
Harley-Davidson
team rebounded
in a big way after
a tough 2013
season.
