DRAG RACE
NHRA PRO STOCK MOTORCYCLE CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUND 9 / AUGUST 19-20, 2017
BRAINERD INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY / BRAINERD, MN
P86
a correction after his Nitro Fish
Suzuki began to drift towards
the guard wall, and that likely
cost him the race.
"I felt like we had a great
chance to beat Jerry in the
final but I made a really bad
run," Tonglet said. "The bike
didn't go straight and I was
hanging off the side trying to
get in back in the middle of
the track. When you have your
head and your your elbow and
your knee hanging out there
in the wind it just kills the run.
That's why we only ran 6.91.
We did what we wanted to do
which was to have both of our
bikes in the final so I'm not too
us if we were happy. I said yes, and
he said, 'Well, I'm not.' With Tim, it's
never enough he always wants to
run quicker."
Tonglet entered the Brainerd
event as the runaway points leader
after winning five of the first eight
races of the season. He helped
pad his points lead thanks to wins
over Steve Johnson, Liberty Racing
Victory's Cory Reed and Screamin'
Eagle Harley-Davidson's Andrew
Hines. In that race, Tonglet rode to a
6.896 to easily cover Hines' 6.952,
even though Hines was more than
five-hundredths quicker off the start-
ing line.
Tonglet doesn't lose many final
rounds, and his record of 17-4 is
among the best for any racer in
NHRA competition. In the final,
Tonglet was able to match Savoie off
the starting line, but he had to make
(Above) Angie
Smith hopes
to hang on to
the 10th place
spot to make
it into the
Countdown to
the Champion-
ship. (Right)
Defending
champion
Jerry Savoie
sits third in the
championship,
despite having
missed a
round of the
series.