Screamin’ Eagle®/Vance & Hines rider Eddie Krawiec added to his points lead in the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle division by racing a Harley-Davidson V-Rod(R) to the final round of eliminations at the United Association Route 66 NHRA Nationals in Joliet, Ill. Krawiec, the defending Pro Stock Motorcycle champion, lost to Rocklin Motorsports Buell rider Matt Guidera in the final round.
Screamin’ Eagle/Vance and Hines rider Andrew Hines, who lost to Krawiec in the semi-final round, moved into second place in the points standings. The Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines team was making its first race appearance since the NHRA rules added 20 pounds to the team’s Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod motorcycles, boosting minimum weight to 640 pounds, compared to 620 pounds for Buell and 595 for Suzuki motorcycles.
Eddie Krawiec Speaks…
"We did not test at the new weight before this weekend, so our first goal was just to qualify," said Krawiec. "Our 60-foot times were actually pretty good, but after that you can feel the weight. I think with the extra 20 pounds added, these are mid-pack motorcycles right now. But we were consistent and caught a few breaks today and made the best of the situation."
Hines qualified fifth for the event with a run of 6.989 seconds. Krawiec qualified ninth at 7.011. Horne Racing Buell rider Doug Horne was the quickest qualifier with a 6.936 pass.
Krawiec defeated Vroom Racing Buell rider David Hope in the first round, and beat Horne’s 7.168-second run with a 7.094 pass in round two. Hines beat Suzuki rider Joe DeSantis in round one, and got a win in round two when NitroFish Suzuki rider Matt Smith left the line early. Krawiec and Hines faced off in the semi-final round, with Krawiec pulling away for the win with a 7.143 pass to 7.193 for Hines. Guidera defeated Krawiec, 7.096 to 7.189, in the final round. It was Krawiec’s third consecutive visit to the final round. He was this winner at the past two events.
Hines felt the team worked hard to tally the points it did in Chicago.
Andrew Hines Speaks…
"We tried a lot of different things today," said Hines. "I was really happy with a 7.08 in the first round, and then Matt Smith handed me a break in round two. But we are going to have to find some more power to overcome the added weight, and then work on the transmission to handle it. Together we made 15 runs this weekend, and that gives us some good data to use in working on a set-up for the next race."
After five events on the 17-race 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Pro Stock Motorcycle schedule, Krawiec leads the series with 433 points. Hines moves into second place with 382 points, dropping Smith to third with 380 points. Horne is fourth with 349 points.
The next event on the 2009 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle schedule is the United Association NHRA SuperNationals, June 11-14, at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J.
