Motorcycle Drag Racing
Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley rider Eddie Krawiec set a new NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle elapsed-time record on the way to winning the final round of the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals at the Auto Club Raceway.
Lucas Oil Buell rider Hector Arana fouled at the start of the final NHRA round to give Krawiec an automatic win and his second victory of the season on his Harley-Davidson V-Rod. It was the final race of the 2010 NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship.
Earlier on Sunday, Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley rider Andrew Hines saw his chance to win a fourth NHRA world championship slip away when he fouled by 0.016 seconds at the start line in the first round of eliminations against Suzuki rider Steve Johnson.
Hines had a 36-point lead over Nitrofish Suzuki rider LE Tonglet at the beginning of the day, but the rookie rider scored wins in the first and second rounds to take the NHRA Full Throttle Countdown to the Championship by just four points over Hines.
Andrew Hines says: “We’ve been struggling with the clutch set-up on my bike since Las Vegas, and went to the same setting we are using on Eddie’s bike for Sunday. This was the first run at speed with that clutch, and it hit too hard and lifted the front wheel and that caused us to go red.”
Hines was the number-one seed for the Countdown, and battled Tonglet through the entire six-race NHRA playoff, holding the lead until Sunday’s finals.
Andrew Hines says: “I think this was probably the best season of my career. I had a string of seven-straight final rounds, a new national record, and five wins. I’ve got nothing to hang my head about.”
For Krawiec, the NHRA win at Pomona on the Harley is a bookend to a season that also saw the 2008 World Champion win the opening event of the series at Gainesville, Fla., in March. Riding a special military-themed Harley-Davidson V-Rod (which was voted NHRA’s Best Appearing Vehicle at Pomona) as part of Harley-Davidson Military Appreciation Month, Krawiec was the top qualifier at Pomona with a 6.847-second run on Saturday, and got wins over Dirty Banana Mix/LAT Suzuki rider Freddie Camarena in the first round, and Racer’s Edge Suzuki rider Michael Phillips in round two.
In semi-finals, Krawiec faced off against Tonglet, but got the automatic win when the new champion went red at the start line. That put Krawiec in the finals for the first time this season since Gainesville. Arana went red, but Krawiec poured on the power and ended the season in style, riding the Screamin’ Eagle Harley V-Rod to a 6.811-second ET that broke the 6.815 class record set by Hines on Sept. 4 at Indianapolis.
Ed Krawiec says: “I had a really awesome bike all weekend, and we didn’t make a tuning change to it until before the final round. I saw Hector go red and just made my run, and the V-Rod flew fast and straight into the record books.”
“It’s really cool to get a win and the record with the military paint on this bike right after Veteran’s Day, and it’s a great way to end a season that was a real struggle for me at times.”
During the 17-race 2010 NHRA Full Throttle drag racing season, Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley riders Hines and Krawiec combined for seven event wins, 11 final-round appearances, and two national ET records. Hines appeared in the finals nine times and scored wins at Houston, Atlanta, Denver, Brainerd, and Reading. Krawiec had wins at Gainesville and Pomona.
In the final Pro Stock Motorcycle point standings for NHRA Full Throttle Countdown, Tonglet finished first with 2,681 points. Hines is second with 2,677. Krawiec finished third with 2,599 points.
Screamin’ Eagle Performance Parts are inspired by and built in the spirit of the raw adrenaline and power of motorcycle racing. Screamin’ Eagle Pro parts are specifically designed for race-use applications, while Screamin’ Eagle parts offer street-use performance options for the Harley-Davidson motorcycle owner. Visit harley-davidson.com for more information.
The Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines Pro Stock Harley Motorcycle team is sponsored by Matco Tools, Dunlop and S100.
