Cycle News

Cycle News 2013 Issue 37 September 17

Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles

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VOL. 50 ISSUE 37 SEPTEMBER 17, 2013 P85 Briefly... As if the thrill of winning wasn't enough, Charlotte victor Andrew Hines also earned a measure of satisfaction by silencing many of the critics who didn't believe the Vance & Hines V-Rods would be competitive using the new NHRA mandated two-valve engine combination. Hines was particularly incensed by one rival team owner who publicly stated that he'd be the first one to come over and shake his hand if he was able to win a race. "There are a few [naysayers] and I hope they're all lined up at our trailer when we get back tonight," Hines said. "I don't expect them to be, though. If you have a keyboard, you can do wonderful things." Andrew Hines won his first NHRA Pro Stock final since the Pomona round last November when he beat Hector Arana in the final in Charlotte. Smith. Hines got off the starting line first, and then held on for a 6.936 to 6.934-second holeshot victory. Hines noted that the win over Smith came as a result of a much more aggressive riding style. "I said I was going to be a thorn in people's sides during the Countdown and I meant it," Hines said. "That means learning to play games on the starting line. Everyone knows that Matt [Smith] likes to stage last and I wasn't going to let him do it. I'm usually the first guy to be cour- For much of this season, LE Tonglet has been the class of the Suzuki field with his Nitro Fish entry and he was again in Charlotte with a strong finalfour finish. Tonglet, the 2010 NHRA World Champion, barely made his way into the Countdown field at the most recent round in Indianapolis and kept his championship hopes alive by beating Adam Arana and Sovereign/ Star Buell's Scotty Pollacheck in Charlotte. Although he is seventh in the standings, he is just 101 points out of the lead with five events remaining. "This is starting to feel just like 2010 when we came on strong at the end of the year and found a way to get it done," Tonglet said. "We still have a lot of work to do, but we have a strong bike. We just need to keep doing what we've been doing." Favorable weather conditions helped to produce a quick field in Charlotte as all 16 riders qualified in the sixsecond zone. The field stretched from Matt Smith's 6.854 to a 6.984 by Bad Boy Buggy Suzuki's Jimmy Underdahl. It took a 6.89 just to make the top half of the field. Before his loss in round two, Viper Motorcycle Co. Buell's Matt Smith had the bike to beat in Charlotte. The former champ ran the table in qualifying with the quickest run in all four sessions. That feat allowed him to earn 12 qualifying bonus points, the maximum number available. "This bike is a bad hot rod right now," Smith said. "I came here with a new motor that I thought was going to be really good and it was. "We've been building up to this all season. At every race we've gotten a little bit better. Now, I think we've got the best bike in the class and that puts us in a good spot for the championship." For the first time this season, Lucas Oil Buell's Hector Arana Jr. was in danger of losing his points lead, but he rallied to beat Steve Johnson and Michael Ray and reach the semi-final round where he lost to his father, Hector Sr. on a red-light start. The former rookie of the year remains the points leader by 33 points over Matt Smith. "This was all about going rounds," Arana Jr. said. "The most important thing [for the championship] was winning the first and second round because you can't always win every final. I gave it all we had facing my dad. He was just a little too much. I knew he was going to go for the tree. I went for it and was a little early." One of the popular rumors making its way through NHRA circles has a very well-known former Supercross star making a transition to drag racing. The multi-time champion is reportedly in the running for a ride in one continued on next page

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