August 27, 2004
Memphis, TN - The Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines drag racing team increased its points lead in the Pro Stock Bike season championship at the 17th Annual O'Reilly Mid-South NHRA Nationals where riders Andrew Hines and GT Tonglet each advanced in elimination rounds. Hines rode his Screamin� Eagle V-Rod to the top qualifying spot for the seventh time this season and advanced to the semi-final elimination round for the fourth consecutive NHRA event.
Hines was quick from the start at Memphis, posting a run of 7.132 seconds at 188.17 mph in his first qualifying run on Friday, an ET and top speed that were not topped throughout the weekend. Tonglet qualified eighth with a pass at 7.226/184.09.
�That 7.13 was the best pass we've made since the 40 pounds was added to our V-Rods,� said Hines. �It's a totally different bike than before, but we're figuring it out.�
Both riders advanced easily through the first elimination round on Sunday. Tonglet (7.249/182.85) beat Chip Hunter (7.373/182.85), while Hines (7.213/184.55) dispatched Lloyd Straus (7.335/183.16).
The two Screamin� Eagle riders faced each other in round two. It was the third time Hines and Tonglet have raced head to head in eliminations, with each scoring a prior win. Tonglet (7.465/160.44) got a better start, but Hines (7.319/183.07) passed him at the 60-foot mark to take the win and advance to the semi-final.
In the semi-final round, Hines faced Matt Smith. Both riders played the late staging game, but Hines ended up with a very late start, posting a 0.238-second reaction time versus 0.028 for Smith. Hines then shut down his Screamin� Eagle V-Rod mid-run, for a 10.052/85.36 time to 7.290/179.92 for Smith.In the final round, Smith jumped the start by 0.010-second to hand the event win to Antron Brown.
The win moved Brown into second place in the Pro Stock Bike points race, but Hines actually gained ground on his rivals at Memphis. After 11 of 15 rounds, Hines leads with 964 points�196 points ahead of Brown who�s in second place with 768 points. Angelle Savoie drops back to third place with 765 points; Shawn Gann is fourth with 746 points; Craig Treble is fifth with 736 points; and Tonglet is sixth with 640 points.
�We have a championship to win and it's all about going rounds at this point,� said Hines. �We know what we need to do, I feel confident in my riding, and the Screamin� Eagle/Vance & Hines team is working really hard.�
�The Screamin� Eagle team is getting back in its groove, having adjusted to the mid-season rules change,� said Harley-Davidson Racing Manager Anne Paluso. �We have both riders in the top-ten in points and the team is racing with a lot of confidence right now as we roll into the Indy Nationals.�
The next Pro Stock Bike event on the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series is the 50th Annual Matco Tools NHRA U.S.Nationals, Sept. 1-6, at Indianapolis Raceway Park in Indianapolis, Ind.
