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Andrew Hines was No. 8 after qualifying wrapped up after recording a 6.955 at 192.17 on Saturday but he lost in the first round on Sunday. The Screamin' Eagle V-Rod got off the line well before suffering problems at mid-track for a 10.682 pass at 75.02 in a losing effort against Shawn Gann's 7.009 at 189.28 on his Race Girl Suzuki.
"I had one of the best 60-foot times in my career before the run went badly," Hines said. "But I think we figured out which direction we need to go in. We've struggled with our launches in the past but now that the bikes are more consistent, we can learn how to tune from them and continue to make improvements."
Hines has eight career wins including a 2004 victory at Gainesville Raceway. He's still glad the weekend is over and the team can focus on the next event.
"I'm happy we have the first one out of the way," Hines said. "The first one always seems to be the toughest. I can't wait to roll into Houston and start all over again.
"We're going back to the shop and rebuild the engines and make some spare parts. We have our work cut out for us, but we're fortunate to be able to make it all in our shop. Our machinists will be hard at work to make sure we're ready."
Hines takes loss in stride knowing there is room to improve
Andrew Hines was No. 8 after qualifying wrapped up after recording a 6.955 at 192.17 on Saturday but he lost in the first round on Sunday. The Screamin' Eagle V-Rod got off the line well before suffering problems at mid-track for a 10.682 pass at 75.02 in a losing effort against Shawn Gann's 7.009 at 189.28 on his Race Girl Suzuki.
"I had one of the best 60-foot times in my career before the run went badly," Hines said. "But I think we figured out which direction we need to go in. We've struggled with our launches in the past but now that the bikes are more consistent, we can learn how to tune from them and continue to make improvements."
Hines has eight career wins including a 2004 victory at Gainesville Raceway. He's still glad the weekend is over and the team can focus on the next event.
"I'm happy we have the first one out of the way," Hines said. "The first one always seems to be the toughest. I can't wait to roll into Houston and start all over again.
"We're going back to the shop and rebuild the engines and make some spare parts. We have our work cut out for us, but we're fortunate to be able to make it all in our shop. Our machinists will be hard at work to make sure we're ready."
