<img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/A_Hines.jpg" alt="A_Hines" align="left"borders="0"/><img src="http://www.nitromater.com/gallery/files/5/e_Krawiec_742529.jpg" alt="e_Krawiec_742529"align="left"borders="0"/>
COMMERCE, Ga. (April 29, 2007) – Eddie Krawiec has already learned how to beat the pressure of being in the hot seat. The newest member of the two-bike Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson V-Rod team has already seen the drastic roller coaster ride that is drag racing.
After all, he beat out all the competition to get the ride in the first place when the team was searching for a teammate for three-time NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Andrew Hines earlier this year. And while he had not previously qualified for an NHRA national event, he not only qualified in his first race with the Screamin' Eagle, but he made it all the way to the semifinals, too.
But now Krawiec can say he has seen the lows of the sport too. He failed to qualify for this weekend's event at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.
And still, he remains a positive force in the pits. Even the heat from the track and the DNQ can't bring the New Jersey native down.
"Besides not qualifying, I still think it was a successful weekend," Krawiec said. "We have not been in the situation of being on a really hot track with me on the bike yet like we were this weekend and it takes time to make all the correct adjustments. I think we really hit upon some great stuff for the fourth qualifying pass and we learned a lot from it.
"We just have to apply what we learned here and take it to St. Louis for next weekend's race. We can't let one bad day get us down and I think we're going to be in great shape for the next hot track we see."
Krawiec's best pass of the weekend was a 7.120-second run at 187.23 mph recorded during the second qualifying session. Still, it was only good enough for the No. 17 position – just outside the 16-bike field.
Hines was 25th after one day of qualifying before turning in 7.018 and 7.016 passes on Saturday, propelling Hines into the No. 5 position going into Sunday's eliminations.
Hines and the team took the improved data from qualifying and turned that into a first round win on Sunday. Hines beat Matt Guidera and the Rocklin Motorsports Buell team with a 7.082 run at 186.18 over Guidera's 7.152 at 183.59.
"That was great because it was my first round win of the season," Hines said. "Not only that, but it's the first time that I've won a round since Las Vegas (October 2006) so it was nice to get that monkey off my back. I kind of forgot what it felt like to see a win light in my lane."
Hines lost his second round matchup to Karen Stoffer and the Geico Suzuki team. Hines' bike suffered mechanical problems long before he reached the finish line.
"We really have to fix whatever has been going wrong this weekend," Hines said. "I think it's going to end up being a really small issue that has been plaguing us. The simplest of things can end up being the most complicated to fix because there are so many things that can go wrong with these high performance motorcycles.
"I don't think it was a very good weekend for me so it's nice that we can go back to the shop for a couple of days and be back on the track in a short amount of time. I can't wait to get another race under us."
Krawiec is positive that the team just needs to make a couple of adjustments before being back in the mix when it comes to competing for round and race victories.
"There are a lot of things we are still learning with me on the bike," Krawiec said. "This was just our third event together and we are still collecting data. We may be going through a few growing pains, but that won't last. This team has so much talent and experience, it won't take long to put it all together and create an even more competitive package."
Stoffer collected her second win of the year, beating Matt Smith and the Torco Race Fuels Buell in the event final.
The next NHRA POWERade event featuring the Pro Stock Motorcycle category is the O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill., on May 4-6.
ANDREW HINES' ATLANTA DRAGWAY RESULTS
Q1: 7.426 seconds at 144.13 mph
Q2: Broke
Q3: 7.018 at 191.73
Q4: 7.061 at 188.46
E1: 7.082 at 186.18 beat Guidera's 7.152 at 183.59
E2: 41.235 at 48.61 lost to Stoffer's 7.079 at 187.99
EDDIE KRAWIEC'S ATLANTA DRAGWAY RESULTS
Q1: 7.194 seconds at 187.65 mph
Q2: 7.120 at 187.23
Q3: 7.159 at 187.57
Q4: 7.121 at 186.02
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 Country Selector for more information.
The Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Pro Stock Motorcycle team is sponsored by Ford Truck, Dunlop, Matco Tools and S100.
SCREAMIN' EAGLE TEAM WILL TRY TO TAKE ATLANTA DATA AND TURN IT INTO A WIN AT NEXT HOT TRACK
Three Time Champ Gets Round Win Pressure Off His Back
COMMERCE, Ga. (April 29, 2007) – Eddie Krawiec has already learned how to beat the pressure of being in the hot seat. The newest member of the two-bike Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson V-Rod team has already seen the drastic roller coaster ride that is drag racing.
After all, he beat out all the competition to get the ride in the first place when the team was searching for a teammate for three-time NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Andrew Hines earlier this year. And while he had not previously qualified for an NHRA national event, he not only qualified in his first race with the Screamin' Eagle, but he made it all the way to the semifinals, too.
But now Krawiec can say he has seen the lows of the sport too. He failed to qualify for this weekend's event at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway.
And still, he remains a positive force in the pits. Even the heat from the track and the DNQ can't bring the New Jersey native down.
"Besides not qualifying, I still think it was a successful weekend," Krawiec said. "We have not been in the situation of being on a really hot track with me on the bike yet like we were this weekend and it takes time to make all the correct adjustments. I think we really hit upon some great stuff for the fourth qualifying pass and we learned a lot from it.
"We just have to apply what we learned here and take it to St. Louis for next weekend's race. We can't let one bad day get us down and I think we're going to be in great shape for the next hot track we see."
Krawiec's best pass of the weekend was a 7.120-second run at 187.23 mph recorded during the second qualifying session. Still, it was only good enough for the No. 17 position – just outside the 16-bike field.
Hines was 25th after one day of qualifying before turning in 7.018 and 7.016 passes on Saturday, propelling Hines into the No. 5 position going into Sunday's eliminations.
Hines and the team took the improved data from qualifying and turned that into a first round win on Sunday. Hines beat Matt Guidera and the Rocklin Motorsports Buell team with a 7.082 run at 186.18 over Guidera's 7.152 at 183.59.
"That was great because it was my first round win of the season," Hines said. "Not only that, but it's the first time that I've won a round since Las Vegas (October 2006) so it was nice to get that monkey off my back. I kind of forgot what it felt like to see a win light in my lane."
Hines lost his second round matchup to Karen Stoffer and the Geico Suzuki team. Hines' bike suffered mechanical problems long before he reached the finish line.
"We really have to fix whatever has been going wrong this weekend," Hines said. "I think it's going to end up being a really small issue that has been plaguing us. The simplest of things can end up being the most complicated to fix because there are so many things that can go wrong with these high performance motorcycles.
"I don't think it was a very good weekend for me so it's nice that we can go back to the shop for a couple of days and be back on the track in a short amount of time. I can't wait to get another race under us."
Krawiec is positive that the team just needs to make a couple of adjustments before being back in the mix when it comes to competing for round and race victories.
"There are a lot of things we are still learning with me on the bike," Krawiec said. "This was just our third event together and we are still collecting data. We may be going through a few growing pains, but that won't last. This team has so much talent and experience, it won't take long to put it all together and create an even more competitive package."
Stoffer collected her second win of the year, beating Matt Smith and the Torco Race Fuels Buell in the event final.
The next NHRA POWERade event featuring the Pro Stock Motorcycle category is the O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill., on May 4-6.
ANDREW HINES' ATLANTA DRAGWAY RESULTS
Q1: 7.426 seconds at 144.13 mph
Q2: Broke
Q3: 7.018 at 191.73
Q4: 7.061 at 188.46
E1: 7.082 at 186.18 beat Guidera's 7.152 at 183.59
E2: 41.235 at 48.61 lost to Stoffer's 7.079 at 187.99
EDDIE KRAWIEC'S ATLANTA DRAGWAY RESULTS
Q1: 7.194 seconds at 187.65 mph
Q2: 7.120 at 187.23
Q3: 7.159 at 187.57
Q4: 7.121 at 186.02
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 Country Selector for more information.
The Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Pro Stock Motorcycle team is sponsored by Ford Truck, Dunlop, Matco Tools and S100.
