<img src="http://gallery.nitromater.com/files/6/5/a_hines.jpg" alt="a_hines" align="right"borders="0"/>
MILWAUKEE (Sept. 6, 2006) – The crewmembers of the Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines V-Rod team love nothing better than to be surrounded by trees. When the team gets lost in the lush hills of eastern Pennsylvania, they just smile. Being surrounded by trees means there is great potential in the air.
The air, actually, is what brings the smiles and dreamy thoughts of record-breaking passes on the Screamin' Eagle V-Rods.
"I really like the area," rider Andrew Hines said. "I love driving up to the track and seeing all those trees. At first glance you see the trees and you know you can go fast. Lots of trees equals lots of oxygen and that feeds these V-Rods. The conditions there have the potential to carry you to great times and speeds and that makes this race so exciting."
Hines – the two-time defending NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle champion – was the No. 1 qualifier at Maple Grove Raceway in 2005 and advanced to the semifinal round. This time, he's aiming higher.
Hines, teammate GT Tonglet and the rest of the NHRA series will be in Mohnton, Penn., Sept. 14-17 for the 22nd annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.
"I haven't won there yet but it's one of the places you want to win badly because it has been a place that has showcased great performances in the past and the fans there are crazy for motorcycle racing," Hines said. "People love the Harley-Davidson V-Rods there, more than most places. We always have a ton of fans at every race track, but nothing compares to the fans in Reading. We have a lot of Harley-Davidson dealers and rider who come out to the track who want to hang out and have a great time cheering on the V-Rods. It's a great event."
Tonglet lost to his teammate in the second round in 2005. This year he's looking forward to being back among the trees. Tonglet said Reading is the perfect event to follow the exhausting U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
"We couldn't ask for a better race to follow Indy because it will help you regardless of how you did at the U.S. Nationals," Tonglet said. "If you didn't have a great outing in Indy, you can come to Reading, knowing the conditions are going to give you a lift in your attitude. The conditions are made for the bikes and you have a little more confidence coming here. But if you did really well in Indy, this race can just add to your momentum. It's one of the races that every motorcycle racer looks for on the schedule,"
Team owner Byron Hines said Maple Grove Raceway suits the more experienced riders in the field.
"Reading is nice because it has the potential to go fast and we go to that track thinking about performance numbers," Hines said. "But the track can be tricky. It gets really bumpy at the end and that's always in your head as a rider. You want to produce the quick numbers, but you also have to navigate the bumps. It's a lot to think about in a few seconds."
With Hines in the points lead (following 11 NHRA events), he must not only think about how to navigate the track, but also how to navigate the competition going into the last few events of the championship season.
"We need momentum going into the final two events of the season," the points leader said. "We struggled with the last two races last year but we had the points cushion to fall back on. This season the points are a lot closer and the title likely won't be clinched until the last couple of rounds at the season finale. We need to have a great event in Reading and then move on to the last two events still in contention for a championship."
2006 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle point standings following 12 of 15 events
(Victories in parenthesis)
1. Andrew Hines, Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson V-Rod
(2) 907
2. Antron Brown, Suzuki (2) 899
3. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki (3) 809
4. Chip Ellis, Buell (2) 794
5. Matt Smith, Buell (2) 697
6. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki 637
7. Ryan Schnitz, Buell (1) 600
8. Tom Bradford, Buell 568
9. Matt Guidera, Buell 525
10. Geno Scali, Suzuki 488
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 www.harley-davidson.com for more information.
The Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Pro Stock Motorcycle team is sponsored by Ford Truck, Dunlop, Matco Tools and S100.
SCREAMIN' EAGLE V-ROD NHRA DRAG RACING TEAM LOVES TO BE SURROUNDED BY THE TREES OF PENNSYLVANIA
Maple Grove Raceway Always Has Potential for High-Powered Performance
MILWAUKEE (Sept. 6, 2006) – The crewmembers of the Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines V-Rod team love nothing better than to be surrounded by trees. When the team gets lost in the lush hills of eastern Pennsylvania, they just smile. Being surrounded by trees means there is great potential in the air.
The air, actually, is what brings the smiles and dreamy thoughts of record-breaking passes on the Screamin' Eagle V-Rods.
"I really like the area," rider Andrew Hines said. "I love driving up to the track and seeing all those trees. At first glance you see the trees and you know you can go fast. Lots of trees equals lots of oxygen and that feeds these V-Rods. The conditions there have the potential to carry you to great times and speeds and that makes this race so exciting."
Hines – the two-time defending NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Motorcycle champion – was the No. 1 qualifier at Maple Grove Raceway in 2005 and advanced to the semifinal round. This time, he's aiming higher.
Hines, teammate GT Tonglet and the rest of the NHRA series will be in Mohnton, Penn., Sept. 14-17 for the 22nd annual Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway.
"I haven't won there yet but it's one of the places you want to win badly because it has been a place that has showcased great performances in the past and the fans there are crazy for motorcycle racing," Hines said. "People love the Harley-Davidson V-Rods there, more than most places. We always have a ton of fans at every race track, but nothing compares to the fans in Reading. We have a lot of Harley-Davidson dealers and rider who come out to the track who want to hang out and have a great time cheering on the V-Rods. It's a great event."
Tonglet lost to his teammate in the second round in 2005. This year he's looking forward to being back among the trees. Tonglet said Reading is the perfect event to follow the exhausting U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.
"We couldn't ask for a better race to follow Indy because it will help you regardless of how you did at the U.S. Nationals," Tonglet said. "If you didn't have a great outing in Indy, you can come to Reading, knowing the conditions are going to give you a lift in your attitude. The conditions are made for the bikes and you have a little more confidence coming here. But if you did really well in Indy, this race can just add to your momentum. It's one of the races that every motorcycle racer looks for on the schedule,"
Team owner Byron Hines said Maple Grove Raceway suits the more experienced riders in the field.
"Reading is nice because it has the potential to go fast and we go to that track thinking about performance numbers," Hines said. "But the track can be tricky. It gets really bumpy at the end and that's always in your head as a rider. You want to produce the quick numbers, but you also have to navigate the bumps. It's a lot to think about in a few seconds."
With Hines in the points lead (following 11 NHRA events), he must not only think about how to navigate the track, but also how to navigate the competition going into the last few events of the championship season.
"We need momentum going into the final two events of the season," the points leader said. "We struggled with the last two races last year but we had the points cushion to fall back on. This season the points are a lot closer and the title likely won't be clinched until the last couple of rounds at the season finale. We need to have a great event in Reading and then move on to the last two events still in contention for a championship."
2006 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle point standings following 12 of 15 events
(Victories in parenthesis)
1. Andrew Hines, Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson V-Rod
(2) 907
2. Antron Brown, Suzuki (2) 899
3. Angelle Sampey, Suzuki (3) 809
4. Chip Ellis, Buell (2) 794
5. Matt Smith, Buell (2) 697
6. Karen Stoffer, Suzuki 637
7. Ryan Schnitz, Buell (1) 600
8. Tom Bradford, Buell 568
9. Matt Guidera, Buell 525
10. Geno Scali, Suzuki 488
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 www.harley-davidson.com for more information.
The Screamin' Eagle/Vance & Hines Pro Stock Motorcycle team is sponsored by Ford Truck, Dunlop, Matco Tools and S100.
