Gaige Herrera piloted his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki Gen 3 Hayabusa to his second consecutive NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world championship during the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at the Pomona Dragstrip in Pomona, CA, on Sunday.
Herrera qualified third with a 6.765-second/201.22 mph pass in a truncated qualifying format that was reduced to two sessions on Saturday after rain showers forced the cancelation of Friday’s sessions. Herrera’s 123-point pre-race lead over Matt Smith, the only other competitor in championship contention, was reduced to 119 points after qualifying bonus points were factored in, leaving him one point shy of clinching the championship. With a maximum of 120 points available in the elimination rounds, Herrera entered race day needing only a win in the first round to clinch the championship.
With an emphatic 6.779-second/200.00 mph victory over Clayton Howey (7.014 seconds/184.04 mph) in round one, Herrera earned the 2024 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world championship and become a two-time champion in only his second full season in the class.
In round two, Herrera defeated Chase Van Sant (6.815 seconds/197.77 mph) with a 6.779-second/200.08 mph run. Herrera picked up his 100th career round win by defeating Angie Smith (6.762 seconds/201.31 mph) on a holeshot in the semi-finals, running 6.765 seconds at 199.86 mph to advance to his 12th final round of the season and 24th of his career.
Herrera left the starting line first in his final round matchup against Matt Smith (6.705 seconds/202.12 mph), but his 6.722-second/201.91 mph run wasn’t quick enough to overcome the championship runner-up. Herrera ended his championship season with 10 wins in 12 final-round appearances and a remarkable 50-5 round-win record.
Herrera’s second championship capped a record-setting season in which he also broke long-standing NHRA records for most consecutive race wins (11, spanning the 2023 and 2024 seasons) and most consecutive elimination round wins (46) and became the fastest racer to win 20 national events, accomplishing the feat in only his 34th start.
“Going into that first round was the most nervous I’ve been and felt like the most pressure I’ve had on my shoulders in these last two seasons. It felt like it was do or die. I was so excited when I saw the green start light because I was worried about going red and throwing it away,” Herrera said. “It feels awesome to win this championship. Winning it last year felt surreal. To win it back-to-back proves to myself that last year wasn’t a fluke. It’s hard to explain, but I’m feeling relief and excitement and some disbelief in how much has been accomplished so quickly in my career. It’s amazing.”
“My motto is, if you’re not having fun, it’s not worth doing. Racing with Richard and all the guys on our Vance & Hines team this season has been fun, and I think that’s a big part of why I’ve been able to do so well,” Herrera said. “I’m already excited about next year. We’ll see what happens with the rules going into next season, but my goal is to try to rinse and repeat and go for a third one.”
In round one, Gadson defeated Ryan Oehler (foul) with a 6.839-second/198.26 mph run. Gadson posted a 6.873-second/197.02 mph run in a second-round loss to Steve Johnson (6.831 seconds/195.11 mph), ending his rookie season with three runner-up finishes and third place in the overall championship standings.
In round one, Gadson defeated Ryan Oehler (foul) with a 6.839-second/198.26 mph run. Gadson posted a 6.873-second/197.02 mph run in a second-round loss to Steve Johnson (6.831 seconds/195.11 mph), ending his rookie season with three runner-up finishes and third place in the overall championship standings.
“The 22 light I cut today in the second round should be able to win a lot of rounds, but I just wasn’t able to pin the tail on the donkey,” Gadson said. “I got off to a slow start at the beginning of the season and didn’t really hit my stride until the U.S. Nationals in Indy, which put us in a good spot for the Countdown to the Championship. We started off hot in the countdown but started to struggle more towards the end. But that’s racing. I want to win, and I feel like I’m capable of doing it. That’s what I’m here to compete for.”
Gadson’s strong season performance puts him high on the list of contenders to win the NHRA Rookie of the Year award, which is awarded to a first-year racer in any of the four professional classes by voting based on a combination of on-track performance, fan engagement and social media presence. As the highest finishing rookie in any of the pro classes, Gadson hopes his overall season performance will be enough to seal the coveted award, which will be announced at the NHRA award banquet Monday evening.
“There are people who have been out here for 20 years who would do anything to be in the position I’m in. It’s something I never thought was possible. It’s a dream come true and I’m ecstatic to be here,” Gadson said. “I learned a lot this season and feel like I’m better equipped now for what it will take to win next year and for us collectively as a team to have two strong bikes in contention for the entire season.”
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki crew chief Andrew Hines admitted that missing Friday’s qualifying sessions caused him to be over-aggressive in his tuning on Saturday, which in turn put extra pressure on the team Sunday.
“I messed up the first qualifying run, which put us behind the eight ball for the second run. I got greedy trying to get all the bonus points and almost got none, which meant we couldn’t lock up the championship Saturday,” Hines said. “We really wanted to leave this race with double hardware for the championship and the win, but I got gun-shy in the final and went too soft with the tune-up because I was worried about spinning the tire.”
Hines credited the championship to a combination of talent, performance, and teamwork.
“Last year we turned the class on its head, brought in new talent with Gaige, and showed what a world-class rider and machine are truly capable of when combined with performance and perseverance,” Hines said. “The competition this season was tough, with Matt Smith and his team bringing their A game all year long. We faced some adversity with rules changes, which we were able to overcome, and still found a way to bring home the championship for Suzuki, RevZilla, Motul and everybody at Vance & Hines who worked so hard for it.”
At the conclusion of the 2024 NHRA season, Herrera and Gadson finished first and third in the Pro Stock Motorcycle standings with 2,804 and 2,511 points, respectively.
The RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines team will return to action for the 2025 Pro Stock Motorcycle season March 6-9, 2025, at the season-opening NHRA Gatornationals at Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, FL.
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