Gaige Herrera advanced a step closer to securing his second NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world championship by winning his tenth race of the season aboard his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki Gen 3 Hayabusa at the Ford Performance NHRA Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, NV, on Monday.
In round one of Sunday eliminations, Herrera defeated Kahea Woods (no time) with a 6.854-second/195.99 mph run, the low elapsed time of the round. In round two, Herrera defeated John Hall (6.936 seconds/193.49 mph) with a 6.868-second/195.36 mph pass.
A massive oil down of both lanes during the Top Fuel semi-finals combined with cool evening conditions forced a postponement of on-track activities on Sunday evening. Racing resumed Monday with the semi-final rounds of Funny Car and both Pro classes and final rounds for all four pro classes.
But the overnight delay couldn’t break Herrera’s stride or hamper the speed of his Hayabusa. In the delayed semi-final round, Herrera blasted off a 6.818-second/196.30 mph run, easily advancing past Hector Arana, Jr. (6.923 seconds/192.11 mph) to his 11th final round appearance of the season.
In Monday’s final round, Herrera took maximum advantage of the day’s improved weather conditions to defeat Angie Smith (6.925 seconds/193.65 mph) with a thunderous 6.798-second/197.16 mph run to claim his tenth win of the season and 21st of his career. The victory moved him one step closer to clinching a second Pro Stock Motorcycle world championship.
“This weekend worked out awesome for me. With Matt Smith going out in the second round and then me winning the race, it really took a lot of weight off my shoulders. This was a big one for the championship, because the points gap really could have gone either way, especially if I’d lost early. There was still some pressure after he went out because it meant I really had to finish the job to capitalize on the situation. It was harder to get up on this morning and get back into race mode. Usually, we’re heading to the airport on Monday morning. It felt weird for sure. It wasn’t our normal routine, but we had the best air conditions of the weekend today and the performance of my Hayabusa really shined,” Herrera said.
Herrera now takes a 123-point advantage over Smith into the final race of the year in Pomona in two weeks. With a maximum of 191 points available to any rider in the points-and-a half format at the NHRA Finals, Smith is the only competitor with a mathematical chance to deny Herrera a second-straight title.
“Heading into Pomona now there’s a lot less stress for the championship, but I can’t be thinking that it’s wrapped up. I need to go there with the same mindset I’ve had all season, to do my job, try to kill it on the tree, hit all my shift points and hold myself accountable to not make any mistakes,” Herrera said.
In round one, Gadson defeated Steve Johnson (6.935 seconds/189.66 mph) with a 6.898- second/194.10 mph pass. In round two, Gadson came up short against Hector Arana, Jr. (6.899 seconds/192.25 mph) with a 6.945 second/193.17 mph run, his slowest of the weekend. Thanks to Arana’s loss to Herrera in the semi-finals, Gadson maintained his third-place position in the standings, albeit with a slim 3-point margin over Arana.
“We missed the tune-up in round two and that was a tough loss, because I’m in a tight race with Hector for third place, but I’ll take any lead going into Pomona,” Gadson said. “My goal for the last race is to finish strong and do everything I can to catch Matt Smith in second. It’s not probable, but it’s possible and I’d really like to see the Vance & Hines bikes one and two in the championship.”
Gadson is also high on the list of contenders to win the coveted 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 placed rookie in any of the pro classes, Gadson is considered a front-runner in the competition, which he hopes to lock up with a standout performance in Pomona.
“I think we’ve shown we have the performance side of it covered, but I need to seal the deal at Pomona. I’m really praying for it,” Gadson said.
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki crew chief Andrew Hines said the cool, arid conditions in Las Vegas helped offset the track’s 2,000 feet of elevation and uphill profile that rises 12 feet from the starting line to the finish.
“Our notes from last year didn’t translate well because we’re running a different fuel this season and our minimum weight is 15 pounds heavier than when we ran here last year. Between that, the altitude, and a headwind, I thought it was going to be a worst-case scenario for us, but the dry air conditions proved to be the leveling factor for our Suzuki engines, and mother nature really helped us out overnight with some even better air today,” Hines said.
“I’m going to send some flowers to Chase Van Sant on Valentine’s Day next year to thank him for doing us a major favor by knocking out Matt Smith on a holeshot in round two,” Hines joked. “We came out of here with a bigger points advantage than I anticipated, which puts us in a great position for Pomona. We’ve got to be solid through qualifying and hopefully we can lock up the championship on Sunday.”
With one race remaining in the Countdown to the Championship, Herrera and Gadson sit first and third in the points standings, with 2,658 and 2,427 points, respectively.
The RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki team returns to action Nov. 14-17 at the season-ending In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip in Pomona, CA.
There are more videos on the Cycledrag Youtube channel (please subscribe here) and like the Cycledrag Facebook page (Please like here) and more will be coming soon. Also subscribe to our NEW Youtube channel “Racing Jack” and Check back daily.
To take advantage of some amazing discounts at Brock’s Performance, click – http://brocksperformance.com?aff=12
USE cycledrag5 coupon code.
