Gaige Herrera made NHRA history by setting two new all-time win-streak records with his fifth-straight Pro Stock Motorcycle victory of the season on board his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki Hayabusa at the PlayNHRA Virginia Nationals at Virginia Motorsports Park in near Richmond, Va.
After failing to top the qualifying timesheets at the two most recent races, Herrera regained the number one qualifying position on Saturday for the third time this season, and 17th time in his career with a 6.703-second/200.83 mph run that set a new track elapsed-time record.
In a historic first-round matchup, Herrera defeated Chris Bostick (6.870 seconds/194.41 mph) with a 6.803-second/198.50 mph pass to win his 36th straight round of eliminations. The victory set a new NHRA record for consecutive elimination round wins, breaking the previous record of 35 consecutive rounds Herrera shared with Pro Stock car legend Bob Glidden that dated back to the 1987-88 seasons.
After a second-round 6.782-second/196.50 mph bye run, Herrera advanced to the semi-finals against John Hall. Herrera defeated John Hall (6.816 seconds/198.58 mph) in the semis with a 6.760-second/199.70 mph run to advance to a fifth-straight final round appearance of the 2024 season, and the first against Vance & Hines teammate Richard Gadson.
In the finals, Herrera defeated Gadson (6.786-second/198.32 mph) in a close match, barely edging out his teammate with a 6.755-second/199.26 mph pass to claim his fifth victory of the season and the 16th of his career.
Herrera’s NHRA national event win-streak now sits at ten in a row, dating back to last season; breaking the nine-race tie Herrera also shared with Glidden. Herrera’s eliminations round win streak currently sits at 39 consecutive wins.
“I feel like I got the biggest monkey off my back. When you have that kind of a record in the back of your mind it’s hard to block it out. I tried the best I could, but this was the most nervous I’ve been on a race day since I started riding for Vance & Hines, and it showed. My starting line lights were all over the place. Andrew’s tune on my Hayabusa saved me a couple of times today. I feel like I can relax a little bit now,” Herrera said. “To pass a legend like Bob Glidden for the all-time win-streak record is a crazy accomplishment, not just for me but for the whole Vance & Hines team. I couldn’t have done any of this without them. They deserve this record as much as I do.”
In round one, Gadson defeated Eiji Kawakami (7.146 seconds/185.46 mph) with a 6.871-second/197.59 mph run. Gadson advanced to the semi-finals with a 6.906-second/196.87 mph holeshot win over Jianna Evaristo (6.871 seconds/198.64 mph). In the semis, Gadson ran 6.813 seconds at 198.09 mph to defeat Hector Arana, Jr. (red-light foul) and advance to his first career final round appearance and the first all-Vance & Hines team final of the season.
Gadson made a valiant attempt to end his teammate’s win streak in the finals by running 6.786 seconds at 198.32 mph, his quickest pass of the day, but still fell a few thousandths short of victory.
“This was a huge weekend that I really needed, but it wasn’t an easy one for me or my crew chief Eddie Krawiec. It was full of ups and downs. We lost our way on the setup for a while, but we rebounded and came back strong with a Hayabusa that made it to the finals. I did a lot better job riding this weekend. It wasn’t such a mind game for me, and I think I got all the jitters out. The holeshot win against Jianna was a big one. Eddie thanked me for the win on that one!” Gadson said. “I saw Gaige’s taillights today, but hopefully that won’t be the case next time. I’m ready to rock and roll.”
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki crew chief Andrew Hines attributed the record-setting streak to team work, preparation and the complementary strengths of Herrera and his Gen 3 Suzuki Hayabusa.
“It’s mind-boggling trying to comprehend that we’ve been in the winner’s circle at the last ten races with the same rider and motorcycle. I’ve been telling people it feels almost surreal. We try to approach it one race at a time, one round at a time and let the win lights turn on as they may. But the pressure’s been amping up. This was probably the toughest race because it was the one to break the win-streak record. I think even Gaige was feeling the pressure this weekend,” Hines said. “To break the record of an all-time great like Bob Glidden just shows what this team is made of. We’ve developed a Suzuki Hayabusa that’s capable of achieving all those wins. Gaige has been strong enough as a rider to win rounds when the bike wasn’t performing its best, and the Hayabusa’s performance was there when he needed some help. It’s been an all-around performance and package that’s something we could only dream of and we’re living it right now.”
After the fifth of 15 races in the 2024 season, Herrera and Gadson sit first and second in the Pro Stock Motorcycle championship standings with 618 and 365 points, respectively.
The RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki team returns to action June 27-30 at the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park in Norwalk, OH.
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