2010 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle champion LE Tonglet has been heralded by Vance & Hines’ co-founder Terry Vance as the best pure riders in the class many times during Vance’s color commentary alongside the voice of the NHRA Alan Reinhart.
The Vance & Hines customer base just got stronger as Tonglet, the 20-time NHRA national event winner, will make his return to the class on a Suzuki Hayabusa as part of a lease agreement with the Vance & Hines team.
“I’m really excited to be back and be on a bike that should be really competitive,” Tonglet said.
Tonglet’s program will again have backing from Kenny Koretsky, owner of Maple Grove Raceway, Nitro Fish apparel, and KPK Development. Koretsky and Nitro Fish were the primary backers of Tonglet during his memorable championship run in 2010.
“Last year in Pomona, I rode Fred Camarena’s bike, and that led to some discussions between Kenny and I. The Vance & Hines team got involved, and then things sort of fell into place,” Tongelt said. “This is a new bike, which I’ve never had before, and I can’t wait to ride it.”
Tonglet has made spot appearances in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series over the last few seasons. His most recent win came at the 2018 Dallas event, where he defeated then-teammate Jerry Savoie in the final round.
“I might have been a bit rusty last year when I rode Fred’s bike, but I don’t think I’ll have any problems once we get to Gainesville,” said Tonglet, who has won races at 12 different NHRA national events, but never in Gainesville. “I have to thank Kenny Korestky and the team at Vance & Hines for making this happen. I’m in the process of losing a few pounds, and I’m really looking forward to getting back out there.”
Koretsky, who previously raced in both Top Fuel and Pro Stock, has long been intrigued by the prospect of Tonglet returning to the Pro Stock Motorcycle class on competitive equipment. The Pennsylvania-based real estate developer also maintains an association with his son, Kyle, in Pro Stock, and Funny Car driver Bob Tasca III, as well as the ownership in Maple Grove Racway in Reading, Pa.
“LE Tonglet has done a lot of great things for the Nitro Fish brand, including winning a world championship, and I’m excited to see him back out here,” said Koretsky. “Kyle is going to take some time off this year, but we’ll probably run the last 10 or 12 races with the Pro Stock car. That helped open the door to bring LE back, and once we got the opportunity to work alongside Vance & Hines, it became obvious that that we needed to make this deal happen.”
Tonglet’s Suzuki will mark the debut of a new customer lease program from Vance & Hines. The bike will feature the same four-valve Suzuki engine used by current factory riders Gaige Herrera and newcomer Richard Gadson, and will be tuned by Eddie Krawiec and Andrew Hines, who have combined to win 10 championships and 107 races.
Tonglet plans to test at Gainesville Raceway on Wednesday, March 6, ahead of the season-opening Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals.
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Portions of this article courtesy of NHRA