Sharp riding and consistent performance from his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki Gen 3 Hayabusa propelled Richard Gadson to his third race win of the season and into the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Countdown to the Championship lead at the NHRA 4-Wide Carolina Nationals at zMax Dragway in Concord, NC, on Sunday.
In the second of three back-to-back races to open the six-race NHRA Countdown to the Championship, Richard Gadson qualified second with a 6.760-second/200.26 mph run during Friday’s qualification rounds.
Under the NHRA’s unique 4-Wide racing format in Charlotte, which featured for the first time ever during the Countdown at this race, the first two riders in each four-motorcycle quad to cross the finish line, barring a redlight jumpstart, advance to the next elimination round. In the final round quad, the first motorcycle to cross the finish line wins the race.
Gadson powered to a win in round one with a 6.796-second/199.88 mph run in a matchup against John Hall (runner up, 6.817 seconds/199.11 mph), Ryan Oehler and Chris Bostick. In the semi-final round, Gadson’s 6.809-second/198.99 mph pass was low elapsed time of the round in his victory over Matt Smith (runner up, 6.821 seconds/198.20 mph), Kelly Clontz, and Hall.
In the final round, Gadson defeated Matt Smith (runner up, 6.821 seconds/199.37 mph), Angie Smith and Jianna Evaristo with a 6.803-second/199.55 mph run to claim his third race win of the season.
The victory, which is also the third of his career and first to come during the Countdown, catapulted Gadson from fourth place to the top of the championship standings with four races remaining.
“You really need to understand how staging works in 4-Wide racing. It can throw some people off, which we saw in the first two rounds. The Christmas tree timer starts seven seconds after the first bike lights the stage bulb, not the last one. In the final round, Angie pre-staged first and then immediately lit the stage bulb, so I counted to five in my head and then got on the two-step. When the tree came down I was the first one off the starting line, and we won the race,” Gadson said.
“I lost to Matt by four-thousands of a second at the 4-Wide race here earlier this year and he beat me near my hometown last week in Maple Grove, so I really wanted to beat him today in his hometown. I feel great about this win because we’ve been wrestling with this motorcycle all weekend. But we fought through it as a team. I even had to borrow a clutch from Gaige’s bike,” he continued. “It’s surreal to see my name leading the points in Pro Stock Motorcycle. Just to be here in this moment feels crazy, to be honest. I thank everyone on the Vance & Hines team for putting me in this position.”
After dropping out of the points lead last week at the Countdown opener in Maple Grove, Gaige Herrera rebounded to claim the top qualifying position for the sixth time this year and 29th time in his career with a 6.757-second/201.22 mph run on Friday.
But trouble struck the defending world champion early in Sunday eliminations when his motorcycle experienced a transmission-related mechanical failure that caused him to slow to a 7.370-second/141.31 mph run in his first-round matchup against Marc Ingwersen, Chase Van Sant and Marcus Hylton.
The unexpected early departure dropped Herrera to fourth in the Countdown standings and leaves the two-time champion with a 71-point gap to close in his quest for a third-straight Pro Stock Motorcycle world championship.
“In the first round my transmission shifted from second to fourth and then after that it wouldn’t shift at all. I did everything I could, but it’s one of those things you just need to shake off and move forward. I’m glad Richard got the win over Matt Smith, but I’m definitely asking for my clutch back,” Herrera quipped. “The drag racing gods weren’t on my side today, but we still have plenty of races left in the Countdown, and I’m not letting up. It’s going to be a dog fight until the end, and honestly, I love that. I’d rather it be tight than a landslide. We might be banking on the extra points at the last race in Pomona.”
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki crew chief Andrew Hines praised Gadson’s poise on the starting line in the face of a three-against-one disadvantage to rivals from the Matt Smith Racing team in the final round.
“Matt had the field stacked and they tried to play the game with riders staging at different times to throw Richard off, but he was rock solid. We came here to bring home a Wally, and it doesn’t really matter to our team which rider does it. Sometimes gremlins bite you, but when one rider falters, another one can step up. It’s great that Richard was able to do that, and it’s a big momentum swing for him in the Countdown. It’s a little bump in the road for Gaige, but we’re in a better position in the standings overall as a team than we were leaving here last year, so we’re not feeling too bad. Our whole team is motivated to take it one run at a time, so we’ll get back on the horse and keep it going in St. Louis next week.”
With four races remaining in the Countdown to the Championship, Gadson and Herrera sit first and fourth in the standings, with 2,296 and 2,225 points, respectively.
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