Reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion Richard Gadson battled gusty winds in the Windy City and maintained his championship lead by advancing to the semi-final round aboard his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki Gen 3 Hayabusa at the Gerber Collision & Glass Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL, on May 17th. Now the team heads into the first NHRA at Maryland International Raceway, this weekend, May 29-31.
Conditions at Route 66 Raceway near Chicago lived up to the Windy City’s reputation with blustery winds that proved challenging for many riders during the weekend, including both riders on the Vance & Hines Suzuki team.
Championship leader Richard Gadson qualified fifth with a 6.778-second/200.38 mph run on Saturday.
In round one, Gadson survived a scare against Steve Johnson (10.263 seconds/79.43 mph) after a gust of wind pushed his Hayabusa toward the centerline by prudently rolling off the throttle as Johnson’s motorcycle slowed behind him. Gadson, who still managed to run 8.086-seconds at 116.24 mph, was the first Vance & Hines rider to have a run affected by the windy conditions on Sunday but would not be the last.
Gadson rebounded in round two, knocking off championship contender John Hall (6.880 seconds/196.93 mph) with a solid 6.850-second/197.13 mph run to advance to the semi-final round for the fourth straight race this season.
In the semi-finals, Gadson carried a big starting line advantage in his matchup with Angie Smith (6.774 seconds/200.35 mph), but his 6.850-second/195.93 mph run was not enough to overcome the speed of the rider who qualified number one and had the quickest ET in each of the first three rounds.
After one win and advancing to at least the semi-final round in all four races so far, Gadson has a 44-point championship lead at the midway point of the Pro Stock Motorcycle regular season. The 8-round regular season concludes at the U.S. Nationals over Labor Day weekend in Indianapolis before points for the top 10 contenders in the class are reset for the 6-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs.
“It was full blown wrestling match with your motorcycle to get down the racetrack today. In my run against Steve, we had identical lights so I could see him in my peripheral when he shut off. I rode mine as long as I could before I had to shut off too. After I got it under control I looked back to make sure he didn’t get back on the throttle to catch me, and he wasn’t coming so I just cruised through for the win. I caught a break there, but everyone was battling the wind today. It was a tough, tough track to get down. A lot of shut off runs. They don’t call it the Windy City for no reason,” Gadson said. “This is the first race this year I didn’t go to the finals, but I still have the points lead, which is my highlight of the weekend. It’s a consistency game not a momentum one for me right now. I’m ready to go to the next race and hopefully keep turning on win lights and going rounds to hold on to this lead.”
Gaige Herrera got off to a solid start in Chicago, a track where he was unbeaten in three previous appearances, by qualifying third with a 6.757-second/200.86 mph run and winning the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge. It was Herrera’s second victory this season and 11th overall in the specialty race-within-a-race held during Saturday’s qualifying sessions that carries a cash purse and championship bonus points.
Herrera, the 2023 and 2024 Pro Stock Motorcycle world champion, defeated Geno Scali (7.015 seconds/190.16 mph) in round one, running 6.790 seconds at 200.29 mph against the 2003 class champion.
In round two, Herrera was the second Vance & Hines rider forced to abort a run by wind. Herrera rolled off the throttle as his motorcycle drifted toward the centerline, slowing to 8.170-seconds at 114.54 mph against rival Matt Smith (6.832 seconds/197.57 mph), who himself had a dramatic brush against the track’s concrete barrier at the end of his run.
“The wind was very unpredictable in the grandstand area. It was hard to know what it was going to do. In the round against Matt, I got hit by a gust that pushed me in the opposite direction we thought it might go. When the front end is in the air it’s hard to steer,” Herrera said. “All in all, it was a good weekend. My Hayabusa ran well, and we got the #2Fast2Tasty win on Saturday. I always want to come out ahead when we go up against Matt, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. It’s not worth risking crashing. Today was just his day. There are plenty of races ahead.”
RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki crew chief Andrew Hines reiterated the unpredictability of the windy conditions that caught out both of his team’s riders.
“I don’t know if anybody has the stat, but it was probably the most aborted runs in a weekend I’ve ever seen. The way the stadium is built at this track just plays havoc when there is a cross wind. It goes in all different directions, like a tornado. Even though we got lane choice in both rounds we lost, which we thought would be crucial, it was just bad luck,” Hines said. “I’m looking forward to seeing these guys back on a less windy racetrack at the next race in Maryland so we can make some clean, consistent runs.
“It’s a track I’ve never been to myself, but Richard and Gaige have made thousands of runs there in other classes. We share track data with some of the nitro teams, so we have good information about the track surface, where the bumps are, what the crown is like and where the elevation changes,” he said. “That gives us a place to start for our chassis setup and tuning and we’ll take it from there to get the most out of what the traction gives us. Hopefully we’ll have good weather and put on a great show for the fans.”
After the fourth of 14 rounds in the 2026 Pro Stock Motorcycle season, Gadson and Herrera sit first and third in the championship standings with 393 and 324 points, respectively.
The RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines team returns to action May 29-31 at the NHRA Potomac Nationals at Maryland International Raceway in Mechanicsville, MD.
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