NHRA News: Hines forsaking wintry hijinks to regain championship form (12/28/2001)

Hines forsaking wintry hijinks to regain championship form

by Rob Geiger, NHRA.com
12/28/2001

"[The Harley] kind of cackles like a Top Fuel car when it's idling, it's pretty cool."
-- Matt Hines

Many vacationers wait years for a chance to head to Colorado's Rocky Mountains and visit some of this country's best ski resorts. For native son Matt Hines of Trinidad, Colo., the slopes begin calling the moment the first snow falls. But chances are the three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion won't be attacking any Black Diamond trails this year for he has other mountains to climb.

A third-place finish in the championship points standings might be a career highlight for most NHRA professionals. For Hines, anything short of the title is unacceptable. That's why the avid sportsman will be spending this winter tweaking his reliable Eagle One Suzuki GSXR, while preparing to welcome a Harley-Davidson teammate to the Vance & Hines fold.

"I think the only snow I'll be dealing with is in the driveway," Hines said. "I did rig a plow to my four-wheeler so I should be able to dig myself out quicker. But then I'll head straight to the shop. No playtime this year. We were going to try to goof off a little but this is more important.

"Last year was terrible, plain and simple. We all wish we could have done better. We came out swinging, went to four finals in a row and won two of those races, but then we just became really inconsistent with the tune-up and that was that.

"I learned last year that I'm still learning every race. I thought I'd been racing for so long that I'd seen it all and done it all myself. But, let me tell you, things happen and they're not always good. My confidence took some shots so we're going to do everything we can this off-season to make sure we can put this team back on top."

Old reliable
Despite the much-ballyhooed arrival of the Vance & Hines "Screamin' Eagle" Harley-Davidson Pro Stock Bike project, Hines will ride his reliable Suzuki GSXR for at least one more season.

"Not a whole lot is changing," Hines said. "We're keeping the exact same bike I rode last year. I'm working on some very slight chassis changes, moving some weight around for a better distribution. That's about it. I mean, we'll rewire it completely and make some new parts to replace anything that looks worn. Then we'll put it all back together and get after it. For the most part, it'll look brand new.

"This is the last year for the GSXR because of the NHRA's seven-year rule. I actually think the bike was produced after 1995 and I might have to dig up some proof and get that ruled changed back another year but for now, this is the final year for this bike so we'd really like to take it out on top."

Hines rode his current bike to two wins in 2001 and set both ends of the Pro Stock Motorcycle national record with the sport's first sub-7.1-second pass of 7.092 as well as the first 194-mph blast of 194.10 mph. He had the fastest bike at six events, the quickest bike at three races, and collected low qualifier honors twice.

"This bike has glimpses of being perfect," Hines said. "It's very, very consistent as far as the bike itself. I could run it down the track 100 times and every lap would be the same. Our problem came with the consistency of the tune-up. That's where we won and lost rounds. Our timing was just a little off this past year."

Hence, the 29-year-old will stay indoors this year, pounding out lap after lap on his shop's dynamometer. Hines also hopes to make 30 passes or so in late January at this year's Pro Stock Superbowl in Houston.

"Another huge factor this coming year will be my dad," Hines said. "He'll be at every race so that should keep our heads screwed on right."

The last time the senior Hines attended every race was in 1999, when Matt won his third consecutive title.

Hog Heaven
Another reason father Byron will be attending every event will be to shepherd his "Screamin' Eagle" Harley-Davidson entry into the Pro Stock Motorcycle wars. In conjunction with fellow motorcycle legend Terry Vance, the Vance & Hines conglomeration hopes to unveil the first viable Harley-Davidson into NHRA competition.

"Without giving away too much I would say the Harley project is right on track," Matt said. "There's a big Harley convention January 27 and we'll be unveiling the bike there and announcing who the rider will be. It is someone we all know. Then it's off for testing because we want to have it up and running for Gainesville [the traditional season opener for the Pro Stock Motorcycle class.]

"People are going to love this bike. It looks awesome and it sounds good. It kind of cackles like a Top Fuel car when it's idling, it's pretty cool. I've never heard anything like it before. We haven't had it on the dyno yet but we hope it's every bit as quick as the Suzukis."

By rule, Harley-Davidsons need only weigh 550 pounds with a rider, versus the 600-pound minimum a Suzuki or Kawasaki must be. But Hines said he expects the initial version of the Harley-Davidson to weigh in right at 600 pounds. "Then the engines going on a diet," he said.

"The bike is based on the stock V-Rod, which has the same bore and stroke as the Porsche 911," Hines continued. "It's the first production water-cooled Harley. The pistons are set at 60 degrees in a V-Twin configuration, which gives it a really nice balance and lets the motor rev a little higher. I did a couple of burnouts in the parking lot. It's stout."

The entire Vance & Hines operation will grow to include a complete second transporter to house the Harley-Davidson. The two units will be set-up side-by-side at each national event.

Power peddlers
Once again, Vance & Hines horsepower will be everywhere in 2002. Aside from the Harley project, which promises to expand rapidly at the first sign of success, the group will continue it's five-year-old side business of renting, selling, and servicing its powerplants for other NHRA competitors.

In 2001 alone, more than half of the top 10 riders used Vance & Hines motors. The tentative 2002 client list includes frontrunners Hines, Antron Brown, Craig Treble, GT Tonglet, Steve Johnson, and Reggie Showers, as well as proven professionals like Joe DeSantis, Blaine Hale, Greg Underdahl, Ron Ayers, Clarence Markham, and part-timers Peggy Llewellyn and Connie Cohen.

"It's tough when you know you'll be racing your own horsepower every weekend," Hines said, "because you know the bike in the other lane can be just as quick as your own bike. We lost plenty of rounds to customers in the last few years. But that's the way it is and that's the way we like it. We want everything to be equal. Let the riders decide who wins and who loses.

"We're confident in what we can do on this team. We've won it all before and with the new money POWERade is putting up, we want to get back on top more than ever. We won 10 races in 1998 and eight races in 1997. When you combine those winnings with the extra stuff you pick up in the special event races it can add up to a real nice year. That's what we'd like to do again in 2002.

"It'll be a battle. We know the customers we have will be strong. Greg Underdahl is back full-time. Harry Lartigue [Llewellyn's team owner] will be back out there. I'm sure Angelle [Savoie] will find a way to race even if she doesn't have a big sponsor. All the players will be back and we'll need to be sharp to beat them. Hopefully, all this work right now will pay off for us."

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