NHRA News: Lartigue lassoes latest Pro Stock Bike phenom (3/15/2004)

Lartigue lassoes latest Pro Stock Bike phenom

By Rob Geiger, NHRA.com
3/15/2004

"His size and weight is instant horsepower."
– Harry Lartigue

Since retiring from competitive riding in 1992, Pro Stock Bike team owner Harry Lartigue has helped a number of riders break into the professional ranks. From NHRA national event winners and title contenders like Tony Mullens, Reggie Showers, and Michael Phillips, to pedigreed riders like Terry Kizer, Sean Conner, Will Jonese, and Peggy Llewellyn, Lartigue has played in integral role in many careers.

So when the respected tuner says he might have found the best rider he's ever worked with, people tend to take notice. That's why Lartigue and his latest project, Chip Hunter, are as excited about this weekend's 35th annual Mac Tools Gatornationals as anyone in the class. They simply can't wait to get their Lucas Oil Suzuki on the racetrack.

"When your life's work revolves around racing and you're a true fan of the sport, you're always watching who's coming up the ranks," said Lartigue, who rode competitively from 1976 to 1992. "I've worked with a lot of different riders and each one of them had their strengths. But I don't know that I've ever had someone who represents the total package until now."

Hunter won four of nine events en route to the 2003 AMA/ProStar 600cc Super Sport championship.
Photo by Robert Grice

Considering the accomplished riders Lartigue mentored before him, that's pretty high praise for Hunter, the current AMA/ProStar champion in the 600cc Super Sport class. According to the matter-of-fact Lartigue, Hunter first came onto his radar screen for two principal reasons.

"I knew what he had done in on the ProStar circuit," Lartigue said. "That got my attention initially. It's not easy riding a 9.7-second bike that goes 140-something mph with no wheelie bars. Those things are very unforgiving and I've seen them jump up and bite riders before. For Chip to get the No. 1 plate in that class says a lot about his natural ability.

"Another thing that got me to thinking about this kid was the fact he's 5-foot tall and 130 pounds. I mean, I can't teach anybody how to be small. We've all seen how advantageous it is for the crew chiefs of the lighter riders, like the female riders, to be able to move weight around where they want it to be instead of just dealing with a 165 pound guy on the seat. His size and weight is instant horsepower."

Once Hunter got his foot in the door, Lartigue decided to spend a little time and money on his newest protégé to see if there was any substance under the helmet.

"Like everyone else, no matter what they bring to the table on the front end, you have to just go out and see what they can do," Lartigue said. "Sometimes a giant can sit down in front of you and tell you how great they are, but as soon as you fire that bike up and turn them loose, they get cut down to size real quick. I don't think the average person dreaming about racing in Pro Stock Bike realizes the obedience and discipline it takes.

Hunter made several competitive runs during the
annual Pontiac Pro Stock Super Bowl in Houston.
Photo by Robert Grice

"The true test comes when you go out and make some runs. We started cool, just doing some burnouts and hops. He looked very comfortable so we moved up to 330-foot and half-track passes. Right there he started impressing me because instead of being all pumped up about making a run, he was very analytical and had a lot of feedback for me when I'd go down to pick him up. I thought, 'I'm liking this.' "

The soft-spoken Hunter, who spent five years racing motocross on a semi-professional level before moving over to drag racing four years ago, solidified his ride on Lartigue's Lucas Oil Suzuki as soon as he was allowed to make a full pass.

"I think it was about his 10th time on the bike and he went 7.13 at 183 mph, just hauling the mail," Lartigue said. "We had a 1.07-second 60-foot time, a 2.90 at 330-feet, and we were 4.50 at 155 mph at half-track. The bike even drifted out of the groove a little bit but he brought it right back. He made a good pass.

"When we got back to the trailer he erased any doubt I had left. I had put a little glue on the seat because some of these riders get on that fiberglass shell and feel like nothing is holding them on there. After that 7.13, Chip started scraping the glue off. I said, 'What are you doing?' and he said, 'I need to be able to move around on there to make corrections during the run. That glue is holding me up.' Man, that got me excited. If he's feeling that confident after 10 passes, I can't wait to see what he'll be like after a couple of races."

As for the 34-year-old Hunter, who has a Business degree from Indiana Weslayan University, he simply hopes to find as much success at the top level of professional drag racing as he did during his tryout for Lartigue's team.

"I know this is the opportunity of a lifetime," Hunter said. "I also know how lucky I am to be learning from Harry. The only thing I can promise at this point is that I'll do everything in my power to learn how to win at this level. If I can make Harry and the people at Lucas Oil proud, I'll be happy."

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