NHRA News: Rating the top contenders for the '04 Pro Stock Bike title (3/17/2004)

Rating the top contenders for the '04 Pro Stock Bike title

By Kevin McKenna, National DRAGSTER
3/17/2004

The Pro Stock Bikes kick off their 15-race season at this weekend's 35th annual Mac Tools Gatornationals, the traditional season-opener for the two-wheel set. The chase for the championship appears to be wide open once again in 2004 with new champ Geno Scali bracing for serious charges from several riders.

Resident motorcycle expert Kevin McKenna, a senior editor at National DRAGSTER, takes NHRA.com readers through a quick overview of the top 10 riders from 2003, which includes most of the top contenders in Pro Stock Bike this year.

No. 1 Geno Scali, Trim-Tex Suzuki

Geno Scali

Defending champion Geno Scali and his Trim-Tex team did not sit idle this winter. Scali's crew, led by team owner Joe Koenig and crew chief Earl Deglopper, spent time working on their new Suzuki TL1000 although they don't expect to have it finished in time for Gainesville. Scali also spent time filming a commercial in Florida and flying to Japan to be honored by Suzuki.

"We'll have [our new bike] out for the second or third race," Scali said. "It should be quite a bit lighter than our old bike, and that should help my 60-foot times. I still have a lot of confidence in our old bike. It's the same one that won the championship last season, so I think it will work for the time being.

"We know that it will be tough again this year, but it was tough last year. Our main goal is to fine-tune our program and fix some of the areas that we were lacking last season. For me, that means fewer red-lights. That's one of the things I'm really going to try and get a handle on this season."

No. 2 Angelle Savoie, U.S. Army Suzuki

Angelle Savoie

Apparently, three-time series champion Angelle Savoie is serious about kicking butt this year. Between time spent working on her powerful, Mark Peiser-tuned U.S. Army Suzuki, and running her bike dealership in Louisiana, the former nurse has taken up a new fitness regiment.

"I'm in a kick-boxing class and it's the toughest workout that I've ever had," Savoie said. "I'm working with a personal trainer, Steve Miller of the Louisiana Black Belt Academy, and he's developed a program that works around my race schedule. Kick boxing will help me with so many different aspects of my racing program, from strength to concentration. I'm really comfortable on the bike now.

"We've really bonded as a team. I just came back from the Matco Tools convention in Las Vegas, and we had a blast. I got to spend some time with [team owners] Don and Sarah Schumacher and it was great. I feel like a member of the family. Last year, we had so much uncertainty, and I still won three races and made it to six finals. This year, I know we can do even better than that."

No. 3 Shawn Gann, Gann Speed Suzuki

Shawn Gann

Shawn Gann won just one race in 2004, but he was consistent enough to post a third-place finish, the highest of his career. Like many racers, Gann struggled with the new LED Christmas Tree lights, and calculates that his six red-light starts cost him any shot he had at overtaking Scali for the championship.

"My goal is to avoid all those red-lights," Gann said. "If I can do that, I know that we'll be right there at the end of the season. I finished third last year and fifth the two years before that, so I think it's time to make another move.

"I tested two weeks ago with my 2001 engine and a five-speed transmission and the bike ran 7.15, so we're pretty encouraged by that. The engines I'll be using this year are a lot stronger than that one, so I'm pretty comfortable. If the numbers on the dyno convert to numbers on the racetrack, I believe my bike will be as fast as anyone else's when we get to Gainesville."

No. 4 Reggie Showers, PDI Suzuki

Reggie Showers

Unfortunately for the NHRA and his legion of friends and fans, popular double-amputee Reggie Showers will sit out the 2004 season. Showers won three races last year, including the special K&N Filters Pro Bike Klash at Indy, and finished a career-high fourth in the POWERade standings, yet he ultimately decided that family was more important than racing.

"I'm taking a little break," Showers said. "I've been able to put my mind at ease about a lot of things. The last few years, I have had to put some important things aside in order to race. Now, I'm getting to enjoy some of the things I've been missing, including spending more time with my family.

"I want to make it clear that I have not retired. I still have all my equipment and I can bring it out any time I want. I may even run at Indy, and I'm looking into the possibility of making some exhibition runs at Sport Compact events. I realize my program isn't championship-caliber yet, and I prefer to wait until it is before I return on a full-time basis. I still love the sport, and I love the people, so I definitely plan on being back out there sometime soon."

No. 5 Craig Treble, Matco Tools Suzuki

Craig Treble

Perhaps no rider is more excited about the start of the 2004 season than Matco Tools ace Craig Treble, who won the last two events in dominating style after a mostly miserable 2003 campaign. Treble's fortunes changed after he borrowed Matt Hines' Suzuki late in the year.

"I reluctantly gave Matt his bike back this winter," the newly married Treble said. "I might have been able to ride it this year if I had really pursued it, but I think that my bike can be just as good. When I got that bike from Matt, I expected to find all kinds of trick parts and pieces, but in reality, the bike is very basic, so we've taken that approach with my bike.

"Last year was a rotten year for me, plain and simple. Hopefully, I can put all that behind me and come out swinging in Gainesville. I know it won't get any easier this year, but hopefully I've improved my program enough to keep up."

No. 6 Antron Brown, U.S. Army Suzuki

Antron Brown

Despite a sub-par sixth-place finish in 2003, Antron Brown and the U.S. Army team are convinced they can challenge for the 2004 NHRA POWERade Pro Stock Bike title. One thing crew chief Mark Peiser believes will help Brown challenge for the top spot is a brand new Kosman chassis, which replaces a bike that had more than 700 runs on it.

"We've always run well before, but had excuses for not winning," Peiser said. "Now, there are no more excuses. [Team owner] Don Schumacher has given us everything we've asked for. If we don't get it done, there is no place to point the finger, except at me.

"That old bike just gave up on us. Antron is an awesome rider, but he never really had a chance to show it. We've already been testing and I'm really happy with the results. I won't give away all the numbers, but I will say that Antron has a 1.051 60-foot time, which is really awesome. [With] our dyno up and running, we found some things that helped us. I feel like we've made a three-year gain, just since the end of last season."

No. 7 Andrew Hines, Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson

Andrew Hines

Sophomore racer Andrew Hines has plenty of reasons to feel optimistic. After reaching his first final round in Sonoma, Hines believes that the Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson team will finally collect its first victory in 2004.

The Vance & Hines team spent much of the winter relocating from Colorado to its new home base in Indianapolis, but Hines believes the move had little effect on their research and development.

"Sometimes it was frustrating because we had some parts here [in Indy] and some in Colorado, but for the most part, we accomplished everything we wanted to do," Hines said. "I've spent most of the winter working on the bike, and we've done a little engine development as well. We've made some gains, so I'm anxious to see how the bike runs.

"I haven't been on the bike since Pomona last November, so I'm probably a little rusty. I feel good about the season, though. My dad [Byron] and brother [Matt] have been coaching me, and I think we fixed my red-light problem. I used to just go up there and let the clutch fly, but now I've got a routine. I'm a lot more comfortable now."

No. 8 Fred Collis, Star Racing Suzuki

Fred Collis

Fred Collis won his first NHRA national event last year in Columbus, and finished a career-best eighth in the points standings, but he resigned from George Bryce's Star Team this winter and currently has no plans to ride in NHRA competition in 2004.

"I had a great time racing full time on the NHRA tour last year, but it reached a point where I just couldn't continue to justify it financially," Collis said. "I'm not upset or mad at anyone. I appreciate the opportunity that [the Star team] gave me, but in order to compete on a championship level, it takes a tremendous financial commitment, and we just weren't able to make it happen. I love racing as much as anyone, and I do plan on coming back, but I need to at least be able to pay the bills."

No. 9 Mike Berry, MB Precision Suzuki

Mike Berry

In an effort to claim his long-overdue first victory, Mike Berry got a head start on the 2004 season by testing his MB Precision Suzuki at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in late January. Racing into a headwind, Berry recorded a solid 7.22, giving himself reason to be optimistic heading into the Gainesville season opener.

"We went to Las Vegas because I had a lot of new things I wanted to try," said Berry, who builds his own engines and works as his own crew chief. "Most of the new things we tried didn't work too well, so we went back to a combination we were familiar with and that's when I ran the 7.22.

"I have definitely found some horsepower this year. I wish I could say that I've picked up 20, but it's not quite that much. Still, if you find a little here and a little there, it all adds up. The bottom line is that I think I will run quicker this year. I got to a [win] last year and couldn't close the deal. Now that I've been there, I know what to expect. Hopefully the next time I get there, I can finish it off."

No. 10 GT Tonglet, Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson

GT Tonglet

Like Hines, GT Tonglet enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2003. Though he didn't win a race, Tonglet qualified in the top half of the field eight times and posted the second top 10 finish of his career. This year, he will begin the season on the same bike he rode last year, but it will soon be replaced by an all-new chassis.

"We had hoped to get GT's bike done in time for the first race, but with our move from Colorado to Indianapolis, we ran out of time," Hines said. "The new bike is lighter and has a better center of gravity. Hopefully, we can get it done in time for the second race in Houston."

"I can't wait for the season to start," Tonglet said. "My dad came up with a new clutch-lever design that should help us eliminate some of the red-light problems we've had, and we've got a few other tricks up our sleeves. Every year I've said that the Harley is going to win a race, I've kind of jinxed myself; so I'm not going to say it this year, but I do believe it will happen."

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