Herrera and Gadson Earn NHRA Championship Factors in Sonoma

Suzuki Press Launch:

The RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki staff raced by means of a difficult weekend that noticed riders Gaige Herrera and Richard Gadson make exits from the competitors rounds on the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals at Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, CA, on Sunday.

Race Highlights:

• Gaige Herrera certified third and superior to the second spherical of eliminations.
• Richard Gadson certified seventh and misplaced in spherical one.

Lower than every week after his historic NHRA document 11-race win streak resulted in Seattle, Gaige Herrera arrived in Sonoma planning to rebound from his first competitors loss in almost a yr. Going through mechanical points in three of the 4 qualifying rounds on Friday and Saturday, Herrera posted a robust 6.688-second/202.55 mph run to qualify within the third beginning place.

In spherical one on Sunday, Herrera ran 6.795-seconds at 200.26 mph to defeat veteran Suzuki racer Steve Johnson (6.886 seconds/196.67 mph), who was competing in his five hundredth Professional Inventory Motorbike nationwide occasion at Sonoma. In spherical two, regardless of having a near-perfect .001-second beginning line response time, Herrera’s weekend got here to an early finish with a 6.847-second/200.41 mph loss to John Corridor (6.741 seconds/201.94 mph).

”It was a tough weekend performance-wise, preventing a few gremlins in qualifying, after which we spun the tire a bit of bit in spherical two. I most likely may have squeezed by John in that spherical if it hadn’t misplaced traction,” Herrera stated, who continues to carry a commanding lead within the championship standings forward of the break earlier than the ultimate race of the common season in Indianapolis. “There’s nearly a month off now earlier than the U.S. Nationals, after which the beginning of the Countdown to the Championship. As an entire staff, we’re going to place our heads down and attempt to determine this new gas out, do some testing, and get our bikes again to being constant on each go,” added Herrera.

Richard Gadson posted a 6.761-second/199.82 mph run on Saturday to say the quantity seven beginning spot after additionally struggling to make constant runs in qualifying.

Gadson fell quick in spherical one to Seattle race winner Chase Van Sant, operating 6.770 seconds at 198.09 mph in opposition to Van Sant’s 6.751-second/199.88 mph go. It was Gadson’s first loss within the opening spherical of competitors this season.

”On Friday, between our 4 makes an attempt to go down the racetrack with two bikes, we solely bought one timeslip. We’re making an attempt to be smarter than the bikes, however typically you are taking a swing at making an attempt to go quicker and also you miss. It’s a kind of weekends that permits you to know you have to return to the drafting board. We’ll strive once more on the US Nationals,” Gadson stated. “It’s time to get critical as a result of the competitors is getting tighter. My focus over the subsequent few weeks will likely be engaged on my bodily and psychological preparation and on the brink of take my greatest shot on the U.S. Nationals, the staff’s hometown race.”

RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki crew chief Andrew Hines stated it continues to be difficult to tune the staff’s bikes utilizing the brand new obligatory gas the category has used for the reason that Charlotte race in April.

”It’s been a tricky couple of races in a row right here on the west coast. Our bikes are usually not responding effectively in these climate situations with the spec gas we’re operating, which in keeping with the producer will not be designed for the upper RPMs we’re turning with our Suzuki engines. We’ve carried out higher in hotter situations than within the good climate we’ve had out right here, which is one thing to scratch our heads about. We experimented in qualifying, looking for the subsequent efficiency space to use however nothing labored. We took a licking this weekend, however we’ll begin working now to come back again stronger at Indy,” Hines stated. “There’s numerous preparation that can occur between now and the start of the Countdown. Now we have some R&D issues within the works, and we’ll do extra testing on the observe and within the dyno room. Our aim is getting again to the place our riders are assured in our consistency and efficiency in all situations.”

After the eighth of 15 races within the 2024 season, Herrera and Gadson sit first and fourth within the Professional Inventory Motorbike NHRA Championship standings with 902 and 533 factors, respectively.

The RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki staff returns to motion Aug. 28-Sept. 2 on the NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in Indianapolis, IN.