| March 14, 2023
With a roster of former and current riders that includes at least a half-dozen NHRA World Champions, the Vance & Hines team certainly knows how to spot talent. That was never more evident than the season-opening Amalie Gatornationals in Gainesville, Florida, March 10-12, where the team’s latest addition, Gaige Herrera, dominated the annual season opener.
By Kevin McKenna
Herrera, in just his seventh start in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class, qualified number one in the quick field and made the fastest run of each elimination round to score a clean sweep of the event.
In the final round, Herrera wheeled the Vance & Hines Mission Foods Suzuki to a 6.706 to easily outdistance Denso Buell’s Angie Smith, who made a competitive run with a 6.845, but was well behind at the finish line.
“This whole weekend has just been amazing; I’m still trying to believe it’s all real,” Herrera said. “From the time [crew chief] Andrew Hines called me last November and offered me the job, I’ve just been living the dream. The thing I wanted most was to be able to reward them for having faith in me.
“This is an awesome team to work with,” Herrera added. “They helped me out a lot as far as riding the bike and knowing what to do, and it’s showing. Right now, I’m at a loss for words. I still can’t believe I’m holding this Wally [trophy].”
Herrera performed well in all four elimination rounds but admitted that his quarterfinal race against teammate Eddie Krawiec was a major source of anxiety. Herrera and Krawiec are riding bikes that should be equal, but Krawiec has 49 NHRA wins and four championships, giving him a massive edge in experience.
“You never want to race your teammate, and that put a lot of pressure on me. He’s one of the greatest out here,” Herrera said. “To line up next to him was a lot of weight on my shoulders. I was hoping we’d race in the final, but that’s not how the cards played out. I grew up watching Eddie and Andrew and to be at this level with all these great competitors is awesome. If you had asked me end of last season if I’d be racing the Gatornationals, much less on a Vance & Hines bike, I wouldn’t have believed it.”
Herrera also had to quickly get used to the idea of being the favorite; in his previous motorcycle experience, he’s always considered himself the underdog.
“I’ve definitely never had this big of an advantage,” Herrera said. “I usually run a Nitrous Pro Street bike and I’m usually about a 10th behind, so I’m normally the underdog. This was a different feeling. To have a bike that was fast, and one that would repeat, was a big thing to me. I just tried to hit the shifts and go straight.”
Herrera earned max points in Gainesville with his 6.685 qualifying effort, and his four race-day wins against Ron Tornow, Krawiec, Jianna Evaristo and Smith. Since he competed in six events last season, Herrera is not eligible to win the rookie of the year award, but he might just skip that entirely and win the World title.
Smith also had plenty of reason to feel good even though she left Gainesville as the runner-up. The winner of the 2022 season-finale in Pomona, California, Smith’s Denso Buell is the most competitive bike she’s ever ridden in her career.
In Gainesville, Smith came from the number-seven qualifying spot to record wins against John Hall, Joey Gladstone, and newcomer Chase Van Sant before racing Herrera in the final.
Van Sant is another rider who attracted a lot of attention at the season opener, as he made his first start in NHRA as a member of Jerry Savoie’s WAR team. Van Sant is riding the same Suzuki that carried Karen Stoffer to a win last year in Gainesville, and he nearly duplicated the feat with a semifinal finish. Van Sant was also the number-three qualifier with a 6.747.
VIDEO | Gaige Herrera wins First Career Wally
2023 NHRA Gatornationals
- Gaige Herrera (Suz)
- Angie Smith (Bue)
NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Points Standings
- Gaige Herrera (128/1 win)
- Angie Smith (94)
- Chase Van Sant (82)
- Jianna Evaristo (74)
- Matt Smith (57)
- Eddie Krawiec (52)
- Ryan Oehler (52)
- Joey Gladstone (51)
- Steve Johnson (42)
- Chip Ellis (34)
The Pro Stock Motorcycle class will now enjoy a nearly one-month break before they return to action at the unique Four Wide event in Charlotte, April 28-30.