| July 18, 2023
After winning the first three NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle events of the season, Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Gaige Herrera seemed invincible but back-to-back losses in Bristol, Tennessee, and Norwalk, Ohio, proved that in spite of his dominant start, Herrera is indeed a mortal.
Vance & Hines Suzuki’s Gaige Herrera got back to his winning ways at the Denver round of the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship.
By Kevin McKenna | Photos: Matt Polito
In his first trip to Denver’s historic Bandimere Speedway, the second-year phenom overcame the elements and his competitors to grab his fourth win of the year. Racing more than a mile above sea level, where performances are limited by the lack of available oxygen, Herrera rode to a 7.103 at 187.73 mph to stop Denso Buell’s Angie Smith, who red-lighted in the championship round.
Herrera’s road to the title included wins against Chris Bostick, defending World Champ Matt Smith and rookie Chase Van Sant to reach the final round, where he extended his record to 19-2 in elimination rounds this season.
“I’m glad we bounced back here, especially in front of all these fans at Bandimere Speedway,” said Herrera, who now leads second-ranked Hector Arana Jr. by 219 points. “These fans are incredible and this whole weekend has been amazing. I’m glad I’m able to add my list to the people from Vance & Hines who have won here. It was an adjustment for sure, but the bike was running well all weekend. It makes my job a little easier when you have a bike like [this].”
Any win in the Camping World NHRA series is a good win, but the win in Denver was special since this is the final event being contested at Bandimere Speedway, which has been in operation for 65 years and has hosted an NHRA round since 1979. The track, which is carved out of the side of the Rocky Mountains and offers one of the most majestic views in all of motorsports, has been sold. While the Bandimere family has announced their intentions to build another facility in the Denver area, it’s unlikely to have the ambience of the track known as “thunder mountain.”
Angie Smith made it to the final but red-lighted, making life a little easier on Herrera.
“To be able to bounce back from (the last two races) here, of all places, it’s an amazing feeling,” Herrera said. “It’s a shame to see it go but I’m just glad to put my name as part of the last to ever win here in Pro Stock Motorcycle.”
The Vance & Hines team has a special relationship with Bandimere Speedway. The Pro Stock Motorcycle class has been contested in Denver 31 times and Vance & Hines machines have won 14 of them. Matt Hines won four races here while his younger brother, Andrew, won five events and Eddie Krawiec also has four victories here to go with Herrera’s 2023 victory.
Early on, it appeared the weekend would belong to GETTRX Buell’s Hector Arana Jr., who set the track record with a 7.04-second run in qualifying. Arana Jr. had the best bike in the field by a large margin, but he slowed in the semifinal round, allowing Smith to reach the final.
Angie Smith rode to her second final round of the season and the seventh of her career following wins against Jianna Evaristo, Krawiec and Arana. Smith also helped herself with a string of competitive reaction times. Smith’s reactions proved to be a hair too quick in the final round as she left 0.003 seconds too soon, drawing the red-light start. Regardless, her 7.180-second run would not have been quick enough to beat Herrera’s 7.103.
Herrera has a near lock on the top spot in the championship standings with 672 points followed by Arana Jr. at 453 and Steve Johnson at 390. Angie Smith moved to fourth place with 388 points, just ahead of Krawiec’s 384.
The Pro Stock Motorcycle class will now enter uncharted territory with two more events in the next two weeks. They will make their first appearance at Pacific Raceways near Seattle next weekend before finding the grueling three-week “Western Swing” with a trip to Sonoma Raceway in Sonoma, California.CN
FINAL
- Gaige Herrera (Suz)
- Angie Smith (Bue)