Angel Sampy won the All Suzuki final at the NHRA Nationals Summit Racing Equipment

The Vance & Hines / Mission Suzuki Team will win the championship Impulse with strong display

Angel Sampy won a historic Pro Stock Motorcycle class victory at the NHRA Nationals Summit Racing Equipment in Norwalk, Ohio, on Sunday to get her first win of the 2022 season and the first this year for her Vance & Hines / Mission Suzuki.

After a long delay with rain between the semifinals and the final round, the three-time class champion faced Joey Gladstone in the Suzuki final in the 80th final round of her legendary career. Her Suzuki Hayabusa was the first to leave the starting line, and Sampi was never contested on the way to his 46th career victory, beating Gladstone with a pass of 6,861 seconds / 197.13 miles per hour against his run of 6,928 seconds / 194.60 miles per hour to get Wally’s trophy.

Sammy qualified second after teammate Eddie Kravets and reached the final, defeating Ron Thornau, who fouled in the first round, and Matt Smith in the second round, beating the reigning champion of 2021 with a pass of 6.890 seconds / 195.90 mph. through his 6,947 -second / 195.53 mph. In the semi-final round Sammy took revenge on Jerry Savoy, to whom she suffered an emotional loss in the last round last weekend in Bristol, reaching the final with a victory of 6.855 seconds / 198.35 mph. an hour over his victory by 6,995 seconds / 183. m / h running.

“I have to pay tribute to the team because Andrew (Hines) and all the guys are always doing what they need to give me a great motorcycle. When he set the wheel in the third round, he went on the track like on a rail, and it gave me all the confidence I needed for the final, ”said Sammy after the emotional victory. “It was a long, mentally difficult day. I dug very deep into my soul and mind, reminding myself of what I was capable of, and trying to remember who I was when I first started racing. I was young. I was fearless. I didn’t think anyone could beat me, and that was the mental resilience I needed. This weekend was the beginning of my journey to find the person I used to be when I believed in myself as well as in my team and my equipment. ”

On board his Suzuki Hayabusa Tailor qualified for position number one for the 50th time in his career, running 6.798 seconds / 199.05 miles per hour to lead the field on Sunday. In the first round of eliminations, he defeated Gian Evaristo with a pass of 6.864 seconds / 197.74 miles per hour. Faced with Hector Arana Jr. in the second round, Kravets was second in line, caught and bypassed Arana before slowing down at the top of the track and failing to run forward with 6.942 seconds / 176.60 mph against Arana 6.915 seconds / 197, 13 mph.

“If I had been a little more lucky in the second round, I would have been in good shape, but she just didn’t go into high gear. I was far ahead and did not move, ”Kravets said. “The end result is not what we were looking for, but the overall results are what we are looking for. We finally showed that my Hayabusa has the potential to run in front of a pack, to be as good as anyone. All our tests are starting to pay off. It’s a great package and I think we finally wrapped up with it. We are in a good position before the middle of the season. “

Crew chairman Andrew Hines said the team’s best performance in qualifying on Friday allowed him to check out some things on Saturday that brought dividends in the rounds to the playoffs. The race also confirmed the availability of some new equipment used at Norwalk, including a fresh engine for the Sampey motorcycle that will prepare the team for the upcoming mid-season.

“Finally we turned on all the victory lamps. Today it was difficult to navigate on this race track because of the crosswind, but we achieved it right when we counted the last three rounds, ”Hines said. “We have shown that both our Hayabus are fast and that is what we were aiming for. We knew the victories would come because our Suzuki were fast and showed flashes of brilliance, but we just needed to finish everything in one day. To have two motorcycles match the qualifications of one and two, and to show that they are consistently at the top of the pack, each race is quite outstanding. We always strive to have the two best motorcycles in the category. It’s great to have Suzuki on board and get that win for them and let the people in the class know we’re still here and we’re not going anywhere. ”

After six of the 15 rounds Sampei and Kravets are now in second and seventh place in the Pro Stock Motorcycle Championship standings with 436 and 377 points respectively. The Vance & Hines / Mission Suzuki Pro Stock Motorcycle team will return to action July 15-17 at the Dodge Power Brokers NHRA Mile-High Nationals in Morrison, California.

To get the latest Suzuki team news, race reports and information visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing.

About Suzuki
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes motorcycles, ATVs, scooters, auto parts, accessories and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals through an extensive dealer network in 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of motorcycles, ATVs, scooters, automobiles, outboard motors and related products. Founded in 1909 and registered in 1920, SMC has business relationships with 201 countries / regions. For more information, visit www.suzukicycles.com.

About Vance & Hines
The Vance & Hines brand has always been about to enhance the joy of riding a motorcycle. It began more than 40 years ago when Terry Vance and Byron Hines were two young enthusiasts on the scene of drag racing on Southern California motorcycles. Terry always wanted to go faster, and Byron knew how to do it. Soon their success and innovations on the track attracted the attention of other riders, riders and motorcycle manufacturers, which eventually turned into a commercial demand for their products and services. Today the mission and activities of the company are the same; make the bikes ride faster on the racetrack and take these skills to create spectacular products for riders around the world. Since founding the company in 1979 in partnership with Suzuki, Yamaha, Ducati and Harley-Davidson, it has organized factory racing programs in drag racing, road racing and smooth track. Vance & Hines is based in Santa Fe Springs, California, and has its own racing development center in Braunsburg. Learn more about the company’s history and products at www.vanceandhines.com.