HINES BELIEVES FRIDAY'S MEMPHIS RUN "SCRATCHING THE SURFACE"
Sat, 2009-10-03 13:42
For about 6.8-seconds, former NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Andrew Hines believed he was in “La-La 
Land” and he guided his Screamin’ Eagle Harley Davidson V-Rod to the provisional No. 1 qualifying position at the NHRA Midsouth Nationals in Memphis, Tenn.
His 6.899 second elapsed time at 195.85 miles per hour pushed his bike to the top of the qualifying list ahead of Michael Philips on Friday evening.
“This is like a playhouse out here,” said Hines as he reflected on the day’s qualifying. “The Pro Stock Bike and Pro Stock car guys love conditions like this. There’s a good barometer and nice cool and dry air.”
Memphis brings a welcomed change for the Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson rider who admits his team has struggled lately with humidity at the last few events on the tour.
For about 6.8-seconds, former NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Andrew Hines believed he was in “La-LaLand” and he guided his Screamin’ Eagle Harley Davidson V-Rod to the provisional No. 1 qualifying position at the NHRA Midsouth Nationals in Memphis, Tenn.
His 6.899 second elapsed time at 195.85 miles per hour pushed his bike to the top of the qualifying list ahead of Michael Philips on Friday evening.
“This is like a playhouse out here,” said Hines as he reflected on the day’s qualifying. “The Pro Stock Bike and Pro Stock car guys love conditions like this. There’s a good barometer and nice cool and dry air.”
Memphis brings a welcomed change for the Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson rider who admits his team has struggled lately with humidity at the last few events on the tour.
“This is the kind of air we know how to run in,” Hines admitted. “This is what we had in Atlanta and St. Louis earlier this year. Our V-Rods thrive in these conditions and when we run well like this, it makes me feel good about my bike.”
Leave it to rival Matt Smith to make the difference in Hines’ riding today. Win lights are meaningless in qualifying but when those two match up, whether in qualifications or eliminations, the win light matters.
“We get up for the occasion and both went red,” Hines explained of his final Friday qualifying attempt. “We’re at each other’s throats and it’s fun to come out here and race like this. It puts on a great show for the fans.”
And if Friday’s weather carries over into Saturday, Hines believes the provisional No. 1 lap was scratching the surface of his bike’s potential. The determining factor will be the condition of the racing surface.
“The national record is out there based on what we saw today,” Hines said. “The track’s a little tricky here, the rubber is really hard. It’s hard to get a grip on it and the bikes aren’t 60-footing like they normally do.
“We ran a 6.899, just a tick into the 6.80s. It won’t stick if the weather is the same tomorrow. There’s always room for improvement. We have to go out there and play our game.
“How low we can go depends on the weather. The weather conditions were the same for the second session but everyone picked up. It’s going to be a toss-up.”
Land” and he guided his Screamin’ Eagle Harley Davidson V-Rod to the provisional No. 1 qualifying position at the NHRA Midsouth Nationals in Memphis, Tenn.His 6.899 second elapsed time at 195.85 miles per hour pushed his bike to the top of the qualifying list ahead of Michael Philips on Friday evening.
“This is like a playhouse out here,” said Hines as he reflected on the day’s qualifying. “The Pro Stock Bike and Pro Stock car guys love conditions like this. There’s a good barometer and nice cool and dry air.”
Memphis brings a welcomed change for the Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson rider who admits his team has struggled lately with humidity at the last few events on the tour.
For about 6.8-seconds, former NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Andrew Hines believed he was in “La-La
Land” and he guided his Screamin’ Eagle Harley Davidson V-Rod to the provisional No. 1 qualifying position at the NHRA Midsouth Nationals in Memphis, Tenn.His 6.899 second elapsed time at 195.85 miles per hour pushed his bike to the top of the qualifying list ahead of Michael Philips on Friday evening.
“This is like a playhouse out here,” said Hines as he reflected on the day’s qualifying. “The Pro Stock Bike and Pro Stock car guys love conditions like this. There’s a good barometer and nice cool and dry air.”
Memphis brings a welcomed change for the Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson rider who admits his team has struggled lately with humidity at the last few events on the tour.
“This is the kind of air we know how to run in,” Hines admitted. “This is what we had in Atlanta and St. Louis earlier this year. Our V-Rods thrive in these conditions and when we run well like this, it makes me feel good about my bike.”
Leave it to rival Matt Smith to make the difference in Hines’ riding today. Win lights are meaningless in qualifying but when those two match up, whether in qualifications or eliminations, the win light matters.
“We get up for the occasion and both went red,” Hines explained of his final Friday qualifying attempt. “We’re at each other’s throats and it’s fun to come out here and race like this. It puts on a great show for the fans.”
And if Friday’s weather carries over into Saturday, Hines believes the provisional No. 1 lap was scratching the surface of his bike’s potential. The determining factor will be the condition of the racing surface.
“The national record is out there based on what we saw today,” Hines said. “The track’s a little tricky here, the rubber is really hard. It’s hard to get a grip on it and the bikes aren’t 60-footing like they normally do.
“We ran a 6.899, just a tick into the 6.80s. It won’t stick if the weather is the same tomorrow. There’s always room for improvement. We have to go out there and play our game.
“How low we can go depends on the weather. The weather conditions were the same for the second session but everyone picked up. It’s going to be a toss-up.”
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