The feud between Michael Phillips and Matt Smith is a hot topic in the Pro Stock Motorcycle pits.

The rivalry intensified to a new level this week amid an allegation of racial prejudice and cheating.

Smith believes Phillips is cheating namely because Smith thinks Phillips can’t legitimately make the power he’s making with the motors he is buying from Vance & Hines.

Last Sunday at the Fram-Autolite Nationals at Sonoma, Calif., Phillips won the event and during his semifinal victory over Eddie Krawiec, Phillips also set a new national speed record for Pro Stock Motorcycles at 197.65 mph. Phillips then beat Andrew Hines in the finals.

The feud between Michael Phillips and Matt Smith is a hot topic in the Pro Stock Motorcycle pits.

The rivalry intensified to a new level this week amid an allegation of racial prejudice and cheating.

Smith believes Phillips is cheating namely because Smith thinks Phillips can’t legitimately make the power he’s making with the motors he is buying from Vance & Hines.

Last Sunday at the Fram-Autolite Nationals at Sonoma, Calif., Phillips won the event and during his semifinal victory over Eddie Krawiec, Phillips also set a new national speed record for Pro Stock Motorcycles at 197.65 mph. Phillips then beat Andrew Hines in the finals.

Phillips is riding a Suzuki formerly ridden by Andrew Hines. Phillips bought the bike from Hines in 2003.

Matt Hines, the crew chief for his brother Andrew Hines and Krawiec, isn’t shocked by the numbers Phillips is posting.

“Those things (Suzukis) make quite a bit of horsepower,” said Matt Hines, who won three Pro Stock Motorcycle world championships from 1997-99. “If you go back and look what was done, I went 7.09 (seconds) in 2001 and we set the mph record at 194, that wasn’t maybe a legit speed, it was probably more like 189, and those things (Suzukis) have like 50-plus more horsepower (now) than they used to back then, so why can’t they go that fast; 6.80s aren’t out of the question. He (Phillips) has big speed and he tucks in and that bike is probably one of the most aerodynamic bikes out here. His bike also may have some things that are working just a little bit better than some of the rest of the guys. Maybe it has a really good air box on it or a few things here and there.”

Phillips and his motorcycle were at their best again on Friday as he set a new Bandimere Speedway track record at the Mile-High Nationals in Morrison, Colo. Phillips clocked a 7.308-second pass. The former track record was 7.319 seconds set by Hector Arana last year.

Matt Hines also thinks if Smith’s team was using Phillips’ bike, Smith would have similar results.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if you took Michael’s bike and you gave it to Matt Smith’s crew guys and they did all the prep work on it, and let Matt ride it, Matt would probably go just about as quick or the same as Michael,” Matt Hines said. “We sold Michael the motor he’s using, but he really doesn’t do anything to the motor. The only thing he does is take the head off and give it to us, and he might change the valve springs. We (Vance & Hines) do all the real maintenance on the motor. Nobody else has gone inside that motor besides Michael or us (Vance & Hines). Some of these other guys out here who we’ve sold motors to should be running faster. And, Michael tucks in so good, he puts his head down and he can’t even see where he’s going. He has his head lower than anybody else out here and his body fits his bike really well.”

Like Phillips, Matt Hines says he also had fellow competitors doubting his elapsed times back when he was riding.

“I’ve made runs in the past that surprised me and people told me there’s no way I could be running as fast as I was,” Matt Hines said. “So, it’s definitely possible for him to be going that fast.”