If Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Andrew Hines has a home-field advantage at any NHRA track, it’s at Bandimere Speedway.

Hines spent 10 years in Trinidad, Colo., about three hours south of Morrison, where the track is located. Byron Hines, Andrew’s dad, ran the Freedom Motorsports Pro Stock Motorcycle shop in Trinidad, before the family moved to Brownsburg, Ind., several years ago.

Sunday, Hines concluded his weekend in the winner’s circle by defeating Karen Stoffer in the finals at the Mile-High Nationals.

Hines clocked a 7.342-second run at 178.02 mph to get past Karen Stoffer’s 7.402-second effort.


If Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Andrew Hines has a home-field advantage at any NHRA track, it’s at Bandimere Speedway.

Hines spent 10 years in Trinidad, Colo., about three hours south of Morrison, where the track is located. Byron Hines, Andrew’s dad, ran the Freedom Motorsports Pro Stock Motorcycle shop in Trinidad, before the family moved to Brownsburg, Ind., several years ago.

Sunday, Hines concluded his weekend in the winner’s circle by defeating Karen Stoffer in the finals at the Mile-High Nationals.

Hines clocked a 7.342-second run at 178.02 mph to get past Karen Stoffer’s 7.402-second effort.

“I spent ages 10 to 20 in Trinidad, and those are the growing years,” Andrew said. “I know this place (Bandimere Speedway) as my home, and to come back here and get a win on the mountain, says a lot about our team. We did really good here when Matt (Hines) was racing and we have been pretty fortunate with our Harley-Davidson V-Rods ever since we came here.”

This was Hines’ third win of the season and 21st win of his career. Andrew, who pilots the Screamin’ Eagle Vance and Hines Harley, has now won twice at Bandimere, with the previous win in 2005. Matt Hines, who is Andrew’s older brother and crew chief, won at Bandimere four times in 1996, ’97, ’98 and 2002.

“We didn’t have the best motorcycle all weekend, just like we didn’t have the best motorcycle in Sonoma, but we were able to get our job done,” said Hines, who was a runner-up last week at Sonoma to Michael Phillips.

Andrew said he was stressing all weekend at the Mile-High Nationals, but his worries had nothing to do with racing.

“I have a baby coming on Tuesday, and I was hoping that she (his wife Tanya) would be able to hang in for the whole weekend,” Andrew said. “I kept waiting for a phone call, but I never got one. She’s doing a great job and feeling good and I will get home at midnight tonight. We will then go to the doctor on Tuesday.”

One of Andrew’s keys Sunday was cutting great lights. In his four wins, his worst light was .029 and that was in the finals. He had .006, .004, and .007 lights in his wins over LE Tonglet, Jim Underdahl and Michael Phillips. Phillips actually gave Hines the win as he had a red light.

“The bike has been really leaving the starting line consistently and that has allowed me to really focus on my riding,” Andrew said. “I was playing with fire with those 00 reaction times. I wanted it to be 30 in the final and it was a 29 (reaction time). Karen is a tough competitor and she obviously got her motorcycle turned around this weekend. It was really special to come up here and get a win on the mountain when the Suzukis were dominant all weekend, and we took out for of them. Phillips would have got around us if he had not had a red light because he was ahead of me at 1,000 foot when he shut off. We needed one lucky round (Sunday) and that was it.”