2011 Pro Stock Motorcycle Power Rankings

March 14th, 2011 by Drag Illustrated

Pro Stock Motorcycle Power Rankings (After 1 of 16 Races)

	RANK (LW)	TEAM	RECORD	COMMENT
Eddie Krawiec	1	Vance & Hines	4-0	Winning the season opener obviously puts Krawiec on top of the DI.com Power Rankings, but it’s the way he did it that leaves no room for doubt. After running a national record 199.26 mph in qualifying second with a 6.78 ET that also eclipsed the previous record, Eddie K ran low ET in all but the second round of eliminations. The Vance & Hines guys are looking good early on.
Hector Arana	2	Hector Arana Racing	2-1	Hector Arana, the 2009 Pro Stock Bike champion, proved he still has the power by making the first-ever lap in the 6.70s, qualifying on top with a national-record 6.777-seconds pass at Gainesville. He faded a little in the semis against Karen Stoffer, but it was still a strong ride that promises he’ll be a tough competitor this year.
Karen Stoffer	3	Jonco Motorsports	3-1	Arana got the nod over Stoffer only because his barrier-breaking qualifying effort will last longer in memories than her redlighting runner-up finish. The Geico-clad lady was impressive, though, with the quickest Suzuki on the grounds after qualifying fourth (6.83) and with no discernible drop off once eliminations began.
L.E. Tonglet	4	Tonglet Racing	2-1	Defending NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle World Champ L.E. Tonglet opened with a sixth-place qualifying effort (6.88), but sped up for eliminations, including a 6.82 that was best in class for the second round before falling to eventual race winner Krawiec in the semis.
Andrew Hines	5	Vance & Hines	1-1	The second half of the vaunted Vance & Hines duo, Andrew Hines qualified right behind teammate Eddie Krawiec in third. His brother and crew chief, Andrew, gave him a consistent 6.83 to get out of the first round of racing, but a 6.85 in round two wasn’t enough to handle Tonglet.
Matt Smith	6	Al-Anabi Racing	1-1	Recently back from racing on two wheels and four in the Arabian Drag Racing League, number-five qualifier Matt Smith defeated his own wife, Angie, to open eliminations, but wasn’t so fortunate in the second round against Stoffer.
Gerald Savoie	7	White Alligator Racing	1-1	Louisiana alligator farmer Gerald Savoie took a big bite of success with a seventh-place start in his first NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle outing. Though he fouled out of round two with a red-light start against Krawiec, Savoie at least proved he can swim with the big boys.
Shawn Gann	8	Gann Speed	1-1	The last of the qualified riders in the 6.80s at Gainesville (6.89), Shawn Gann also secured the last position in the top half of the 16-bike field. He dropped off to a 6.93 in an opening-round win, but a 6.99 did him in the next time out. For Gann to be considered a contender he needs to be a little quicker and a little more consistent.
David Hope	9	Vroom Racing	0-1	A former AHDRA Super Sport champion in his rookie year there (2004), David Hope is still carving out his NHRA career. He started ninth at the Gators, but lost to Gann in eliminations.
Mike Berry	10	MB Precision Racing	0-1	Mike Berry ran a career-best 6.91 in qualifying 10th at Gainesville, but an early start negated his chances at beating Savoie on Sunday.