Pro Stock Bike

National Dragster, Nov 7, 2003 by Benson, Candida

Treble ends slump with first win of 2003

When many of the preseason championship polls came out earlier this year, Craig Treble was understandably at the top of many Pro Stock Bike lists. After all, the Matco Tools rider tallied four victories en route to a second-place finish last season. Combine that with the off-season turnoil within the class, which included three-time and defending champion Angelle Savoie parting ways with team owner George Bryce and three-time titlist Matt Hines parking his bike, and it set up what appeared to be a perfect scenario for Treble; however, that perfect situation quickly diminished once the class began its season in March.

After losing in round two in Gainesville, Treble appeared to be back on track when he advanced to the final in Houston, but his championship hopes came to a screeching halt in Atlanta, where he failed to qual- ify. Though he advanced to the money round in Englishtown, the rest of his season went downhill from there.

"If has been a tough season," said Treble. "The Pro Stock Bike class has really gotten competitive. At the beginning of the year, a lot of people predicted that I would win the championship after what we did last year, but that didn't happen. Everybody stepped up, and we've had a consistency issue. I don't attribute anything to it because we have tried everything we can think of."

Among the things Treble has tried during the season are different chassis. In Las Vegas, he rode his third different bike of the year, this one the bike Hines rode last season. After Reading, Treble drove straight to Colorado, where he picked up the bike from the Vance & Hines shop. After droppng off the body to be painted with a new NitroFish scheme that will also adorn the bike in Pomona, Treble took it back to his shop and prepared it to race. The Saturday prior to the Las Vegas national event, Treble tested the bike at Firebird Int'l Raceway in Chandler, Ariz., where he recorded a 7.20 best.

The bike performed even better in Las Vegas. Treble qualified No. 1 with a 7.246, then handily worked his way through the field Sunday. After opening with a 7.26 win over Joe Desantis, Treble improved to a 7.23 to beat a red-lighting GT Tonglet in round two. In the semi's, Treble stunned everyone when he ran 7.16 to trailer Andrew Hines.

"I was pretty shocked when they told me [I ran] a 7.16," said Treble. "I knew that I was on a decent pass on that run, but when they told me a 7.16, I just couldn't believe it. I thought maybe a 7.19 or 7.20 at best, but a 7.16 is something else."

Waiting for Treble in the final was Savoie, who used consistent 7.2s to march through the field. She posted a 7.233 (low e.t. of the round) to defeat Josh Helvie, then recorded a 7.29 to beat Shawn Gann. In the semi's, Savoie got the better of Mike Berry, 7.26 to 7.31.

Savoie recorded her best run of the weekend in the final, a 7.230, but it wasn't enought. Proving that the 7.16 in the previous round was not a fluke, Treble blasted to 7.17 to score his first win of the season.

"That Suzuki of Matt Hines is a wicked machine - that thing is an animal," said Treble. "It was a pleasure to ride that bike. It fit me well, and it's fast. The last time that bike ran was Pomona last year, and it won. This is the first time it has come out since Pomona, and it won again. I might not give it back."

-Candida Benson