what's NEW 2005: Pro Stock Motorcycle

National Dragster, Mar 18, 2005

After another off-season of development on the Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson V-Rod engine and with a new chassis underneath him, reigning NHRA POWERade world champion Andrew Hines is anxious to find out exactly what he has this year. Hines won three events last season en route to a historic championship, but he did not win after Englishtown following an NHRA rule revision that added 40 pounds to his bike.

"We've built two new bikes, one for me and one for GT [Tonglet]," said Hines. "For the first time, every piece is interchangeable between the two bikes. Our goal was to move as much weight forward as possible, and we did a good job."

The Vance & Hines team began building the two new bikes before the end of the 2004 season and didn't finish them until late February, but it also made sure that its engine program wasn't neglected. Hines will also have a new crewmember, Scott Sceurman.

The Screamin' Eagle team plans to test in Florida before heading to Gainesville, where it hopes to make the sport's first official six-second run.

"I believe we've got two six-second bikes in our shop," said Hines. "In fact, when we get to Gainesville, there might be several of us in the sixes. I'd like to be the first one to dp it, but if I'm not, I can live with it."

Angelle Sampey's off-season was many things, but boring wasn't one of them. Sampey, who has begun using her maiden name following her recent divorce, got a chance to go through basic training with the U.S. Army at Fort Jackson in South Carolina. She and teammate Antron Brown also toured the Pentagon and made several other appearances on behalf of the U.S. Army. Sampey spent the rest of her time working in her Suzuki dealership in Houma, La., and dedicating herself to physical fitness.

"I spend a lot of time training," said Sampey. "I'm into kickboxing, grappling, and one-on-one training. When I stick to a training regimen, I can really tell the difference when I'm at the track. All the travel and the long days don't take their toll on me as much as when I'm out of shape."

Sampey tested in Florida in January, when both she and Brown logged the first six-second runs on a Pro Stock Motorcycle, albeit unofficially.

"It was awesome to run in the sixes, even though it didn't count for anything," Sampey noted. "The weather was really great, so we knew we'd run fast, and when Antron and I both ran 7.0s on shutoff runs, we knew we could do it.

"This year, my focus is going to be on winning another championship," Sampey continued. "There's a lot of pressure that goes with racing for a championship. Thankfully, I've learned how to deal with it."

Another year, another top 10 finish for Antron Brown, who has never finished lower than seventh in seven full seasons of Pro Stock Motorcycle competition. Will this be the year that Brown finally makes a run at the title? He I certainly thinks so, especially after he and U.S. Army teammate Angelle Sampey ran sixes during preseason testing. The test session was not only a confidence builder for Brown and Sampey but also for new crew chief Steve Tartaglia, who took over after Mark Peiser left the team in January.

"We've had a lot of changes this winter, but they haven't slowed us down," said Brown. "Steve has spent a lot of time working on our engine program, and the rest of our crew has been working on our bikes."

During a January test in Florida, Brown ran the first six (albeit unofficially) with a 6.99, and Sampey ran a 6.97. All told, the Army bikes logged five six-second runs during the test.

"I'm pretty excited," said Brown. "I don't know what the V-Twins will do, but I believe we're going to have the top Suzuki team out there again. The rest is out of our hands."

In addition to testing and moving the team to the new Schumacher Racing complex in Indianapolis, Brown and Sampey made appearances on behalf of the U.S. Army.

"I love spending time with the soldiers," said Brown. "They thank us for supporting the Army, but not nearly as much as we thank them for what they're doing."

Shawn Gann will head into the 2005 season with "basically the same stuff he ran in 2004, but after winning two races, reaching the final at two others, and posting a fourth-place finish, he appears to have little to worry about.

Said Gann, whose engines are built by his father Blake, "I'm not sure how much anyone else has improved, but I'm not worried. I'm sure we'll be competitive."

The Gann team has also agreed to supply engines to North Carolina neighbor Angie McBride, who will return to the Pro Stock Motorcycle class with her own team after nearly a year on the sidelines.

"I've heard rumors that my dad was trading me for Angie and all kinds of wild stuff like that, but it's not true," said Gann. "We're not teammates or anything, but she is renting one of our engines. I'd definitely like to see her do well."

Since arriving on the Pro Stock Motorcycle scene in 2000, Gann has become known for his wild paint schemes and equally eccentric leathers. This year should be no exception as he's planning a paint scheme for his Suzuki TLlOOO that is similar to the snow camouflage look of Gary Scelzi's Mopar Stratus Funny Car. Gann has also ordered bright-tangerine leathers that are sure to make him stand out in a crowd.