Treble Hits the Books in Madison
 

Madison, Ill. – Pre Race:

At nearly the halfway point in the 2005 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle POWERade season, Craig Treble believes the Matco Tools / Lucas Oil Suzuki team has the power, the experience, and the resources needed to win at the 9th annual Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals at Gateway International Raceway.

 The one piece of the puzzle the team may be missing is one that Treble hopes to uncover by studying recently collected data, along with last year’s information from racing in Madison where he earned a runner-up finish.

 “I think we are really close to having a good set-up for the weather we’ll see here this weekend,” said Treble. “The trick is to combine our runs from last season on this bike, with the information we have gathered since we changed to our new ignition system.”

 The search for a baseline in which to tune from will be the key to a successful weekend for the Matco Tools / Lucas Oil Suzuki team. That, and a good sense of humor.

 “The real trick to winning this race will be if my teammates Mike and Harry can keep me away from helping tune the bike. After my bad call last race, they need to throw a straightjacket over me to keep me out of their way. I told them it better be made of Kevlar, because I will likely chew through anything else.”

Treble Qualifies Eighth in Madison
 

 Madison, Ill. – Qualifying Pit Note:

Although the numbers are deceiving, Craig Treble used his second best qualifying run to secure the No. 8 position in Pro Stock Motorcycle at the 9th annual Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals at Gateway International Raceway.

 “Of the four qualifying attempts, our third run was by far the best, until the last shift,” said Treble. “We were fast early, then the chain broke and we coasted through the finish line. The incremental numbers show that we could have been as good as third best of the session.”

 The Matco Tools / Lucas Oil Suzuki used its other quick pass, a 7.197/187.47 at MPH from the opening session Friday, to make the tough sixteen bike field anchored by Andrew Hines’s 7.114 second, 186.72 MPH run from one of the Vance & Hines V-Rods.

 “We snuck up on a tune-up for our third qualifying attempt on Saturday evening, and the whole team is confident that if we can reproduce that run again, we may go some rounds on Sunday,” said Treble.

 Round one opponent Shawn Gann who qualified 9th, will be going for his 100th round win of his professional career, something Treble plans on sending the North Carolina rider home without.

 “I know Shawn is looking for No. 100 here in Madison, but I will be up late tonight working over the Matco Tools / Lucas Oil Suzuki, and I hope it pays off with a round win or two on Sunday.”

Treble Pleased with Madison Event
 

Madison, Ill. – Post Race: 

A second round exit for Craig Treble at the 9th annual Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals at Gateway International Raceway, leaves the Matco Tools rider pleased with the team’s performance, but with a real desire to qualify a few notches higher at the next event.

 “We were stopped in round two by top qualifier and defending NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle series champion Andrew Hines,” said Treble. “If we qualify even one spot higher we stay away from the No. 1 guy until later in the race.”

 The Matco Tools / Lucas Oil Suzuki team missed an opportunity during qualifying to secure a top spot when a broken chain ruined their best potential run of the event, and left the team short of information heading into eliminations.

  “We got behind the 8-ball after that pass,” said Treble. “Our tune-up is real close to being predictable round to round, but losing any runs to breakage leaves us short of data we need on race day.”

 Treble started eliminations with a win over red-lighting Shawn Gann in round one; using a 7.306 second 183.49 MPH pass to earn a round two pairing against Hines.

 “Our round one pass was way off, but it was a round win I’ll take,” said Treble. “The guy with the helmet on accidentally moved the launch RPM down, and it almost cost us.”

 Against Hines in round two, the Matco Tools / Lucas Oil Suzuki was again back on track performance wise, but the Vance & Hines V-Rod dominated like it did in qualifying, laying down the quickest pass of the four winning riders that round.

 “We had a good 7.255 @ 185.46 against Andrew, and we are pretty happy with that run,” said Treble. “Harry and Mike have a handle on the motorcycle now so we just need to get back out there and go racing.”

Madison Photos 2005