Young Star Added to Team After Impressive Debut in 2022
Santa Fe Springs CA – January 23, 2023 - Vance & Hines today announced the members of the Vance & Hines/Mission/Suzuki NHRA ProStock Motorcycle (PSM) Team, which will feature four-time champion Eddie Krawiec and 29-year-old Gaige Herrera competing for the 2023 championship. The riders will be aboard Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycles. Six-time champion Andrew Hines returns as crew chief in 2023.
Andrew Hines is looking for redemption in 2023.
Gaige Herrera is a fourth-generation racer who has had success in XDA's Pro Street and Outlaw racing classes, with race wins in both classes earned over the past several years. Herrera is no stranger to fast bikes, having numerous runs in the 6.30’s over 200 MPH. He is a long time Suzuki rider, holding the record for the fastest Nitrous Suzuki Hayabusa in the country. He’s also familiar with great equipment, since he’s been a customer of Vance & Hines for the past five years.
In 2022, Herrera competed in six NHRA events, his first taste of NHRA PSM racing. He qualified in four of the six races he entered. Herrera impressed the Vance & Hines team when he rode Eddie Krawiec's Suzuki in a test following the Las Vegas round in October.
"This is such a tremendous opportunity," said Herrera. "I never expected to get a call with an invitation to join the Vance & Hines team, and when I told my dad (long time drag racing fixture Augustine Herrera), he was as excited as me."
"We love finding and supporting talented young riders," said Terry Vance, co-founder of Vance & Hines. "We have another guy on the team that we hired before he had ever qualified for an NHRA PSM race. That worked out really well."
New to the Vance & Hines Suzuki, Gaige Herrera is ready to take the Hayabusa to new heights.
“This will be my second year on the Suzuki Hayabusa and I’m ready for a big year for me and for the team,” said Krawiec.
Andrew Hines, a six-time NHRA PSM champion, leads the team as Crew Chief again this year. Andrew is the son of Vance & Hines co-founder Byron Hines and has notched 56 race wins in the PSM class.
"I watched Gaige's first run at the US Nationals and immediately knew this guy was something special, he’s a long-time Suzuki rider and it was easy to see how confident he was on the bike," said Andrew Hines. "I can't wait to help him develop into a championship level rider in PSM on one of our bikes."
After a rough 2022 season, Eddie Kraweic, wants to put the Hayabusa back on it's winning ways.
Suzuki continues its partnership with the Vance & Hines team and will have a significant presence at several of the stops on the 2023 schedule. The Suzuki display will host rider autograph signings at most races and Suzuki's 2023 motorcycles will be on display for race attendees.
“We’re happy to continue our relationship with the Vance & Hines squad for 2023,” said Kerry Graeber, Senior Vice President, Sales & Marketing at Suzuki. “We look to continue our shared history of success in NHRA drag racing and welcome Gaige to the team to pilot the legendary Hayabusa ProStock motorcycle alongside Eddie and crew chief Andrew.”
The 2022 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle season begins at the Gatornationals in Gainesville FL March 9-13, 2023. The PSM schedule includes 15 stops in 2023 with the finale at the In-N-Out Burger Finals in Pomona, California.
For the latest Suzuki team news, race reports, and information visit SuzukiCycles.com/Racing/Drag-Racing.
About Suzuki
Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automotive Parts, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit www.suzukicycles.com.
About Vance & Hines
The Vance & Hines brand has always been about enhancing the exhilaration of the motorcycle ride. It started over 40 years ago, when Terry Vance and Byron Hines were two young enthusiasts in the fledgling Southern California motorcycle drag race scene. Terry always wanted to go faster, and Byron knew how to make that happen. In short order, their on-track success and innovation drew the attention of other racers, riders and motorcycle manufacturers, which ultimately translated to commercial demand for their products and services. Today, the Company's mission and activity is the same; make bikes go faster on the racetrack and take those learnings to make impactful products for riders around the world. Since the Company's inception in 1979, it has run factory race programs in partnership with Suzuki, Yamaha, Ducati and Harley-Davidson in drag racing, road racing and flat track. Vance & Hines is based in Santa Fe Springs CA and has its Racing Development Center in Brownsburg IN. Learn more about the company's history and products at www.vanceandhines.com.