Angelle and the CVEC Suzuki use a dominant
performance to score in Joliet
CVEC Racing Report
Post Race Wrap-Up
Contact: Jon Knapp
(704) 662-3121
J2Racing@aol.com
Angelle and the CVEC Suzuki use a dominant performance to score their first
win at Route 66 Raceway
Event: 5th Annual Chicagoland Dodge Dealers NHRA Nationals
Location: Route 66 Raceway, Joliet, IL
Date: June 2, 2002
Angelle Savoie and the CVEC Suzuki Racing Team scored a dominating win at
this weekend's Chicagoland Dodge Dealers NHRA Nationals in Joliet, Illinois.
This was their second victory in 2002, and first at Route 66 Raceway
following runner-up finishes in 1998 and 2001.
Facing Antron Brown in the final, Angelle narrowly won the starting line
battle with a .405 reaction time to edge her rival's equally impressive .408
light. From that point forward the outcome was never in doubt as the bright
orange, blue and white Suzuki rocketed down the Joliet track in 7.139
seconds, which was the quickest pass of the weekend, to claim the victory.
"I knew Antron was going to be tough in the final, so I tried really hard to
cut a great light and I did. That .405 was the best that was going to come
out of me, and I was happy to have it. From there, I shifted on time,
everything was so smooth, and the horsepower was awesome, pulling all the way
down the track. Star Racing keep giving me an awesome motorcycle and I love
to ride it."
Since unveiling their new sponsor's colors in Atlanta three races ago, the
Star Racing entry has been the dominant bike in Pro Stock Motorcycle, and
this trend continued in Joliet. From the second qualifying session forward,
the CVEC Suzuki was never headed. Capturing the No.1 qualifying position
with a 7.146-second run on Saturday morning, Angelle entered eliminations as
the only competitor to post an elapsed time in the 7.1-second range.
Despite having an apparent performance edge on their competitors, Angelle and
the CVEC crew knew it would take a near-perfect performance to take home the
Route 66 trophy. In the first round, Angelle nearly duplicated her
qualifying effort in defeating Fred Camarena, while combining a stellar .405
reaction time with a class-leading 7.189-second effort in the second round to
shelve John Smith. Finally, Angelle outdistanced long-time rival Matt Hines
in the semi-finals with a 7.158-second, 184.22 mph blast to reach her third
final of the 2002 season.
"These races are not easy to win. Even though I have an awesome bike, these
races come down to the driver's performance. You have to work really hard to
beat these guys who are cutting .400 lights, so it makes it exciting when you
do win.
"This weekend, I was really focused on doing a good job. After that .471
light in the first round, I knew I had to improve, so I concentrated and had
a couple .405s and a .428 after that. The way I see it, this CVEC Suzuki team
has won when they get to the track, and it's up to me to get the job done,
and today we did."
Angelle also spoke about scoring her first win at Route 66 Raceway.
"I knew this was one of a couple tracks where we hadn't won, and I really
wanted to win here. It was also important because this is the home track for
one of our sponsors, Snap-On Tools, and we wanted to do it for them. Winning
was both my goal and my motivation coming into this race, and it feels really
good to get Star Racing's first win here with our CVEC Suzuki."
Fast Facts:
- This is the 24th win of Angelle's career (and second of the 2002 season)
and first at Route 66 Raceway.
- Angelle's 24 wins are the most by a female competitor in NHRA history,
and tie her for 15th on the all-time win list with Terry Vance.
- Angelle's 7.139-second elapsed time in the final round was the quickest
in Pro Stock Motorcycle for the weekend, marking the 22nd time she has
accomplished this feat.
- Angelle had the quickest elapsed time in each qualifying session except
one and elimination round for Pro Stock Motorcycle this weekend, and was the
only bike to record an elapsed time in the 7.1-second range.
- Angelle had led the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle standings following 36 of
the last 47 national events, dating back to the beginning of the 1999 season.
She has been ranked first or second an amazing 53 of the last 57 events,
dating back to the fourth event of 1998.
- This is the 12th time Angelle has won from the No. 1 qualifying position.
- Angelle has won 19 of her last 48 national event starts, has appeared in
26 final rounds and owns a 131-30 (.814) elimination round win record during
that span. She has also recorded 19 low qualifier efforts during that span.
- Angelle's .773 (194-57) elimination- round win percentage ranks second
among all active drivers, trailing only Matt Hines.
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