Victory Motorcycles rider Matt Smith scores huge upset win in Pro Bike Battle opener
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Contact: Rob Geiger (832) 971-9345 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Victory Motorcycles rider Matt Smith scores huge upset win in Pro Bike Battle opener ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SONOMA, Calif. (July 30) -- A few weeks ago, Victory Motorcycles rider Matt Smith was just hoping to make the field of the prestigious Pro Bike Battle. Saturday during qualifying action for the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals, Smith pulled off the upset of the day, beating higher-ranked rider Jerry Savoie in the opening round of the Battle thanks to a huge holeshot. On top of that, Smith qualified sixth overall in what turned out to be the quickest Pro Stock Motorcycle field ever assembled. Without the advantage of lane choice against Savoie in the Pro Bike Battle, Smith knew he needed an edge at the starting line to have a good chance of winning their tilt. When the lights flashed he did much better than that, launching a massive .093-second ahead of the third-ranked Savoie, literally leaving him in his dust. Savoie put up a game chase, but his 6.827 at 196.64 mph wasn't enough to catch Smith's 6.844 at 193.54 mph. The final margin of victory was .0768-second, a giant gap in drag racing. "Considering Jerry was the No. 1 qualifier going into the deal today, we knew we had to step it up," Smith said. "We made some changes to the tune-up and it responded. We went .84, he went .82, and we left on him by like a tenth." The Pro Bike Battle semifinals started well once again for Smith as he gained .021-second on Andrew Hines at the start, but he had trouble shifting into 2nd gear, and Hines was able to get around him and streak away for the win. Smith still was pleased with his final-four run in the invitation-only special event. "We knew we had Andrew, so we decided to throw the kitchen sink at it," Smith said. "The little tune-up change we did when we raced Jerry went the right way, so I said let's go more with it, and I really feel that if it would have just shifted we would be in the finals of the Battle. We had four-hundredths going past the Tree on him. It just didn't shift, and that was it for me. It just wasn't meant to be. "This Victory Gunner is fast and all these little bugs we've got that pop up every now and then, if we could just get them to quit popping up, we'd be alright." In regular qualifying, Smith kept his Victory in the top half of the field, marking the fourth time in eight races this year he'll start Sunday on the favored side of the elimination ladder. His 6.819 at 196.82 mph from Round 4 Saturday afternoon ended up being his run of record for the Toyota NHRA Sonoma Nationals. "This racing right now in Pro Stock Motorcycle, it's so tight from the No. 1 spot to the No. 9 or 10 spot, and you've gotta make a perfect run just to be in the top half of the field," Smith said. "You really can't have any mistakes and expect to be in the show right now. "Thanks to Victory for our Gunner and to Lucas Oil, Mark Stockseth, Kenny Koretsky with Nitro Fish, all the people who help us. We've got a good bike; we just have to get rid of the bugs and we'll be winning again." Pro Stock Motorcycle eliminations start around noon, Sunday. FOX will carry the action live from 1 to 4 p.m. PT, Sunday. Victory Motorcycles rider Matt Smith pulled off the upset of the day, beating higher-ranked rider Jerry Savoie in the opening round of the Pro Bike Battle thanks to a huge holeshot. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ --30-- Visit VictoryMotorcycles.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001scy4q_lW4iAEcdju6YpNHZgVuqECytLhGev7DGd9iXyUAm1vG4JgxGKQ4lRWkhHGn4fWEVmXn4brrJgEkYyhLXeBfX156O0NsfohPPsEIV9jifs-D5igS2NxYibbrzo_N5avd5Zxu7OzyP1CY5EVcu5Zb1yF9eOlxISC3v6J_GvhcT1AzU0OTuJeN8d61_5F&c=vfzuuLCuSk4yonGbaPONJSPp4YQTg5WGcCxEE5mdEf6on7JaLrCv1w==&ch=TpXIuNMBR63Uc_LRvjTqXIizTlLKuBhaKrAh7EeyVD-ci0HcTntGzg==], LucasOil.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001scy4q_lW4iAEcdju6YpNHZgVuqECytLhGev7DGd9iXyUAm1vG4JgxJ7iVgbE9oo3wTC-v0RzxvnjDTU6eDvR3hqdJESalLKlKwQgc5A5BahP7lXGMtGykb57Daaw8AJLG3TgnBAkwWOKDcoEHzuM12Zj85IboqH1aDHCy1Uwc5k=&c=vfzuuLCuSk4yonGbaPONJSPp4YQTg5WGcCxEE5mdEf6on7JaLrCv1w==&ch=TpXIuNMBR63Uc_LRvjTqXIizTlLKuBhaKrAh7EeyVD-ci0HcTntGzg==], NitroFish.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001scy4q_lW4iAEcdju6YpNHZgVuqECytLhGev7DGd9iXyUAm1vG4JgxCz3BS7NfSjaBFvB1JtNAucu45Sn6VOWcKLm8gHqlih1pAEMLleV7_XcHw3H_VO9LZ6BHpHIvUnqrtq723iHhJs_n4Xu9n9BXVE7-mro_SUTgHS2chql-S0=&c=vfzuuLCuSk4yonGbaPONJSPp4YQTg5WGcCxEE5mdEf6on7JaLrCv1w==&ch=TpXIuNMBR63Uc_LRvjTqXIizTlLKuBhaKrAh7EeyVD-ci0HcTntGzg==], and GeigerMediaGlobal.com [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001scy4q_lW4iAEcdju6YpNHZgVuqECytLhGev7DGd9iXyUAm1vG4JgxLjMlZ0XHkNRG1fkTiFyMcKKad140vMlLd8bqjO8CZyz_mWpVHeOqorzhtjoxqwhVLlNOQCnAnidsszsSQyY0Ti1kGUmJoova-nv2MI64veToNL5Pl7argqC1TnaRJwHaQ==&c=vfzuuLCuSk4yonGbaPONJSPp4YQTg5WGcCxEE5mdEf6on7JaLrCv1w==&ch=TpXIuNMBR63Uc_LRvjTqXIizTlLKuBhaKrAh7EeyVD-ci0HcTntGzg==] for more information. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Forward this email http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?llr=uiezvfkab&m=1110439661844&ea=$submit@theautochannel.com$&a=1125436242315 This email was sent to submit@theautochannel.com by rob@geigermediaglobal.com. 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