NHRA: Treble emerges as new threat in Pro Stock Motorcycles category
15 September 1999
MOHNTON, Pa. - Craig Treble is a first-timer and proud of it. Last month in Brainerd, Minn., the energetic Pro Stock Motorcycle rider from Chandler, Ariz. joined Antron Brown as a 1999 breakthrough winner in the two-wheel category, etching his name alongside many of his heroes.The Team Scream Suzuki rider conquered the 16-bike field from the No. 7 qualifying position, becoming the fifth different winner this season. Before the weekend in Minnesota, Treble was sometimes lost amid the large cluster of riders seeking the spotlight shared by the trio racing for the Winston championship - Angelle Seeling, Matt Hines and Brown.
Treble, who qualified No. 3 at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis before being eliminated by a quicker-reacting Tony Mullen in the second round, has a newfound confidence following his winning performance. He hopes to find more success at the 15th annual True Value NHRA Keystone Nationals, Sept. 16-19, at Maple Grove Raceway. The $1.6 million race is the 11th of 14 events for Pro Stock Motorcycles in the $40 million NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series.
"It's been huge since the win," Treble said. "We went into the Brainerd event with a brand new bike, with fair expectations and we came out a winner. It's not like I overpowered anyone -- a lot of things fell our way. It was pretty exciting. You usually see the same faces in the winner's circle; I'm glad for once that it was my face up there taking that trophy."
Treble recently gained ownership of his racing operation from Bob and Cherly Read. With ownership he made some changes. He now buys engines from Byron Hines and gets some consulting help for tuning his bike from competitor John Smith of Anoka-Ramsey Racing. He says those moves have been key in his recent emergence.
He says his team, which consists of wife/crew chief Chris and crew member Calvin Aswege, feels confident about their chances heading into the historic event in northeastern Pennsylvania.
"We qualified the best ever at Indy and the bike has been working excellent," Treble said. "We're excited about going to Reading, but we're looking at it as just another race and we'll approach it like we do all of 'em. We don't have any high expectations - we're just going to do our normal deal and hope things fall our way."
Before turning professional, Treble competed in high-dollar bracket races and NHRA Federal-Mogul Series events on the West Coast. He's enjoyed the transition to touring the NHRA Winston Drag Racing Series schedule for bikes.
"I've never been to Reading before, but I hear it's a fast track," Treble said. "I'm looking forward to racing there. We ran 7.30s at Indy, so we should probably be running 7.20s at Maple Grove. That's going to be fun, because I've never been in the 20s before."
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