Englishtown: Angelle Savoie sets national e.t. record

Angelle sets national e.t. record en route to No. 1 qualifying position in Englishtown.

After winning the most recent event in Atlanta, Angelle Savoie stated that the only piece missing from the CVEC Suzuki Racing team's near-perfect weekend was resetting the national elapsed time record. During qualifying for the Matco Tools NHRA SuperNationals in Englishtown, N.J., Savoie took care of this slight oversight while claiming her second No. 1 qualifying effort of the year, and first ever at legendary Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

After rain had washed out the second session on Friday afternoon, continued precipitation not only delayed activities on Saturday, but also brought with it a cold front. The reduced temperatures produced ideal conditions for the two-wheeled Pro Stock contingent and the CVEC crew took full advantage of. In their first run, Savoie was able to overcome a mechanical malfunction to maintain her position atop the field with a 7.112-second pass.

However, during the final qualifying session on Saturday afternoon, long-time rival Matt Hines threatened Angelle's hold on the No. 1 position with a strong 7.094-second pass. Just as she had under identical conditions in Atlanta two weeks ago, Angelle responded to Hines' challenge by scorching the Englishtown quarter-mile in 7.049 seconds. This not only secured the pole position, but also shattering the previous national elapsed time record by over four hundredths of a second.

"We actually had our vacuum pump break at the starting line on the 7.11, so we knew we were going to improve on the last run, but we weren't sure by how much. I knew it was a good run, but when they told me it was an '. 05, I started screaming in my helmet.

"It's good for the entire CVEC Suzuki team to have the record, but I'm not sure it's going to stay there, because there are several teams, including us, who have the power to go even quicker tomorrow under the right conditions. Hopefully, it will be sunny and very warm, with a headwind on the track.

"Right now we're contemplating whether or not we should change engines. We did that in Atlanta after an awesome run in qualifying, and I thought George (team owner Bryce) was crazy, but it worked out, so now we're debating what we're going to do. After putting that much pressure on the engine, you don't want to risk breaking it like we did in the first round in Houston. George has assured me it's just as good, if not better, so we'll see what happens.

"If it stays cool and overcast like it was today, and gets a little drier, I think a six-second run is possible. My run tonight wasn't quite perfect, I had to work to keep I it the grove, so it could have been an '.03. George also said it was a little lean, so if we fix that, we could run even better. It's possible - we'll just have to wait and see. Mickey Thompson has that $10,000 for the first Pro Stock Motorcycle to do it, and we certainly want it to be the CVEC Racing Suzuki."

Fast Facts:

- This is Angelle's 26th career No. 1 qualifying performance (second of 2002) and first ever at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park.

- This is the 58th No. 1 for the Star Racing Team.

- Angelle will be looking to score her fourth win in Englishtown, having won this event in three consecutive years from 1998-2000

- Angelle's overall elimination record at Englishtown is an impressive 15-2.

- Team owner George Bryce and Star Racing have seven victories and two runner-up finishes at the Matco Tools SuperNationals.

- Angelle has now qualified in the top half of the elimination ladder (eighth or better) at every one of the 80 races in which she has competed in her Pro Stock Motorcycle career.

- Angelle has not suffered a first-round setback since August 22, 1999 at Brainerd, Minn. That span of 37 races represents the longest current streak in NHRA POWERade Drag Racing, and is only three behind the all-time mark set by Bob Glidden.

- Angelle will be looking to score her 11th win from the No. 1 position, having last accomplished the feat in Atlanta two weeks ago. Angelle will also be looking to win back-to-back races for the sixth time in her career.

-sr/cvec-