Madison: Angelle Savoie Friday summary

Angelle shatters Gateway track record, sits No. 1 on Friday in St. Louis.

On the strength of two impressive runs, Angelle Savoie and the CVEC Suzuki Racing Team placed themselves in the No. 1 position during the opening day of qualifying for the Sears Craftsman NHRA Nationals in Madison, Ill. Angelle shattered the Gateway International Raceway Pro Stock Motorcycle elapsed time record on her first attempt, blasting down the quarter-mile in 7.174 seconds with a top speed of 184.90 mph, eclipsing the previous mark by nearly three hundredths of a second.

She then came back in the her evening run to post an even quicker 7.171 second time with a top speed 187.05 mph, shaving another three thousandths of a second off her own record. This marks the fifth consecutive race where the CVEC Suzuki will enter Saturday's final sessions in the No. 1 position.

"The track is awesome. I have to give credit to the people here at Gateway, it's a very flat, even and smooth surface, allowing me to go perfectly straight on both runs. On a very smooth surface, it's easy to shift on time, it's easy to hold the throttle wide open, and easy to get tucked in. Both lanes are really good, and I don't even know which one I prefer.

"Of course, I expected us to run well, because George (team owner Bryce) and the Star Racing team are incredible in the heat. He told me that the problems we had with the bike in Columbus were fixed, and the CVEC Suzuki ran really well today. I'm also racing with a new helmet this weekend that I love, so all the way around I'm having a lot of fun."

-sr-