The NHRA’s Pro Stock Motorcycle 2019 season didn’t disappoint as the competition was fierce. In 2020, Pro Stock Motorcycle fans should be excited as this season could be the most competitive yet. Screamin’ Eagle Vance & Hines Harley-Davidson rider Andrew Hines will be looking to defend his championship for the sixth time in his career.
Pro Stock Motorcycle riders will have a grueling revised schedule that will be an 11 race schedule, five less than the normal 16 race schedule. However, riders will be thrown a bit of a curveball as they will be faced with three different challenges.
First, instead of four rounds of qualifying, they will also only have two opportunities to make the 16 bike field. This will put some added pressure on tuners and riders as any miscues could be costly.
Second is the weather conditions. You’re probably thinking, the weather, what does that have to do with anything?! Weather conditions play a significant part in the team’s ability to make proper adjustments based on the previous year’s data.
With the late start to the NHRA PSM season, riders and tuners will be faced with unusually warm temperatures than they would normally face if the season would have started as usual. The PSM Class will also race at a few new venues this year. Specifically, the Mopar Express Lane NHRA Spring Nationals in Houston as well as the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals in Bristol, TN.
Third, is the new four-valve head for the Suzuki motorcycles. Leading up to Gainesville, teams were trying to work out the bugs. Now with the delay, there could be a few in this weekend’s E3 Spark Plugs NHRA Nationals in Indianapolis. Will they generate more horsepower? Is the weight that the NHRA mandated for bikes that have the four-valve head enough to maintain even competition?
These new locations along with the added sense of urgency will add to the excitement surrounding the class and should make for excellent competition. With that in mind who should you keep an eye on in the 2020 season?
Below are three PSM riders to keep a close eye on this season:
1) Steve Johnson
After coming off of a 2018 season where Johnson had 11 first-round losses along with posting a losing round win record (7-16), the beginning of 2019 wouldn’t be any kinder. The six-time event winner struggled with consistency through the first six races posting a 1-6 round win/loss record along with failing to qualify for the Gatornationals.
Nevertheless, after a three-race hiatus, the Granada Hills, CA native began to improve in a major way. He qualified in the top five, six out of the last seven races with a win/loss record of 12-6. Johnson also made two final-round appearances along with two semi-finals over that span.
After a small break, it was evident that Johnson had found a solid combination that would enable him to be competitive again. If the Steve Johnson Racing Suzuki team can carry that momentum into week one of the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle season, he could be a strong player in the 2020 championship race.
2) Jerry Savoie
If you were to describe the performance of the White Alligator Racing team over the past two seasons in one word, it would be consistent. Savoie has been a major player in Pro Stock Motorcycle and has been a constant player in the countdown to the Championship.
The Louisiana native only participated in seven out of the ten races needed in 2019 to qualify for the countdown. Savoie was able to solidify his spot into the six-race Countdown to the Championship by winning the last race before the countdown the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Over the past two seasons, Savoie has been competing at a high level, amassing a win/loss record of 46-25, four event wins, and five runner up finishes. Savoie was a runner-up in the final points standings finishing 26 behind current champion Andrew Hines. Savioe should be considered a major contender for the 2020 Championship.
Savoie could be one of the few bikes to debut the four-valve cylinder head, making him a must-see for this weekend’s PSM season opener.
3) Matt Smith
Over the past three seasons, the Denso/Stockseth/MSR bike has been very methodical in their approach and has consistently improved posting a 78-40 round win lost record. Smith was also the 2018 NHRA PSM champion and was involved in a tight three-way battle for the championship in 2019 where he would finish third (46 behind current champion Andrew Hines) in the final points standings.
One of the things that stands out about Matt Smith is his attention to detail and he never rests on the merits of the previous year. Even with the Covid-19 pandemic delaying the start of their season. Smith continued to refine the bike.
“If everything is true in what we are seeing on the dyno, we should be pretty, pretty hateful this year,” Smith said in a conversation with NHRA’s Brian Lohnes via Skype. The Kings, NC native does a good job of being cautiously aggressive in his approach on the race track. With only 11 races and no countdown, it will be very intriguing to watch and see if Smith feels he can be a little more aggressive than normal.
Last season Smith posted a solid 10-4 round win/loss record during the countdown rounding out the season with two event wins, 6 semi-final appearances, and seven numbers on qualifiers.