BREA, CA – November 20, 2024 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Gaige Herrera piloted his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki Gen 3 Hayabusa to his second consecutive NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world championship during the In-N-Out Burger NHRA Finals at the Pomona Dragstrip in Pomona, CA, on Sunday.
Race Highlights:
- Gaige Herrera qualified third and won his second consecutive Pro Stock Motorcycle world championship at the NHRA Finals
- • Richard Gadson qualified fourth, advanced to the second round of eliminations, and ended the season third in the championship standings
Herrera qualified third with a 6.765-second/201.22 mph pass in a truncated qualifying format that was reduced to two sessions on Saturday after rain showers forced the cancelation of Friday’s sessions. Herrera’s 123-point pre-race lead over Matt Smith, the only other competitor in championship contention, was reduced to 119 points after qualifying bonus points were factored in, leaving him one point shy of clinching the championship. With a maximum of 120 points available in the elimination rounds, Herrera entered race day needing only a win in the first round to clinch the championship.
Herrera’s win in round one secured him the win of the World Championship by giving him a points lead that none of the riders in the field would be able to close.
With an emphatic 6.779-second/200.00 mph victory over Clayton Howey (7.014 seconds/184.04 mph) in round one, Herrera earned the 2024 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world championship and become a two-time champion in only his second full season in the class.
In round two, Herrera defeated Chase Van Sant (6.815 seconds/197.77 mph) with a 6.779-second/200.08 mph run. Herrera picked up his 100th career round win by defeating Angie Smith (6.762 seconds/201.31 mph) on a holeshot in the semi-finals, running 6.765 seconds at 199.86 mph to advance to his 12th final round of the season and 24th of his career.
Herrera left the starting line first in his final round matchup against Matt Smith (6.705 seconds/202.12 mph), but his 6.722-second/201.91 mph run wasn’t quick enough to overcome the championship runner-up. Herrera ended his championship season with 10 wins in 12 final-round appearances and a remarkable 50-5 round-win record.
Herrera’s second championship capped a record-setting season in which he also broke long-standing NHRA records for most consecutive race wins (11, spanning the 2023 and 2024 seasons) and most consecutive…
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