HINES VICTORY AT ROUTE 66 KEEPS HARLEY WIN STREAK ALIVE

Second Win for Hines is Fifth in a Row for Screamin’ Eagle^® Team in 2012

The Harley-Davidson Screamin Eagle/Vance & Hines team remains undefeated in 2012 as rider

Andrew Hines rode his Harley-Davidson V-Rod to the Pro Stock Motorcycle win at the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Raceway. The win is the second for Hines in 2012 and the fifth in a row for the team in five events this season. Hines defeated GT Racing Suzuki rider LE Tonglet in the final.

“I was really feeling the pressure when we went to line for the final round,” said Hines. “I wanted to win because this is the closest race to Harley-Davidson headquarters in Milwaukee and we had a lot of fans down here. And we’ve never had a winning streak like this before, undefeated this season and really seven in a row going back to last season. That’s really special and I don’t want this moment to end.”

Hines qualified his Screamin’ Eagle Harley-Davidson V-Rod in second position with an Elapsed Time of 6.917 seconds. Krawiec qualified the team’s other V-Rod fourth at 6.941 seconds. Lucas Oil Buell rider Hector Arana Sr. was the top qualifier at 6.884 seconds.

Hines moved through the elimination rounds with a win over Sovereign-Star Racing Buell rider Scott Pollacheck in round one, an automatic win in round two when Kuryakyn Buell rider Chip Ellis fouled at the start, and a win over Hector Arana Jr. on a Lucas Oil Buell in the semi-final round.

Tonglet had won the last two events at Route 66 and had won 11 consecutive elimination rounds at the track. But the Suzuki rider went for a quick light and left the starting line 0.004 seconds early to hand Hines the automatic win and his 27th career final-round victory.

“I had the performance advantage on him, so I’m sure he was trying to cut a good light,” said Hines. “After the last race I re-wired my V-Rod because we thought there was an electrical issue, and we had a chance to test both bikes. We’ve got a pair of strong-running Harley-Davidson motorcycles right now.”

Krawiec opened Sunday’s rain-delayed elimination rounds with a win over Matt Guidera on the Harley-Davidson of Folsom Buell. Krawiec lost in round two on a holeshot to Tonglet, who used a 0.022-second reaction time and a 6.993 ET to beat Krawiec’s 0.048/6.971 run by just 0.0047 seconds.

“The track was good today but a little tricky, and we had to pull a little clutch out of my bike,” said Krawiec. “When we do that I find it’s harder to hit the tree, so my reaction times were not where I wanted to be today. I really just lost a good drag race to Tonglet.”

Krawiec retains the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle points lead, leaving Route 66 with 522 points. Hines remains in second place with 447 points.  Arana Sr. moves up to third place with 383 points, followed by Arana Jr. with 381 points. Tonglet is fifth with 292 points.

The Pro Stock Motorcycles will be in action again on July 5-8 at the 6th Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals atSummit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, Ohio.

HARLEY-DAVIDSON MOTOR COMPANY EXTENDS OFFICIAL STATUS, NAMING RIGHTS OF SPORTSMAN MOTORCYCLE SERIES THROUGH 2016

With the Harley-Davidson Museum® in downtown Milwaukee as a backdrop, hundreds of motorcycle enthusiasts in the audience, and the Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle®/Vance & Hines Pro Stock Motorcycle team in attendance, NHRA officials announced today that the Harley-Davidson Motor Company has extended both its official program with NHRA and its title sponsorship of the NHRA Harley-Davidson Sportsman Motorcycle Series through the 2016 season.

“This relationship began in 2006 and this extension represents the strength of the partnership between two iconic American brands: NHRA and Harley-Davidson,” said Tom Compton, president, NHRA. “We are excited to extend this sponsorship through the 2016 season and appreciate everything the Harley-Davidson Motor Company has done and will continue to do to build and grow NHRA.”

The Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines Pro Stock Motorcycle team first entered NHRA competition aboard Harley-Davidson V-Rod® in 2004, and has since claimed five NHRA Full Throttle world championships, including three consecutive with rider Andrew Hines (2004-’06) and two titles with Eddie Krawiec (2008, 2011).

“This relationship between Harley-Davidson and the NHRA has been rewarding at all levels,” said Harley-Davidson Racing Manager Kris Schoonover, “from the team’s success on the track to our interaction with the many Harley-Davidson riders and fans who attend every NHRA event, Harley-Davidson and drag racing really work well together, and the company is pleased to extend this partnership.”

This extension continues the all-encompassing involvement of Harley-Davidson with NHRA at a number of levels, including the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series and NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. As the official motorcycle of NHRA, Harley-Davidson has an extensive presence on-site at NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events as well as in the ESPN2/ESPN2HD broadcasts.

One of the more popular elements on-site at each event in NHRA’s Nitro Alley is the Harley-Davidson display, which provides fans with the opportunity to see the latest Harley-Davidson motorcycles and enjoy many interactive elements. The company also will continue its motorcycle giveaway promotion in conjunction with NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series events and maintain entitlement of the NHRA Harley-Davidson Sportsman Motorcycle Series.

The NHRA Harley-Davidson Sportsman Motorcycle Series is contested in four of NHRA’s seven divisions within the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series. The sponsorship provides Harley-Davidson with the opportunity to extend its brand across the country through NHRA’s sportsman racing community.

Harley-Davidson Motor Company produces heavyweight custom, cruiser and touring motorcycles and offers a complete line of Harley-Davidson motorcycle parts, accessories, riding gear and apparel, and general merchandise.  For more information, visitwww.harley-davidson.com.