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WINNING IS A HABIT FOR SCREAMIN’ EAGLE®/VANCE & HINES TEAM

SETeamLogoTeam to Debut New Four-Valve/Overhead Cam V-Twin Engine for 2009 Season

The Screamin’ Eagle® / Vance & Hines team brings a tradition of championship-winning performance to the Pro Stock Motorcycle division of the 2009 National Hot Rod Association® Full Throttle Drag Racing Series. In 2008 the Screamin’ Eagle / Vance & Hines team earned its fourth NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle title in five seasons, as rider Eddie Krawiec rode a Harley-Davidson® V-Rod® to win his first NHRA championship.

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“It’s going to be great to be back racing with that Number 1 on the wheelie bar of the Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod,” said Screamin’ Eagle / Vance & Hines team owner Byron Hines. “This is a team that races with clarity and confidence. We are out to win our fair share of events and be in position to contend for another championship for 2009.”

In 2009 the Screamin’ Eagle / Vance & Hines team will debut a new fuel-injected V-Twin engine with four-valve cylinder heads and dual overhead camshafts. The new engine is a response to a change in the Pro Stock Motorcycle rules, and will replace the two-valve/pushrod EFI V-Twin the team has used since 2002. The team will also make subtle changes to the V-Rod motorcycle chassis to accommodate the new engine.

“We have been developing this engine since last year,” said Byron Hines. “It uses the same bottom end as our previous engine, but has new cylinders, pistons and connecting rods to work with the new heads. For now this new engine will allow us to make competitive power with less stress on the engine. The new engine should be more durable and require less maintenance, and give our riders more confidence when they bring the bike to the line.”

Creating a V-Twin Challenger
Harley-Davidson and Vance & Hines Motorsports created the Screamin’ Eagle / Vance & Hines team in 2002 to compete in the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle division, and to develop a drag-racing motorcycle powered by a V-Twin engine to challenge the dominance of four-cylinder engines in NHRA competition. In 2004 the team won the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle world championship as Andrew Hines won three races and, at age 21, became the youngest professional champion in NHRA history. It was also the first NHRA title won by a V-Twin-powered motorcycle. Andrew Hines went on to ride a Screamin’ Eagle / Vance & Hines V-Rod to the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle championship again in 2005 and 2006. Krawiec joined the team in 2007, and in 2008 became only the second racer in NHRA history to earn a national title without winning a national event during that racing season. Krawiec qualified seventh for the five-race Pro Stock Motorcycle Countdown to One playoff, and then won 14 of 20 possible Countdown rounds to clinch the championship during the semi-final round of the season’s final event in Pomona, Calif.

A Team of Champions
Based in Indianapolis, Ind., the Screamin’ Eagle / Vance & Hines team is lead by Vance & Hines Motorsports owners Byron Hines and Terry Vance. The duo began racing together in 1972. With Hines as crew chief and Vance riding, they became a dominant team in national Pro Stock and Top Fuel motorcycle drag racing, earning 24 NHRA national victories before Vance retired from competition in 1988. Matt Hines, the older son of Byron, returned the team to drag-racing prominence, earning 30 NHRA event wins and 44 number-one qualifying awards in eight seasons. Matt Hines was the first NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle racer to win the championship in three consecutive seasons (1997-’99). Matt Hines retired from racing in 2003 to become assistant crew chief for the Screamin’ Eagle / Vance and Hines team. Today, Matt Hines brings his competition experience to his role as crew chief of the Screamin’ Eagle / Vance & Hines team, making race-day tuning decisions and advising the team riders. Byron Hines leads engineering, development and tuning efforts for the team. The Vance & Hines organization has won 11 professional motorcycle drag racing titles.

In 2009 the Screamin’ Eagle / Vance & Hines team will defend its NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle title with riders Andrew Hines and defending NHRA champion Eddie Krawiec.

andrew_hines_s05 Andrew Hines will turn 26 on May 25, 2009. Since making his professional debut in 2002, Hines has 15 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle event wins and has won the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle championship three times. He is also a three-time winner (2004, 2006-’07) of the Ringers Glove Pro Bike Battle bonus event. In 2008 Hines won two NHRA events and made three other final-round appearances. He was also the No. 2 qualifier for the Countdown to One playoffs and finished the season points race in fourth place.

eddie_krawiec_s05 Eddie Krawiec is 33 years old. He started motorcycle drag racing in 1999 and had nine wins in the AMA Pro Star series. He made his NHRA debut in 2004. In 2008 he won the Ringers Glove Pro Bike Battle bonus event at Indianapolis, qualified seventh for the Countdown to One playoffs, and won the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle championship.

The 2009 Pro Stock Motorcycle season schedule includes 17 events on the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series, beginning at the NHRA AC Delco Gatornationals March 12-15 in Gainesville, Fla., and ending November 12-15 with the Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif.

Screamin’ Eagle Performance Parts are inspired by and built in the spirit of the raw adrenaline and power of motorcycle racing. Screamin’ Eagle Pro parts are specifically designed for race-use applications, while Screamin’ Eagle parts offer street-use performance options for the Harley-Davidson motorcycle owner. Visit www.harley-davidson.com for more information.

The Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines Pro Stock Motorcycle team is sponsored by Ford Truck, Dunlop, Matco Tools and S100.

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