Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Savoie gets another chance to extend her streak

Thursday, Feb. 6, 2003 | 10:01 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Angelle Savoie will get the opportunity to compete for a fourth consecutive NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle championship after all.

Two days after announcing that Savoie's team, Star Racing, was folding, Savoie announced that she was joining Antron Brown's Team 23 Racing.

Although rivals on the track, Brown is married to Savoie's cousin. Brown said Savoie called him when she learned that Star Racing was shutting down.

"This all came up very quickly so there are still many details for us to iron out but the bottom line is it looks like we'll be in Gainesville with two bikes," Brown told National Dragster magazine.

"I'm very excited. Angelle and I always bring out the best in each other when we race and I'm sure we will continue to do so. Our team has always been like one big family and now Angelle is part of that family."

Savoie has captured the past three Pro Stock Motorcycle championships; Brown finished runner-up in 2001 and fourth last season.

While the 2003 NHRA Powerade Drag Racing Series season gets under way Friday in Pomona, Calif., the first event for the Pro Stock bikes is the March 13-16 Gatornationals in Gainesville, Fla.

Dixon won the Winternationals a year ago en route to a nine-win season -- but Sunday's elimination rounds weren't without some nervous moments.

"I look back at last year's Winternationals and we smoked the tires (in the) first round and should have lost but we were lucky enough that I got down the track better than (Darrell Russell) and we ended up winning," Dixon said.

"Who knew at the time that we would go on to reach 10 out of the first 11 finals after that? That might not have happened right from the get-go; we could have lost that first round and who knows what that does for your momentum. All I know is that we wound up winning that race and the season worked out pretty well. Obviously, we would like to start out that way again this weekend."

"Motorcycle Madness," a five-event series that will debut April 12, is patterned after the venue's highly successful "Midnight Madness" program for street-legal cars.

"The illegal street racing of sport motorcycles has increased dramatically in recent years and, with new movies glamorizing this activity, we expect it to become a major problem this summer," said Chris Blair, LVMS' director of drag racing operations.

"We hope this new program will do for motorcycles what Midnight Mayhem did for sport compact cars by getting them off the street and onto The Strip."

"Motorcycle Madness" is scheduled for April 12, May 10, June 14, July 12 and Sept. 20. Riders must be at least 18 years of age with a valid driver's license and proof of insurance. Bikes must be street legal and ridden to the track.

Additional information, including required safety gear, can be found at www.lvms.com