Andrew Hines Takes New Role in Restructured Vance & Hines/Mission Foods/Suzuki NHRA PSM Team

Sampey and Krawiec to Ride Four-Valve Suzuki Motorcycles

SANTA FE SPRINGS, CA – February 8, 2022 – (Motor Sports NewsWire) – Vance & Hines today announced details of its 2022 campaign to earn the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle championship, with a trio of former NHRA champions leading the charge. Andrew Hines will step up to the role of full-time Crew Chief for the team and Angelle Sampey and Eddie Krawiec will each campaign Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycles with Vance & Hines four-valve Suzuki motors.

The company recently announced a strategic partnership with Suzuki which will task Vance & Hines with operating the Suzuki Racing Team for NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle racing. Suzuki and Vance & Hines have a long history of NHRA success, with seven NHRA PSM championships under their belts.

Andrew is a six-time NHRA PSM champion with a class leading 56 national event victories and is son of Vance & Hines co-founder Byron Hines. He has raced and worked full time for Vance & Hines since 2000, but spent his childhood at racetracks and in race shops as well.

“Being Crew Chief will be a clear advantage for the team and me,” said Hines. “My experience on the seat for two decades, along with great feedback from our riders, will factor in to how I make tuning decisions for the team. I’m excited to be 100% focused on the bikes, Angelle and Eddie. Winning the championship is our goal and this new approach makes us a stronger team.”

Angelle Sampey is the winningest female in NHRA racing and all of motorsports with 45 wins to her credit. She was NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle champion three times (2000, 2001 and 2002). Sampey joined Vance & Hines in 2019, and in 2021 Angelle competed on a Vance & Hines Suzuki notching two wins. She also reset Suzuki’s all-time best speed of 202.03mph in Charlotte and finished second-place in the NHRA Countdown to the Championship.

Eddie Krawiec, a four-time champion (2008, 2011, 2012, 2017), has accumulated 49 NHRA PSM wins. He’s been on the Vance & Hines team since 2007 and was the first member of the team to enter the Denso 200 MPH Club. His current top speed is 203.49mph. For 2022, Krawiec swaps his twin-cylinder Buell for a Vance & Hines-powered Suzuki.

“Andrew’s move to Crew Chief is special for Byron and for me,” said Vance & Hines co-founder Terry Vance. “We’ve watched Drew grow up in the sport, become a champion and now take the lead role on the team. He’s got the right combination of skills to excel at this position for us.”

The team will race this season with the existing NHRA-approved, second generation Suzuki Hayabusa bodywork and will work with NHRA to get approval for the all-new, third generation Hayabusa. Once approved by NHRA the new bodywork will be available for all Suzuki-mounted riders to utilize in 2023.

The 2022 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle season begins at the GatorNationals in Gainesville, FL March 10-13, 2022. The PSM schedule includes 15 stops in 2022 with the finale at the Auto Club Finals in Pomona, California.

About Vance & Hines

The Vance & Hines brand has always been about enhancing the exhilaration of the motorcycle ride. It started over 40 years ago, when Terry Vance and Byron Hines were two young enthusiasts in the fledgling Southern California motorcycle drag race scene. Terry always wanted to go faster, and Byron knew how to make that happen. In short order, their on-track success and innovation drew the attention of other racers, riders and motorcycle manufacturers, which ultimately translated to commercial demand for their products and services. Today, the Company’s mission and activity is the same; make bikes go faster on the racetrack and take those learnings to make impactful products for riders around the world. Since the Company’s inception in 1979, it has run factory race programs in partnership with Suzuki, Yamaha, Ducati and Harley-Davidson in drag racing, road racing and flat track. Vance & Hines is based in Santa Fe Springs CA and has its Racing Development Center in Brownsburg IN. Learn more about the company’s history and products at www.vanceandhines.com.

About Suzuki

Suzuki Motor USA, LLC. (SMO) distributes Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automotive Parts, Accessories, and ECSTAR Oils & Chemicals via an extensive dealer network throughout 49 states. Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC), based in Hamamatsu, Japan, is a diversified worldwide manufacturer of Motorcycles, ATVs, Scooters, Automobiles, Outboard Motors, and related products. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has business relations with 201 countries/regions. For more information, visit  www.suzuki.com.

Source: Vance & Hines

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