The best feel-good story in NHRA’s 2010 Full Throttle Drag Racing Series had a story book ending Sunday afternoon when LE Tonglet got the win light and claimed the Pro Stock Motorcycle world championship.
Team Tonglet – Gary and his two sons, GT and LE – combined to put the finishing touches to a memorable six-race Countdown to the Championship run that included four victories in five final rounds. But it was the 20-year-old Tonglet’s second-round defeat of Steve Johnson Sunday that officially ended Andrew Hines’ title aspirations.
Tonglet trailed Hines by 36 points when eliminations began, but Hines stunned everyone with a foul start in the first round, opening the door for Tonglet to ease through and claim the top prize by four points – 2681-2677.
The driver of the Tonglet Racing Nitro Fish Suzuki GSXR immediately took advantage by eliminating Matt Guidera with a quarter-mile run of 6.874 seconds at 189.29 mph to a 7.103 at 185.31 and putting himself one more round win away from the $75,000 championship.
Nonplussed, LE registered a .007 reaction time against Johnson and was never challenged. He won with a 6.860 at 192.66 to Johnson’s 7.018 at 178.02 and became the youngest driver to win an NHRA championship and join 1982 Funny Car champion Frank Hawley and 1997 Top Fuel winner as the only rookie titlists.
“This is just unbelievable,” he said. “I can’t thank my family and Kenny Koretsky enough for this. Without Kenny, we wouldn’t have made it past the race at Indianapolis. We were on a tight budget and thankfully he stepped up at the right time and we have just been on a roll since then.
“This is for my dad because he hasn’t won one of these, but we came close a few times. This is just awesome to be going back home with this championship.”
Tonglet did, however, end his competitive day with a foul start against eventual race winner Eddie Krawiec in the semifinals. “That red light didn’t hurt too badly,” he commented. “It still hurts, but at least we got the big prize.”
What was he thinking when he saw the win light in his race against Johnson?
“Please don’t wake up,” he answered. “It has been an unbelievable year for us since the start.”
Overall, LE won five races in seven final rounds – including the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis – and accumulated a sparkling 23-2 round-win record in the six playoffs events.
“We weren’t even thinking of winning a championship at the start of season,” Tonglet said. “And then to get the win . . . it was a story book year. We were just having fun. The only race we didn’t have fun was when we broke the motor at Brainerd we and thought our season was over. But (engine builder) Terry Vance (Vance and Hines) helped us out to get us to Indy and Kenny joined us. After that, it was like it was meant to be. It was just one of those things. We couldn’t do anything wrong.
“Getting Nitro Fish on board was a huge help to us. We got a spare motor and we had to use it at Las Vegas and it came through for us. We’ve been running it here and it was hauling. Without Kenny, my dad and GT, we wouldn’t have won it.”
Koretsky was proud of the team’s performance.
“LE has been incredible this year,” he said. “It was fun for me to experience what he experienced in winning a world championship. The whole thing hasn’t sunk in yet. I’ve won a championship. And it only took 28 years and a wise decision to support the Tonglets. GT and I have been friends and he has been a big part of this.”
LE and the team will receive the championship trophy Monday night at the awards ceremony.
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