Jerry Savoie ready for season finale at Pomona

Savoie geared for strong finish in Pomona

Jerry Savoie

Photo by: Ted Rossino

POMONA, Calif. – Pro Stock Motorcycle driver Jerry Savoie heads to Pomona with enthusiasm for the final race of his first season of professional drag racing, the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, and the alligator farmer from Cut Off, La., and his White Alligator Racing Suzuki are primed and ready to finish the season on a high note.

"We're confident, especially with this engine that we're putting in," said Savoie, who will be looking to exceed his performance earlier in the season when he reached the final round at one of the most historical events on the Full Throttle Series tour, the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis.

"This engine is strong on the dyno, and we are really looking forward to seeing what it will do on the track. We had a few issues a couple of weeks ago at the race in Las Vegas, and we missed it a little bit, but with this setup we should be right on track with the rest of them. If I can do my job and drive decent, maybe we can come home with something."

Savoie is well-poised to earn a pewter Wally and has picked up the pace in recent weeks. At The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, the 52-year-old rookie qualified 6th, his best start since qualifying in the No. 2 position in Norwalk this past summer, and he picked up bonus points during qualifying for establishing himself as one of the three quickest in two of the four sessions.

The White Alligator Racing Hayabusa has been strong, and Savoie and crew chief Mark Peiser would like to see their season-long efforts rewarded with a finish as the top points-earning Suzuki. Savoie is currently 7th in the standings, 24 points behind fellow Suzuki pilot Karen Stoffer.

"We don't wish Karen any bad luck, but we'd sure like to be at the top," said Savoie. "We have been squeezing everything we can out of these Suzukis and running hard to keep up with those other guys, and there isn't much left. We started out the season with four engines, and then we were down to two and babysitting one, not leaning on it so that we could make it last. We hurt it in Las Vegas on the last pass, so it's time to change it. We're right on schedule, though, and we can't wait to see what it's going to do. We'd like to finish our first season strong, that's for sure."