GT Tonglet, the points leader following the last five NHRA POWERade drag racing events, said two round victories for two bikes is good, but they still need to work harder.

"Having both bikes in the semifinals is great, but there are so many bikes that have a legitimate shot at winning this year's championship," Tonglet said. "The difference at the end of the season could be less than a round. This has to be one of the most competitive seasons we've seen in a long time.

"We know both Screamin' Eagle bikes are capable of winning on Sunday, now we just need to get back into the winner's circle and take home as many points as possible."

Tonglet beat Geno Scali in the first round, riding his Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod to a 7.173 run at 186.28 over Scali's 7.411 at 182.18. Ryan Schnitz fouled at the starting line in the second round as Tonglet made a 7.216 pass at 184.40 for the victory. Antron Brown beat Tonglet in the semifinals in the first meeting between the riders this season. Brown turned in a 7.266 at 182.67 to top Tonglet's 7.368 at 168.66.

Teammate Andrew Hines earned the top qualifying award for the fourth time this season and 12th of his career. Hines rode his Screamin’ Eagle V-Rod to a 7.114-second pass at 192.71 mph to lead the 16-bike field into final eliminations. Hines also moved up in the point standings, going from a tied fifth position to having sole position of the number four spot.

Hines went on to beat Karen Stoffer for the first time in three meetings this season, turning in a 7.139 pass at 188.28 to top Stoffer's 7.394 at 178.90 in the opening round. In Round Two action, Hines' 7.210 at 185.18 was good enough to beat Craig Treble's 7.255 at 185.46.

Hines met Angelle Sampey in the semifinals, beating her off the starting line but losing by a hair with a final time of 7.172 at 187.65 to Sampey's 7.150 at 186.98. Sampey went on to beat Antron Brown in the final race.

"We had a lot of fun in qualifying, and we earned the Full Throttle Award (for the most consistent performance numbers in qualifying) for the third consecutive race," said Hines, the 2004 Pro Stock Motorcycle champion. "That shows how consistent we are week in and week out.”

Screamin' Eagle Racing Manager Anne Paluso said the upcoming two-week break is exactly what the team needs right now.

"There have been seven different winners in seven races this season and to have GT continue to lead the points race is quite an accomplishment," Paluso said. "It's exciting to know that at the midpoint of the season, both Screamin' Eagle bikes are in the top five and in the mix of things. The team has learned a few things over the course of the past few races, so now we need to take advantage of the break and apply the data to the bikes. We've definitely got the right team to make it happen.”

Tonglet said he has high hopes of competing with his teammate for the 2005 championship honors.

"I wish it would come down to just Andrew and me for the championship," Tonglet said. "But there are so many great teams that will be capable of winning races down the stretch, and we just have to keep working to make sure the Screamin' Eagle bikes are still racing for wins."

The next NHRA POWERade event that features the Pro Stock Motorcycle category is the Mopar Mile-High NHRA Nationals at Bandimere Speedway in Denver, July 15-17.