NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

By now, most NHRA fans should be familiar with the story of Alligator Farmer turned Pro Stock Motorcycle racer Jerry Savoie, who once famously said that he just wanted to win one race but has so far achieved much more with 14 wins and a world championship to his credit. Savoie isn’t about to call it a career, but does plan to run fewer races while his White Alligator Suzuki team riders Chase Van Sant and John Hall plan to contest the full season.

After missing the season-opener in Gainesville, Savoie is making his season debut in Charlotte and he’s happy to be back, especially after Van Sant made the semifinals in his NHRA debut last month.

“I definitely missed it, but my family comes first and then my business and then racing,” said Savoie, who has spent considerable time and resources rebuilding his alligator farm in Louisiana after last year’s devastating hurricane. “We’ve had to pretty much rebuild the whole business and I can’t even tell you how much work that’s been. I still want to race, but I think the team is in really good hands with Chase and John.”

Savoie is only half-joking when he refers to himself as the “test mule” for the team’s Suzuki Hayabusa program. Crew chief Tim Kulungian is expected to use Savoie’s bike to test a variety of new parts and combinations as he looks to keep both Van Sant and Hall in the Top 10.

“Honestly, it’s not much different than when I raced with LE [Tonglet] or last year with Karen Stoffer,” said Savoie. “A lot of times I was the Guinea pig for them. Last year, we had one really good engine and more often than not it was in Karen’s bike.

Savoie cautioned that his expectations for this week’s Four Wide Nationals are modest, but sometimes he can be a bit too modest. Savoie missed the Richmond event last year and still managed to grab a win in Bristol to go with runner-up finishes in St. Louis and Dallas. His success during the Countdown to the Championship led to a solid No. 4 finish in the standings.

“Last year might have been the most fun I’ve had in racing, even more than the championship year,” said Savoie. “I don’t think I was nervous one time. I really wanted to see Karen win the championship. She didn’t finish the job, but she had a really good year and I was happy for her. Karen was the best teammate you could ever ask for. No drama. Just a friendly and fun person, and someone who was also a great racer.”

With Stoffer’s departure, Savoie has adapted to the changes on his team, but he’s bullish on both of his riders, especially Van Sant who ran a career-best 6.74 and topped 200-mph in his Gainesville debut.

“At my age, and to accomplish what I’d done; I’m not greedy. I’m happy to help these other guys fulfill their dreams,” said Savoie, who expects to race in Indy, St. Louis, Dallas, and the fall Las Vegas race, and possibly a couple of others. “I might be slowing down a bit, but I’m not done yet.”

Day one was kind to the White Alligator team as Van Sant is fourth quickest with a 6.836 while Hall is No. 10 at 6.951 and Savoie's 6.961 is good for the No. 11 spot.