It doesn’t matter how much Richard Gadson accomplishes or how many critics he silences. The reigning Pro Stock Motorcycle champion always seems to find another reason to push a little harder.
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Sometimes that means racing his own teammate as if the championship depends on it.
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For the second straight day in Norwalk, Gadson got the better of Gaige Herrera, beating the two-time world champion in the final round after Herrera fouled for the second consecutive day. Saturday’s red light handed Gadson the Mission #2Fast2Tasty Challenge victory. Sunday’s gave him his second national event win of the season and the sixth of his career.
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Gadson backed up the opportunity with a 6.849-second run at 197.36 mph aboard his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki. It also delivered his first career Norwalk victory and completed a weekend sweep after collecting the Mission Challenge trophy a day earlier.
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The back-to-back finals between the Vance & Hines teammates have quickly become one of NHRA’s best rivalries. Gadson believes the intensity isn’t going away anytime soon.
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“Obviously, I didn’t lie yesterday when I told you it’s pretty much an ‘are you willing to red light’ situation,” Gadson said. “He’s a tough competitor. He’ll rebound, and it’ll probably be hell for us all for the next couple races.”
Gadson admitted the victory carried extra meaning after last year’s race ended with a transmission failure that he still believes cost him a chance to win.
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“I don’t know if you believe in energies, but I feel like Norwalk owed me one,” Gadson said. “I got the ice cream scoop that I always hoped for, a double-up with the Mission #2Fast2Tasty win and the overall win. It doesn’t get much sweeter than this.”
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The points leader insists his biggest motivation isn’t proving anything to anyone else. It’s proving something to himself.
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“I know a lot of people say that it’s a cliché saying, but that’s me every day,” Gadson said. “Every pass, I’m thinking about it. I never let it go. I’m a really emotional racer.”
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“I carry a lot with me every run,” he continued. “This weekend was a really heavy weekend for me, and I’m really, really, really happy. I’m making statements to myself. It’s really mostly for me.”
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Gadson also knows there is no room for sympathy when the other rider in the opposite lane is Herrera.
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“No, because he’s not going to cut me any,” Gadson said when asked if he gives his teammate any slack. “I went out there in the finals and I was willing to do the same thing. I did not care if that red light was staring me in the face.”
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He believes the rivalry has elevated both riders.
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“He’s a silent assassin, and it’s going to be a hell of a year,” Gadson said. “As much of a rivalry as it is, I don’t give enough attention to the fact that I love having him as a teammate. I think this is the best possible scenario you could have put us both in to bring the best out of each other.”
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The games begin before either bike leaves the starting line.
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“We do all little stuff up there at the start line,” Gadson said. “He double-bulbed me yesterday. We nodded at each other, played games and jokes. Once we get to the final round and it’s both of us, we really make it a fun deal because at that point it’s already a good weekend for everybody.”
