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Courtesy of NHRA
January 4, 2005

"All the races and championships I've won mean nothing when we roll up to the starting line in Gainesville." - Rickey Gadson

Pro Stock Bike team owner Harry Lartigue has teamed with seven-time world champion rider Rickey Gadson to pilot his Lucas Oil Suzuki in 2005. Gadson is a former factory rider for Kawasaki who has earned world titles on the AMA/Prostar tour in five different categories – Top Gas, Pro Comp, Streetbike Shootout, 600cc Supersport, and Pro Superbike. He also has experience as a stuntman and motorcycle test pilot.

"Anyone that follows any kind of motorcycle racing knows Rickey Gadson," Lartigue said. "He'll have the respect of the other riders and he'll be good for the NHRA in general because he's a great person. The question is can he ride a Pro Stock Bike? We'll find out. I do know he's a damn good racer on Sunday, and that counts for a lot."

A 38-year-old, lifelong Philadelphian, Gadson has amassed 107 victories in his career, including wins in the five classes in which he's won world titles as well as Pro Mod, Funnybike, and Pro Stock. He's never finished a season below fifth place in the rankings and has posted career best numbers of 6.86 seconds at 198 mph.

"I first met Rickey in the early 1990s and I told him at the time that he needed to get some experience," Lartigue said. "He remembered that conversation because last year he handed me his portfolio and said, 'Is this good enough?' We had a good laugh about that.

Gadson set a South African record with this pass at West Bank Raceway.

"He's done everything right. He's become a tremendous rider on several different kinds of motorcycles and he's prepared himself very well to reach this top level of drag racing. Since word of this has started spreading around, several people have asked me why he hasn't come over here to the NHRA to race before now and the reason is simple – he got into a contract with Kawasaki that was too good to pass up. Now that Kawasaki is getting out of the sport of drag racing completely he's ready to come on over."

Gadson and Lartigue should be legitimate contenders in the class from the start. Since adding Gadson and his credentials to the mix, Lucas Oil has substantially stepped up their financial involvement with Team Tigue to a level Gadson estimates puts them at a funding level of a top-three bike.

"Harry and I flew to Lucas' headquarters and presented them with a marketing package they really liked," Gadson said. "I know how to sell product. I sold a lot of motorcycles for Kawasaki over the years. Harry is very sharp in his world and together we showed them what a successful motorcycle team could do for Lucas Oil. And this is just a starting point. I expect bigger and better things once we get rolling."

Bob Patison, the executive vice president at Lucas Oil, liked what he saw from the enterprising Gadson and 25-year veteran Lartigue.

"We're impressed with the quality of this program and the intensity Harry and Rickey have for the sport," Patison said. "We're looking for this sort of commitment to help round out our involvement with the Pro Stock Bike category in the NHRA. The addition of Rickey Gadson will give us a very strong presence in the class. Rickey's an individual that has a lot of talent. He's proven himself to be a very tough competitor on the AMA series and we're all looking forward to seeing what he can do in the NHRA."

Gadson's turbocharged Streetbike Shootout ride carried him to the 2003 AMA/Prostar championship.

Lartigue and Gadson nearly got together several times over the years but one thing or another always seemed to get in the way.

"At first I didn't have much experience and I probably didn't deserve that ride," Gadson said. "Then I started to get a reputation for winning but also for being a big mouth that would street race and do other crazy things. Harry would see me from time to time and tell me I had talent but that I needed to clean my business up and I might actually go somewhere in life. He was right because when I did get it together I got the deal with Kawasaki and I learned so much about the corporate world.

"I would still get mad at Harry every time he hired another rider because I felt like he was purposely overlooking me. I'd think up voodoo curses to put on his teams. But in hindsight everything he said to me was 100-percent right. I had to learn."

The talented duo will soon take delivery of two new powerplants from Vance & Hines and will begin testing within days in Florida. They also plan to test Feb. 5 at the Pontiac Pro Stock SuperBowl at Houston Raceway Park in Texas.

"I know it will be a challenge," Gadson said. "But we're thinking about a top-five finish this year. Pro Stock Bike racing in the NHRA is the pinnacle of drag racing. All the races and championships I've won in the past mean nothing when we roll up to the starting line in Gainesville. But the good news is we all start from zero."