[coverattach=1]Four-time Nationals event winner falls to McBride in quarterfinals

Norwalk, Ohio – After two consecutive first-round exits, Shawn Gann needed a win and got one Sunday in the first round of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals at Summit Racing Park in Norwalk. The North Carolina native beat Steve Johnson to kick off the NHRA Full Throttle Series Pro Stock Motorcycle class eliminations Sunday thanks to a .013 reaction time and the kind of consistent run the XTreme Rebellion/RumBum Buell team has seen all season.

Gann eventually went out in the quarterfinals to Angie McBride, but was pleased with his team’s performance in earning another round win as well as moving up one spot in the PSM points standings to eighth. The four-time Nationals event winner is now behind Hector Arana and ahead of Karen Stoffer.

“We didn’t finish nowhere near where we could have or should have, but we’ll take it,” Gann said. “Our XTreme Rebellion/RumBum Buell has run consistent times during qualifying all year and we showed some of that on Sunday.

“We just need to be patient. The last couple years have been rough for us, but we’ve got great sponsors in XTreme Rebellion and RumBum and we’re getting there. We’re going to keep winning rounds and we’re going to get back to the Winner’s Circle. Believe that.”

Andrew Hines earned the PSM win on Sunday, beating his teammate, defending class champion Eddie Krawiec.

The NHRA Full Throttle Series Pro Stock Motorcycle class next sees action at Bandimere Speedway in Morrison, Colo., July 10-12 for the Mopar Mile High NHRA Nationals. For more information about the facility and the event, visit Bandimere.com.

Fans can follow Shawn Gann at Twitter.com/ShawnGann or on his page on Facebook.