“The scale of this launch is unprecedented in the drag racing world and it highlights our company’s technical capabilities,” says Vance & Hines President Mike Kennedy. No kidding! V&H has launched its own four-valve motor and proprietary chassis for Suzuki GS-based drag racers. The new combo will enter the staging lanes at the NHRA Gator Nationals in Gainesville, Florida in March. “This engine and the cylinder head design are applicable to several racing classes and easily adaptable to every team that is currently running a two-valve Suzuki GS."
For the first time, Vance & Hines has integrated finger follower technology rather than a shim-under-bucket design in a drag racing cylinder head, which allows for less mass in the valvetrain and increased RPM. The four-valve head modernizes the two-valve design which has been in use since it was introduced in 1998. Even with all the updates, displacement stays at 1850cc to keep it compliant with existing rules and regulations. The intake and exhaust port spigots are modular, so they can be adapted to different air boxes and exhaust pipes without redesigning or remanufacturing the head itself. This allows the new head to be used not only in NHRA's Pro Stock Motorcycle class, but also in the Pro Mod and Pro Street classes.
Design credit for the motor, code named “VHIL18504V,” goes to six-time NHRA champion Andrew Hines. “The 1850cc motor is approaching nearly 400hp and we believe that this is just the start of a new era of Suzuki drag racing championships," Andrew adds. "Right now, this four-valve design is more powerful than the best of our two-valve motors. And there's room to get better and faster with this architecture."
"This launch is a proud moment for Vance & Hines and hopefully will net many victories for our Suzuki riders in 2021 and beyond,” concludes Kennedy. They are taking orders for complete motors or individual cylinder head packages. The new chassis, which leverages the learnings from thousands of runs in NHRA competition, is available as well.
