GETTRX All-Star Callout: Gaige Herrera Takes It All in Sonoma

Gaige Herrera dominated the GETTRX All-Star Callout in Sonoma, beating teammate Richard Gadson in the final to claim his second career GETTRX All-Star Callout title and a $25,000 check, running three passes in the 6.60s aboard his RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines Suzuki Hayabusa at the DENSO NHRA Sonoma Nationals.

Inside the Callout: How the Grudge-Match Format Works

The GETTRX All-Star Callout is a genuinely different animal from a standard elimination bracket. Held annually, it’s a grudge-match-style exhibition pitting the top eight Pro Stock Motorcycle riders — seeded by average qualifying results over the preceding year — against each other, with the top-seeded rider getting first pick of opponent, the second- and third-seeded riders choosing next, until all four first-round matchups are set.

After round one, the quickest elapsed time earns the next pick for the semifinal, with the two semifinal winners meeting in the final. Per RevZilla/Motul/Vance & Hines crew chief Andrew Hines, this year’s event carried extra weight: with the motorcycles not racing a Sunday eliminator at Sonoma, it marked the first midseason exhibition-only event held since Pro Stock Motorcycle became a professional NHRA class in 1987.

The field: Herrera, reigning world champion Richard Gadson, defending event winner Matt Smith, Angie Smith, John Hall, Jianna Evaristo, Chase Van Sant, and Steve Johnson, each given two Friday time trial runs to gather tuning data ahead of Saturday’s main event.

Herrera’s Perfect Weekend: Three Passes in the 6.60s

As top seed, Herrera called out Steve Johnson in round one and ran 6.665 seconds at 202.76 mph — the low elapsed time of the entire day and his quickest pass of the season — to beat Johnson’s 6.802/193.96. That result earned him first pick in the semifinal, where he called out Angie Smith and ran 6.687/202.45 to beat her 6.737/201.88, securing lane choice in the final against Gadson.

Facing his own teammate in a GETTRX All-Star Callout final for the first time — their third final-round meeting of the season — Herrera ran 6.689/202.15 against Gadson’s 6.795/198.73, this despite Gadson actually out-starting him by nearly .030 seconds off the line. “I came to the track this morning with the feeling and mentality that we were going to win,” Herrera said. “You need to have a great team and bike behind you to put the whole package together and we had that this weekend.” This track hasn’t been kind to him the last two years, he noted, which made the bounce-back especially sweet: “It gives me a big boost of confidence going into Indy and the Countdown.”

Gadson entered the final chasing revenge — last year’s GETTRX All-Star Callout ended with him red-lighting by just -.001 seconds against six-time champion Matt Smith in this same final. He beat Chase Van Sant (6.716/201.10) in round one and Jianna Evaristo (6.782/200.71) in the semifinal before falling just short against Herrera. “Gaige and I both come from this type of racing. We feel right at home when the stakes are high,” Gadson said. “Gaige and I have been taking turns beating each other, so if that pattern holds, I’m going to kick his butt in Indy.”

Hines was candid about where the bike still needs work despite the win: “We haven’t run in the 6.66s yet this year and we haven’t gone better than 6.67 since NHRA increased our minimum weight to 660 pounds. We’re still the best bike off the starting line, but if you look at how fast the other manufacturers are in the rest of the run, we’re still getting outrun from 60-foot to the finish line.”

After seven rounds, Gadson leads the championship with 677 points to Herrera’s 594. One regular-season race remains — the Cornwell Quality Tools NHRA U.S. Nationals at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, September 4–7 — before points reset for the six-race Countdown to the Championship playoffs. The team has nearly six weeks off to prepare. The GETTRX All-Star Callout doesn’t count toward the standings, but for Herrera, heading into the season’s final stretch with a confidence-building win over his own points-leading teammate is worth plenty on its own.

About The Author

Allan Lane

Philadelphia born and bred, Allan Lane is the Publisher and Editor in Chief of digital magazines. He launched his first publication, SportBikes Inc Magazine in 2010, followed by dosage MAGAZINE in 2019. Recently, Allan launched his third online publication, Club For Man. As a journalist, Allan covers fashion, lifestyle, culture, art, and motorcycles.

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