Interview: NHRA Champion LE Tonglet

Before he took the motorcycle drag racing world by storm by winning an NHRA Full Throttle championship as a rookie in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class, it was apparent that LE Tonglet was destined for greatness. One may have had to dig a little, but all the evidence was there. First of all, Tonglet has spent his entire life, all 20 years of it, at the races, first with his father, Gary, and later with his older brother, GT, who is also a former rookie of the year award winner. Once he finally got a chance to race at age 14, Tonglet proved to be a quick study, winning back to back V-Rod Destroyer Championships in the All Harley Drag Racing Association in 2007 and 2008.

Winning two V-Rod Destroyer titles is one thing, but dominating the highly competitive NHRA Pro Stock class is quite another but somehow, some way, Tonglet was able to author one of the greatest seasons in the history of the NHRA Full Throttle series and was ultimately crowned not just the rookie of the year, but the World Champion, becoming just the third driver in the 59-year history of the series to accomplish that feat. Even now, after taking a couple of weeks to digest all that has happened, Tonglet isn't quite sure exactly what transpired.

"This whole year was all a blur," said Tonglet, who was born Louis Earl, but is known simply as LE to everyone, including his parents and closest friends. "One minute my dad, my brother and I were going to the first race in Gainesville, just hoping to qualify and the next, I'm on a stage in Hollywood, and they're handing me a trophy and a really big check. It still seems like just a dream. I mean, we didn't even plan on running all the races this year. We figured maybe we'd run just the five or six that were closest to home and if we did any good, we might go to one or two more. Honestly, I would have been happy just to make a final or finish in the top 10. A championship? No way did I ever think that would happen to me. Maybe someday, but not this year."

Indeed, when the Tonglet family arrived in Gainesville, Florida, last March for the traditional season-opening Gatornationals, their goals were modest. They simply wanted to qualify for the 16-bike field and collect the $1200 in round money which would enable them to make it to the next two events in Charlotte and Houston, which is close to their Metairie, Louisiana, home.

Early on, Tonglet's results were steady, if not spectacular, but progress became evident when he reached the final round of the fourth-event in Madison, Illinois. Two races later, Tonglet bagged his first win when he defeated veteran Steve Johnson in the final round at Route 66 Raceway in Chicago. Tonglet was making just his eighth appearance in NHRA competition and Johnson was making in his 287th.

With the Chicago win, Tonglet suddenly became the front runner in the battle for the Rookie of the Year award. Perhaps more importantly, his father was hooked, vowing to do whatever was necessary to keep his son on the road for the remainder of the season.

"Winning Chicago was huge," said Tonglet. "We knew we had a good bike and I felt pretty good about my riding. I guess everything just kind of came together all at once. After that race, my dad was hooked. We weren't originally going to go out west for the races in Sonoma, Denver, and Brainerd, but after that, he said, 'Get the bike ready and let's go out there and see what happens.' "

Like most 20-somethings, Tonglet lives a care free existence. His level of concentration isn't impacted by outside distractions and that was evident in his riding as his reaction times ranked among the best in the class. His father, who has raced on a budget his entire career, also knew how to get a lot from a little as the team was able to make due with a very limited parts inventory.