SIGNATURE PROFILES
© 2000 Dwight Drum
PRO STOCK BIKE 
GT TONGLET JR
Louisiana Speed
by Dwight Drum
GT Tonglet chats with Dwight:
©Larsen
Something hot must be in the Louisiana water or air, because something in this part of the Deep South seems to favor speed and drag racing. Young Gary Tonglet jr. from Metairie, Louisiana recently won an IDBA Memphis event on a Pro Stock motorcycle by ripping a record elapsed time of 7.15 at 192.49 mph.…big speed for a big kid!
It's been a fast year for 'GT ' Gary Tonglet JR, he's just seventeen, but GT has garnered the IDBA Rookie-of the-year award, and won the IDBA championship. That's a big win, but the big speed continued recently as Gary 'GT' Tonglet JR ran a 7.11 ET at 194 mph at the AMA Prostar World Finals in Gainesville, Florida.
This racing season GT wasn't old enough to compete against celebrity Angelle Seeling, 2000 NHRA Winston Pro Stock Bike champion who is thirty. Angelle resides near New Orleans, and so does another youthful speedster Ritchie 'The Kid' Stevens, only twenty-two, who accelerated from Roy Hill's drag racing school to compete in the NHRA Pro Stock Car ranks, as a contender and winner.
So…is the speed in the Louisiana water, air, genes, or maybe even the Louisiana hot sauce?… Anybody's guess.… But no guess about this…GT is the son of Gary Tonglet, consistent winner in all motorcycle drag racing sanctions since 1973. Through it all, Dad and Mom (Gary and Pam) have been more than family, they have been mentors, sponsors, coaches, and fans…constant, staunch supporters of GT's speed. The Tonglet family team plans to give GT more seat time over the winter, so that he will be primed to compete in the NHRA Pro Stock ranks in season 2001. Next year this teen will ride as a man…eighteen years old…eighteen years fast.
Join us before GT Tonglet stares down the track ready to launch his speed. Join us in his trailer where I asked tough questions of this young man…questions he was confident to answer.
©Drum
DOB: 4-9-83
Birth Town: Metairie, La (New Orleans)
Home Town: Metairie
What personal quality (one trait) would you want to be admired for the most?
"I'm not sure."
What's most important?
1.Fame 2.Money
3.Thrill/fun 4.Winning
5.Other
"Winning."
Do you have a nickname?
"GT."
Who are your Heroes?
"Matt Hines, John Myers."
Are you happy?
"Yeah."
What could make you happier?
"Winning the NHRA championship."
When driving a car, do you always wear a seatbelt?
1. Yes. 2. No. 3. Sometimes?
"Yes."
Is racing your full-time occupation?
"I go to school."
Do you have time for a hobby?
"I like remote control gas cars."
What vehicle do you drive on the street?
"A Toyota Tacoma. I just got my driver's license."
Do you work out?
"No I should."
Name one other sport, you feel you could excel at or master?
"Football."
If you could make one part of your body stronger, what part would that be?
"My arms."
Do you have pets?
"A Maltese dog."
Do you have a special diet?
"No."
What quality do you admire most in other people?
"I admire the other racers. Most of them are happy for me."
©Drum
When frustrated. What do you do first?
1.Erupt. 2.Withdraw 3. Try to be cool.
"Erupt."
What mental routine prepares you for each run?
"I try popping the clutch in the staging lanes."
What are (or have been) your scariest moments?
"When I went into the sand in Atlanta, and when I ran over a thousand foot cone in Memphis."
What do you do to unwind?
"Ride my bicycle."
If you could change one thing about drag racing, what would you change?
"I'd like to get more big companies involved with sponsorships."
When asleep do you ever dream you are racing?
"No. Not really."
Where do you find the most peace in your life?
"Riding dirt bikes."
You're a skilled racer… On public highways, what's different about you and other drivers?
"I tend to think I'm the best driver. I don't race on the street."
What do you worry about the most?
"I worry about other racers running into me, or coming behind me."
Can you describe the G-forces at the tree. The launch?
"It pulls three and a half G's. I got used to the pull. It yanks you back. It goes. It's hard to describe."
©Drum
What does your fastest speed feel like?
"I notice a big difference in my top speeds, because of the constant acceleration. Nothing else is like it."
Most people learn something from mistakes. What mistake caused you to learn the most?
"When I ran over the cone in Memphis. I learned I have to correct ahead of time."
Who means the most to you?
"My family."
If you could acquire three traits from three people, what traits would you take
from whom?
"My dad's reaction time…his 'lights'. From Matt Hines, his tucking skills. From Byron Hines, his knowledge."
How did you get started in drag racing?
"My dad."
©Larsen
In a few words, how would you sum up…yourself?
"Wanting to win a lot."
Additional Comments? (Anything you want to say)
"Next year I want to get a sponsor and get a lot of exposure. I want to thank Byron and Matt Hines, and Dave Earll of Trac Dynamics."
FINAL WORD
Gary 'GT' Tonglet Jr lends new meaning to the phrase 'grow up fast'. He is a young racer who just got his driver's license, but he learned fast to run fast, and has far more experience than most others on the highways. GT doesn't race on the streets; however, he takes his speed to sanctioned dragways. Even as GT looks down the track to beam in on his target his racing future might be looking back at him…perhaps letting him know that his career could be one long speedy road. In keeping with his youth and precocious skills I chose a word for him that highlights his speed. Gary Larsen agreed…Gary 'GT' Tonglet Jr. is….
SPUNKY
