Arana looking to replicate success at New England Dragway

EPPING, NH – Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Adam Arana will look to repeat last year’s final-round appearance at the Auto-Plus NHRA New England Nationals, Sunday, at New England Dragway.

After four rounds of qualifying, Arana and his ProtectTheHarvest.com/MAVTV Buell will start in the No. 11 spot and will face off against Michael Ray in the first round.

“Qualifying wasn’t too bad,” Arana said. “We didn’t do as well as what I expected. I wanted to be up in the mid-.80s, kind of like my dad was.”

Arana’s best pass was 6.901 seconds at 194.77 mph, but the team is fighting mechanical issues.

“It seems like we fix one part and then that leads to another problem, so we’re slowly fixing all of our issues,” Arana said. “We’re working hard to try and run quicker. Our main issue right now is the short half, which is up to the eighth-mile, that’s where we’re really losing a whole lot of e.t.

“The power issue is coming around and the motor is starting to seal. It’s getting better. I can feel it pulling at the top end, which is good. It means that the motor is there. It’s just our job as a tuner to get it into the right spot.”

Last year at New England Dragway, Arana recorded his only final-round appearance of his career, and he hopes to be able to replicate that success this year.

“I beat Michael Ray last year and I’m going to do it again,” Arana said. “I’m at least going to try.”

Eliminations will start at noon, with tape-delay action of the first two rounds broadcast at 1 p.m. and live coverage of the semifinals and finals at around 4 p.m. on ESPN.