Arana Racing eager to put Dallas in rearview mirror

DALLAS, TX – The Arana Racing team packed up quickly on Sunday, even as the AAA Texas NHRA FallNationals was still ongoing at Texas Motorplex.

The reason for the early departure was to return to team headquarters in Corydon, Ind., to work on its three Lucas Oil Buells. But it could also be said that Hector Arana Sr., Hector Arana Jr., and Adam Arana wanted to put Dallas in their rearview mirror as quickly as possible.

All three Arana riders lost in the first round, one the victim of a parts failure, one of a starting-line mistake, and one of a quicker bike.

Hector Jr. was the highest qualified of the three at No. 2, and he was well ahead of No. 15 qualifier Shawn Gann in their race before suddenly slowing.

“I was ahead of him on a good run and everything felt great,” Hector Jr. said. “Then all of a sudden, boom, it was like someone stabbed the brakes on me. I went forward on the bike and my head hit the windshield. I pulled the clutch in as quick as I could. I knew something broke.”

Hector Jr.’s pass was 7.550 seconds at 135.14 mph, and Gann got around him with a run of 6.959 at 188.70 mph. Arana Jr. wasn’t sure what happened, but the team will inspect his engine as soon as possible.

Hector Sr. recorded the best run of the three and his best run of the weekend, 6.906 seconds at 195.28 mph, but it wasn’t enough to overcome eventual race winner Andrew Hines, whose Harley-Davidson made a run of 6.883 at 194.38 mph.

“The bike didn’t leave the starting line as good but it recovered a lot quicker,” Hector Sr. said. “I know that I was gaining on him. We did the math on the back end, and I was a little bit quicker than he was. It was a close race and we couldn’t really tell who got the win light.

“A 6.90, when in qualifying I couldn’t get out of the 7.0s, it’s a sweet and sour situation.”

Adam’s race with Matt Smith was essentially over as soon as it started.

“It was 100 percent rider error,” Adam said. “I double-clutched it. The bike could’ve been quick but I had a .117 60-foot time, which is terrible. Rider error. My brain just did not communicate with my hands in time.”

While Adam’s pass was 7.169 seconds at 189.63 mph, Smith ran away to the win with a 6.920 at 194.02 mph.

Adam and the rest of the team then turned to the 850-mile journey to Indiana to begin preparations for the AAA Insurance NHRA Midwest Nationals next weekend at Gateway Motorsports Park.

“We’ll get everything ready,” Hector Jr. said, “and hopefully have a flawless rest of the year.”