Norwalk provides needed redemption for Arana

NORWALK, OH – After a disappointing weekend in Chicago, Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Adam Arana showed no waiver during qualifying for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals, Saturday, at Summit Motorsports Park.

Still needing to lock himself into the field Saturday, the ProtectTheHarvest.com/MAVTV Buell rider went down the track in Q3 to his best time of the weekend, a 6.912 at 196.07 mph, landing him in the No. 9 spot.

“The end of qualifying Friday was really frustrating for me,” Arana said. “I was confident though that we would get a hold of it when we got back to the track Saturday. It just takes time to get the bike really running like it should be. Now that everyone in the class is running so well, you need to be perfect all the time in order to not only get in the field but on top.

“We ran well, we could have ran better, but we ran well and there is definitely a lot of room for improvement. We learned some stuff in Chicago on dad’s bike, and we took what we learned and applied it to my situation, which helped. The motor is very strong, so I know once we continue to fine tune this clutch we’re going to make a solid run and it’s going to be a quick one.”

In what should be a close race to the end, Arana will face No. 8 qualifier Matt Smith in the first round of final eliminations. This will be the third time Arana will meet Smith in the first round this year, where he has gotten the better of Smith every time so far.

“We beat Smith in Atlanta and I cut an amazing light on him in Epping (N.H.),” Arana said. “I’m just going to continue to ride to the best of my ability when I see him in the first round. Smith is a good racer — you’re not a two-time champ if you’re not a good racer — but it’s racing though. I’m going to go up there 100 percent confident in my ability to race and do well.”