Solid Atlanta debut results in first season round-win for Arana

ATLANTA, GA – It was worth waiting until Monday to run the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals for Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Adam Arana, who scored his first round-win of the season in his Atlanta Dragway debut.

Facing off against defending Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Matt Smith in the first round of eliminations, the ProtectTheHarvest.com/MAVTV Buell rider took the win outright. Arana left the line first with a .044 reaction time, compared to Smith’s .050, and outran him all the way to the line with a 6.868 at 194.69 mph.

“It was nice to get back into the swing of things finally,” Arana said. “I have felt comfortable all year long on the bike and it showed today that I felt comfortable again. I finally was able to get a little break in luck and the bike made a good, straight pass. At the 60-foot mark in the first round, I was at 150 mph, which was the best I had all weekend. I need to ride like I did in the first round more often during eliminations.”

After his first-round win, Arana was matched up against No. 1 qualifier Eddie Krawiec. Paired up against a bike that had been blistering fast all weekend, Arana knew he needed to beat him on the tree if he wanted a shot of an upset. Unfortunately, Arana got a little ahead of himself and red-lighted with a -.094.

“The red-light in the second round was just a mistake on my part,” Arana said. “This year it’s tough to compete against the Harley teams. They’re running about seven-hundredths quicker than everyone in the class.

“If I had had a perfect light I still would have lost and I knew that going up there. I messed up and I didn’t have my head in the game. I was thinking on the starting line, which is something I usually don’t do. My body said go and I did before I even saw the light drop.”

Arana will look to continue his recent success when Pro Stock Motorcycle riders rejoin the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series tour at the Toyota NHRA Summernationals, May 29-June 1, at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, N.J.