Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125065
VOL. 50 ISSUE 17 APRL 30, 2013 P79 Briefly... ANA JR. PERFECT H THREEHRA WINS Hector Arana Jr. won his third straight NHRA final in Houston, Texas. and Viper Motorcycle Co. Buell's John Hall. Arana's best performance came in the quarterfinal round against his father's similar Lucas Oil entry. The younger Arana got a big jump at the start and held on for a holeshot win with his 6.906 defeating Hector Sr's. 6.902 elapsed time. "My dad didn't say much af- Nitro Fish Suzuki's LE Tonglet accomplished one of his goals in Houston when he won his opening Pro Stock Motorcycle round against Matt Smith. It was the first time Tonglet saw the win light in four years of racing at Royal Purple Raceway. Tonglet made a great run with a 6.885 to take the win over Viper Motorcycle Co. Buell's Matt Smith, but his bid to win a second round ended against Smith's teammate John Hall. "The track went away and I spun the tire hard on the gear shift," Tonglet said. "The hotter the track gets, the greasier it gets and we just overpowered it. We have done better at the last two races and now we want to keep up the momentum." Paired with newcomer Adam Arana in the first round, Matt Smith's wife, Angie Smith, got her first win of the season. Smith rode to a 6.99 second run, but didn't need it as Arana left too soon and redlighted. "That's been a long time coming," Smith said. "I didn't ride much last year and we struggled a little at the first two races this year. It's finally getting better now." When is a loss not a loss? For Lucas Oil Buell's Hector Arana Sr. it's whenever he gets beaten by one of his sons, Hector Jr. or Adam. In Houston, the elder Arana lost on a holeshot in his round two race with Hector Jr., who went on to win the event. "I still have it," Arana Sr. said. "I've just got to stay focused. That's the hardest thing for me right now and that's what I need to concentrate on. Overall, it's still a great weekend." Arana Sr. qualified number eight in Houston and remained in the top five of the Pro Stock Motorcycle points standings. Racing his son might be strange but Arana Sr. relishes the chance, especially this year. "Right now for me, he's the guy I want to race," Arana Sr. said. "He's number one. He's the best guy out there, so I need to race against the best so I can be the best. That's who I want." It was not a great weekend for the Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson teammates Andrew Hines and Eddie Krawiec as they were paired against each other in the first round for the second straight race. After Krawiec won a week earlier in Charlotte, Hines took the victory in Houston, but the glory was short-lived as he lost a round later after red lighting against Sovereign/Star Buell's Michael Ray. "Eddie and I shouldn't have qualified opposite each other, but we lost a qualifying session on Saturday due to rain and that cost us a chance to shuffle the ladder. We brought some new parts out this weekend and they seemed to work. We also made some tuning adjustments that really paid off. We're not winning now, but we're learning a lot that will be useful later in the season." Katie Sullivan, who rides the Tough Girl Designs Suzuki, has enjoyed two of the best outings of her career at the last two events and gives a lot of credit for her success to the arrival of crew chief Gary continued on next page