Cycle News

VOL. 50 ISSUE 11 MARCH 19, 2013 Krawiec's Harley in round two, 6.87 to 6.89. In the semi-final round, Arana raced his father and teammate, Hector Sr., and picked up the win via a starting line holeshot, riding to a 6.849 to defeat his father's quicker 6.844 run. "Once we both won the second round and saw that we had to race each other we knew there would be an Arana bike in the final so we both decided to go for it," Arana Jr. said. "My dad is very competitive and I don't think he liked losing to me, but I know he was happy for the win. I just had to remember not to rub it in." Johnson, who won the Gainesville season-opener in 2005, led the resurgence for the Suzuki brand as he rode to a 6.825 in qualifying which ties LE Tonglet and Karen Stoffer for the quickest pass ever for the brand. Johnson, who also serves as his own crew chief, used that momentum to reach the final as he topped Tonglet, Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson's Andrew Hines, and Sovereign/Star Buell's Scotty Pollacheck on race day. "Wow, not bad for a guy with no budget and no sponsor," said Johnson, who is funding the operation out of his pocket until a sponsor can be found. "We've always known that we had good power. It's just a matter of making good runs and we finally did that this weekend." CN FINAL 1. Hector Arana Jr. (Buell) 6.888/195.65 mph 2. Steve Johnson (Suzuki) 6.909/193.99 mph P89 Briefly... Pro Stock Motorcycle events. Steve Johnson helped prove the experts right when he recorded a career-best 6.825 for the number-four qualifying spot. Suzuki riders LE Tonglet, Jim Underdahl and Michael Phillips also made the Gainesville field. The major drama in qualifying revolved around reigning World Champion Eddie Krawiec, who was not in the show after the first three runs. Krawiec has failed to qualify just once since joining the Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidson team in 2008 and was facing a stiff 6.918-second bump when he staged for the final session on Saturday afternoon. Krawiec, who was riding a three-race win streak in the Gainesville seasonopener, delivered under pressure with a 6.882 that was good for the number-10 spot. "That was a big relief," Krawiec said. "I mean, if I hadn't made the show, I would have been upset but it also wouldn't have been the end of the world. We knew coming into this race that we were going to have some teething pains with our new engine program. We also knew that if the bike did what it was supposed to that we'd get in, and considering the conditions, a 6.88 wasn't a bad run." Sovereign/Star Buell's Scotty Pollacheck demonstrated just how important aerodynamics are to a 195-mph Pro Stock Motorcycle when one of the air scoops on his Buell worked its way loose during qualifying. With the scoop ajar, the wind carried Pollacheck across the centerline where he ran over one of the foam timing blocks. Pollacheck wasn't hurt and the bike was not severely damaged other than some minor fiberglass. "I tried to fight it, but the bike just wouldn't come back," said Pollacheck. "Once I got it stopped I realized that the scoop came loose." No one enjoys missing the field but it was hard for Katie Sullivan to be too disappointed after the privateer recorded three of the best runs of her career aboard her Tough Girl Designs Suzuki. Sullivan posted a 6.94 on Friday that was not part of the top 12 riders that are seeded into the field. On Saturday, she improved to a 6.918, the best run of her career, and entered the fourth session on the bump spot. Sullivan was eventually knocked out of the field by World Champion Krawiec. "I'm a little disappointed, but I'm also happy because we've overcome so many obstacles just to get out here," Sullivan said. "Last year, I crashed my bike in testing and didn't even get to race here [in Gainesville]. That was a big setback. There was a point where I couldn't even hold the throttle open all the way to the finish line. We finally got things turned around at the end of last season and we're still making progress." After all four qualifying sessions were completed; the bump spot for the 16-bike field was a record 6.910 by White Alligator Racing's Chip Ellis. The old record was a 6.946 at the 2011 Reading, Pennsylvania, event. 

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