Cycle News

VOL. 50 ISSUE 16 APRIL 23, 2013 was to win rounds and win races. I also want my dad [Hector Sr.] and brother [Adam] to get some wins, but as long as there is an Arana bike in the winner's circle, our team is happy. Given the circumstances, Krawiec was elated to leave zMax Dragway with a runner-up finish. After barely qualifying for the first event in Gainesville, the reigning NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle Champion also had problems this weekend and qualified in the 16th and final spot for the first time in his career. In round one, Krawiec made his best run of the weekend with a 6.87 and needed all of it just to advance as he barely edged Arana's younger brother, Adam, who ran a 6.88. After two events, Krawiec is third in the points standings when he could very well be ranked outside of the top 10. "These guys keep letting me hang around and we keep making the most of it," Krawiec said. "Our engine program is totally new this year and we're still working on it, but we're making progress. We're going to be better at mid-season than we are now so for these first few events our goal is to just hang tough and stay close to the leaders." CN Pro Stock Final 1. Hector Arana Jr. (Buell) 6.896/190.73 mph 2. Eddie Krawiec (H-D) 6.924/190.65 mph 3.Scotty Pollacheck (Buell) 6.948/187.96 mph 4. Jim Underdahl (Suzuki) 6.942/192.82 mph P69 Briefly... equipment and we were able to show that this weekend." Viper Motorcycle Co. Buell's John Hall was admittedly confused by the four-wide format, particularly after his second round race against Eddie Krawiec, Hector Arana Jr., and Katie Sullivan. Hall though he'd won the round but was relegated to third place due to a late starting line reaction time. "Eddie was so far ahead of me that I thought he red-lighted," Hall said. "I knew that Hector Jr. was way out in front, but I thought that if Eddie was red, I was going to advance. It was really just a bit of confusion on my part. It's a tough deal, but we'll bounce back. Matt Smith has given me a great bike so I'm really happy about that." Another positive sign for NHRA motorcycle drag racing. There were 23 Pro Stock motorcycles in Charlotte attempting to qualify for 16 spots. That's a far cry from last year, when several races struggled to attract full fields. After the final round, Jimmy Underdahl could only think of what might have been after finishing a disappointing fourth. Underdahl made the best run of his career early in the day with a 6.84, but slowed in the final round to a 6.94 and couldn't keep pace with Arana Jr. or Krawiec. "This race was ours to win," said Underdahl's father and crew chief, Greg. "We had the best bike in the field. I just made a mistake with the clutch and we lost our tune-up. I was trying to get too fancy and I went the wrong way with it. It's a shame because Jimmy was riding great. We definitely could have won here." Another rider who was bitterly disappointed with his Charlotte results was Sovereign/Star Buell's Scotty Pollacheck. Appearing in his first final, Pollacheck was first off the starting line with a perfect .000 reaction time. At the finish, the George Bryce-tuned V-twin slowed to a 6.94, and Pollacheck finished behind Arana Jr., and Krawiec. "When you look at the data, I was dead even with Eddie at the finish line, but I didn't even get second place," Pollacheck said. "He beat me by less than an inch. It's frustrating, but at the same time we have a great bike and we're going to be strong this year. I'm glad we race again in Houston next week." Two races into the 2013 season and Matt Smith is already wondering what he has to do to catch a break. For the second race, Smith had a great bike but lost when he encountered a transmission problem. "I go testing and the bike is fine," Smith said. "I make four qualifying runs and the bike is fine. I get to race day and it lets me down. I don't understand it. I run two other bikes out of my trailer and they use the exact same parts but they're not having problems. I really think it's nothing other than bad luck, but I hope we get over it soon."

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