Hector Arana Jr.
Photo – NHRA.com
In Pro Stock Motorcycle, Hector Arana Jr scored his fourth career victory and first in more than a year when he outran veteran rider Steve Johnson in the final. Arana rode his Lucas Oil Buell to a 6.885 at 195.65 to hold off Johnson’s Suzuki, which trailed with a 6.920 at 193.99 at the season opening NHRA Gatornationals last weekend.
“To grab the race win for Team Arana and Lucas Oil is a big accomplishment, and it proves that having a third bike [with brother Adam riding the third team bike] isn’t going to slow us down but actually speed us up,” said Arana, who beat Michael Phillips, defending world champ and three-time defending Gatornationals winner Eddie Krawiec, and Hector Arana Sr. to advance to the final.
“I am looking forward to a very competitive season and some close racing this season,” Hector Arana Jr. said. “This is a step in the right direction. When my dad won his championship, he won the Gatornationals, and Eddie Krawiec has done that the last two years. I hope to keep that trend going this year as well.”
Pro Stock Motorcycle rider Hector Arana Jr. has received plenty of attention as a newcomer in the NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series and the son of 2009 series champ Hector Arana Sr., and deservedly so – the eldest of two Arana brothers is proving almost immediately that he has all he needs, starting with the motorcycle and the mind-set, to threaten the competition, including the best support – his dad – Hector Arana Sr.
Starting his third season aboard a Lucas Oil Buell, young Arana will be faced with new challenges as the dynamics of the team, and the family, shift and younger brother Adam joins the fold as a third rider. However, the Milltown, Ind., resident welcomes the change.
“I’m very, very excited for Adam to join us,” said 24-year-old Arana, two years Adam’s senior. “My father and I have been able to experience the life of a racer, and we talk about riding the bike and all of the exciting moments that happen, but you can only describe it so much. Until you live an experience, you just don’t know – now Adam will know.”
In his 2011 debut, Hector Arana Jr lived the life of a very successful racer as he rode his Lucas Oil Buell to three wins in five final rounds and earned seven starts from the No. 1 position to capture the Automobile Club of Southern California Road to the Future Award and finish second in the world. Although unable to score an event win in his second season of competition, he maintained a confident stance and finished in the No. 3 position with three final rounds and three more No. 1 qualifier awards.
Adam Arana, center, joins brother Hector Jr., left, and father Hector Sr. in the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle ranks in Gainesville.
Arana is clearly content with the knowledge that he can hold his own, and he believes that the addition of Adam to the team as a rider will only enrich the experience.
“My brother and I have always been very competitive in whatever we do, and having that competitiveness within the team is only going to make us strive to do better and be better as riders, tuners, and everything else,” said Arana. “My brother is going to really be trying to beat me, and I’m going to try my best to make sure he doesn’t. We will be pushing ourselves, and it’s going to make us both better riders.”
The family dynamics of the team place Hector Sr. at the forefront in terms of crew chief duties; Dad will always hold the authority to make the final call, but each of the three riders will download and diagnose his own runs, initially determine his next tune-up, and then submit it for group discussion. The formula is no different than what has successfully been in effect for the previous two seasons, except that now Adam, who has already been part of the team as a crew member, will have more input.
As far as riding, the memory of being a rookie is still fresh for Arana, and he has found that memory to be an asset as he coaches his brother alongside their father.
“I think he’s going to be better off because he has two coaches,” said Arana. “Adam will have me to speak to when sometimes it’s hard to speak to our father because I’ve already gone through being a rookie in a Pro series without any experience. I’ve just been through it, and my dad has years and years of experience, so between us, Adam can learn how to approach it mentally.
“In drag racing, being mentally prepared is No. 1. You have to be able to react with instinct. In order to do that, you have to go over complete runs, from walking up to the burnout box, backing the bike up into the water, putting it in gear, doing a burnout and getting lined up, staging and making your run, slowing down after the run, and pulling off the track.
“We’ve been teaching Adam all of this, and if he listens and has an open mind, he should do really well. There were times when my dad was trying to tell me I was doing something wrong, and of course, I didn’t think I was. You want to try to prove them wrong, but when you realize that they’re trying to help you and not slow you down or harm you in any way, when you start listening, then you start performing better.”
Although no major changes are in store for its Buells for 2013, the Lucas Oil team has made an important move in terms of where it sets up shop back home in Indiana. During the off-season, it moved from its former shop, suitable for a two-bike operation but a tight squeeze for much else, to a larger building a quarter-mile down the road. The transformed work space is now a fully functioning race shop large enough to reasonably accommodate three motorcycles and everything required to keep them up to speed.
The team will be testing in Georgia the week of the Amalie Oil NHRA Gatornationals, and for Arana, it will be his first time on the Lucas Oil Buell since the final race of the 2012 season in Pomona. He is eager to get back on his motorcycle, especially with rule changes established in the off-season designed to bring more parity to the class.”I want to thank Lucas Oil, Forrest and Charlotte Lucas, and everybody within the company for that,” said Arana. “Now we can really move forward.”
“There is so much to look forward to this season, and I now have two full years of experience, so I’m that much more confident riding the bike,” said Arana. “I love riding so much, and that is part of the reason why I want to do so well: Every time I win a round, I get to ride the bike that one extra time. Personally, I’m hoping to win a championship. We all are, and only time will tell, but it will be an even playing field this year. With Adam joining us and everything else, there are a lot of good things happening. Hopefully, our team will see some close racing and a very exciting year.”
Hector Arana Jr will be our guest on Fan4Racing Fan2Fan NHRA Talk, Monday, April 1, 2013 at 9:15pm ET. Fans can interact with Hector Arana Jr by calling 347-996-5176 during the show.
Due to some technical difficulties, Hector Arana Jr was not on our March 25th radio show. He has graciously agreed to join us on Monday, April 1st.
