Hector Arana is a first-time NHRA champ at 51
What's sweeter than winning your first NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle championship? For Puerto Rican thrill-seeker Hector Arana, it's winning it at age 51.
Hector Arana didn't earn his first event win in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series until 2008, after almost 18 years of trying.
The 51-year-old Puerto Rican native quickly picked up a knack for winning, because Arana followed up his breakthrough 2008 season by claiming the NHRA PSM championship in 2009 by the slim margin of two points over Eddie Krawiec.
Krawiec made it close by taking top honors in the NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif. But Arana's strong run up to the finale -- including two wins and top qualifier honors at all five Countdown to 1 events -- was enough to guarantee the crown.
"A lot of things happened for this: I won five races, won three in a row, set the national record, won the championship," Arana said in the immediate aftermath of his championship success. "This is awesome, and having my family and Lucas Oil behind me and supporting me, it's a great feeling. I don't have to worry about anything else."
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Hector Arana won the 2009 Pro Stock Motorcycle championship by two points over Eddie Krawiec.
Arana raced motorcycles part-time since 1990 and won in his 102nd attempt at Summit Motorsport Park in June 2008. Riding a Buell, Arana triumphed this year over the favored Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidsons of Krawiec and Andrew Hines.
"I struggled for 20 years, but I never gave up," Arana told reporters at Pomona. "Every race, I used to come home and my kids would ask, 'Dad, did you win?' I always hated to tell them no, but I never thought about quitting, because I wanted them to learn that if you work hard enough, you can accomplish anything. They believe that now.
"This championship really hasn't sunk in yet, but I'm sure it will tomorrow," he added. "I'm going to take a little while to enjoy it, and then I'm going to start working on the bike, because I know it's not going to get any easier."
Arana regained his form after a midseason collaboration with Pro Stock competitor Larry Morgan, who also races under Lucas Oil sponsorship.
"Larry wanted to see the cylinder head and see what he could do for me," Arana said. "He is a big part of this. When he gave me more performance, my confidence was higher, and that was one less thing to worry about. To have the horsepower to run those awesome numbers was great. Those bonus points I collected by qualifying No. 1 added up for me to be here and win this championship."
Arana won the opening round of the 2009 championship but slipped to seventh in the standings before rebounding to third with two wins in the final three events prior to the Countdown to 1, including the O'Reilly U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis. He carried the momentum into the playoffs and took a 54-point lead into the finale.
After increasing his championship cushion to 62 points in qualifying, Arana red-lighted in the second round, allowing Krawiec to close within two points, the closest margin of victory in the history of the Pro Stock Motorcycle class.
"Once I knew I wasn't going to win the championship, winning the race was the next-best thing," Krawiec said. "That 6.90 run in the final was the first time my bike made a respectable run all day. It shows you how important qualifying is. We bobbled a little bit this weekend in qualifying, which ultimately could have cost us. We were trying to keep Hector from getting to that three-round deficit for us, and unfortunately for us, we didn't, and it shows in the end.
"Last year, I won the championship but didn't win a race. This year, I missed the championship by two points, but I won six races. I think they were both good seasons. I just didn't score enough points this time."
John Oreovicz covers open-wheel racing and other motorsports for ESPN.com
Source: Hector Arana is a first-time NHRA champ at 51
Hector Arana didn't earn his first event win in the Pro Stock Motorcycle class of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series until 2008, after almost 18 years of trying.
The 51-year-old Puerto Rican native quickly picked up a knack for winning, because Arana followed up his breakthrough 2008 season by claiming the NHRA PSM championship in 2009 by the slim margin of two points over Eddie Krawiec.
Krawiec made it close by taking top honors in the NHRA Finals at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona, Calif. But Arana's strong run up to the finale -- including two wins and top qualifier honors at all five Countdown to 1 events -- was enough to guarantee the crown.
"A lot of things happened for this: I won five races, won three in a row, set the national record, won the championship," Arana said in the immediate aftermath of his championship success. "This is awesome, and having my family and Lucas Oil behind me and supporting me, it's a great feeling. I don't have to worry about anything else."
[+] EnlargeNHRA for ESPN.com
Hector Arana won the 2009 Pro Stock Motorcycle championship by two points over Eddie Krawiec.
Arana raced motorcycles part-time since 1990 and won in his 102nd attempt at Summit Motorsport Park in June 2008. Riding a Buell, Arana triumphed this year over the favored Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidsons of Krawiec and Andrew Hines.
"I struggled for 20 years, but I never gave up," Arana told reporters at Pomona. "Every race, I used to come home and my kids would ask, 'Dad, did you win?' I always hated to tell them no, but I never thought about quitting, because I wanted them to learn that if you work hard enough, you can accomplish anything. They believe that now.
"This championship really hasn't sunk in yet, but I'm sure it will tomorrow," he added. "I'm going to take a little while to enjoy it, and then I'm going to start working on the bike, because I know it's not going to get any easier."
Arana regained his form after a midseason collaboration with Pro Stock competitor Larry Morgan, who also races under Lucas Oil sponsorship.
"Larry wanted to see the cylinder head and see what he could do for me," Arana said. "He is a big part of this. When he gave me more performance, my confidence was higher, and that was one less thing to worry about. To have the horsepower to run those awesome numbers was great. Those bonus points I collected by qualifying No. 1 added up for me to be here and win this championship."
Arana won the opening round of the 2009 championship but slipped to seventh in the standings before rebounding to third with two wins in the final three events prior to the Countdown to 1, including the O'Reilly U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis. He carried the momentum into the playoffs and took a 54-point lead into the finale.
After increasing his championship cushion to 62 points in qualifying, Arana red-lighted in the second round, allowing Krawiec to close within two points, the closest margin of victory in the history of the Pro Stock Motorcycle class.
"Once I knew I wasn't going to win the championship, winning the race was the next-best thing," Krawiec said. "That 6.90 run in the final was the first time my bike made a respectable run all day. It shows you how important qualifying is. We bobbled a little bit this weekend in qualifying, which ultimately could have cost us. We were trying to keep Hector from getting to that three-round deficit for us, and unfortunately for us, we didn't, and it shows in the end.
"Last year, I won the championship but didn't win a race. This year, I missed the championship by two points, but I won six races. I think they were both good seasons. I just didn't score enough points this time."
John Oreovicz covers open-wheel racing and other motorsports for ESPN.com
Source: Hector Arana is a first-time NHRA champ at 51
