[coverattach=1]Pomona, Saturday: Chris Rivas wore a perplexed look Saturday afternoon in the G2 Motorsports Drag Specialties S&S Cycle V-Twin Pro Stock Motorcycle pit area. And for good reason.
He is third in points and coming off a Countdown to the Championship victory two weeks ago at Las Vegas and he still has an opportunity to win the NHRA POWERade Series title Sunday in the Auto Club Finals. But, he and the crew have not been able to notch times competitive with series leader Matt Smith and runner-up Eddie Krawiec in three days of qualifying leading into eliminations.
"We went slow on our last run ... that's all I know about it and we don't know why," said Rivas, of Fresno, Calif. "We tried to get the bike to run like it was at Las Vegas. That's the tune-up we put in the bike without changing anything else and even that didn't work. It's like the bike just hits a wall in high gear."
The best he could get was 7.094 seconds in Saturday morning's opening session, but the bike slowed to 7.115 on the final quarter-mile run and he starts ninth. His opening-round opponent is Junior Pippin (No. 8, 7.057 at 1984.75).
"We just can't seem to figure it out," Rivas added. "But on the good side, I am finishing this year so much better than last year. It has been a fantastic season."
Also on the plus side, should he eliminate Pippin, his quarterfinal foe is likely to be Smith, the No. 1 qualifier. "I got him just where I want him," Rivas said with a laugh. "I hate it happened like that, but everything happens for a reason."
He is third in points and coming off a Countdown to the Championship victory two weeks ago at Las Vegas and he still has an opportunity to win the NHRA POWERade Series title Sunday in the Auto Club Finals. But, he and the crew have not been able to notch times competitive with series leader Matt Smith and runner-up Eddie Krawiec in three days of qualifying leading into eliminations.
"We went slow on our last run ... that's all I know about it and we don't know why," said Rivas, of Fresno, Calif. "We tried to get the bike to run like it was at Las Vegas. That's the tune-up we put in the bike without changing anything else and even that didn't work. It's like the bike just hits a wall in high gear."
The best he could get was 7.094 seconds in Saturday morning's opening session, but the bike slowed to 7.115 on the final quarter-mile run and he starts ninth. His opening-round opponent is Junior Pippin (No. 8, 7.057 at 1984.75).
"We just can't seem to figure it out," Rivas added. "But on the good side, I am finishing this year so much better than last year. It has been a fantastic season."
Also on the plus side, should he eliminate Pippin, his quarterfinal foe is likely to be Smith, the No. 1 qualifier. "I got him just where I want him," Rivas said with a laugh. "I hate it happened like that, but everything happens for a reason."
