RIVAS: WE KNEW IT WAS OVER IN THE SEMIS
Mon, 2008-11-17 10:29
Chris Rivas did everything in his power to win a Pro Stock Motorcycle championship, it’s just the things he 
couldn’t control is what got him.
Essentially his championship hopes were toast in the semi-finals once Eddie Krawiec defeated teammate Andrew Hines in a controversial race.
Rivas won his fourth event of 2008, third during the Countdown to the Championship. The victory also marked his second consecutive defeat by newly christened champion Krawiec who won the title without the luxury of winning a national event.
Rivas finished second in the championship points, five points back of Krawiec. Chris Rivas did everything in his power to win a Pro Stock Motorcycle championship, it’s just the things hecouldn’t control is what got him.
Essentially his championship hopes were toast in the semi-finals once Eddie Krawiec defeated teammate Andrew Hines in a controversial race.
Rivas won his fourth event of 2008, third during the Countdown to the Championship. The victory also marked his second consecutive defeat by newly christened champion Krawiec who won the title without the luxury of winning a national event.
Rivas finished second in the championship points, five points back of Krawiec.
“We all know there were teams out here and when the two Harley-Davidson bikes met in the semi-finals, we knew it was over,” Rivas admitted. “I don’t feel bad about that at all because Eddie and Andrew are two great riders. He’s going to be a great champion and I even congratulated him when I knew he’d clinched the title.”
Krawiec defeated Hines in a race where the latter went .007 on the tree to the former’s .361. Prior to the 60-foot clocks, Hines’ bike slowed considerably.
“I don’t have any animosity towards that situation. I did what I was supposed to do and however it played out was how it played out. I did what I needed to do by taking out the reigning world champion and kept him from getting the No. 2 spot. I really felt fantastic about that because I felt really good about that.
“We lacked something in qualifying and that could have fixed the whole scenario.”
The G2 team has struggled at times and at other has been nothing short of dominant.
On Saturday, the team had determined their problem to be one of electrical nature, and with that said borrowed the complete wiring harness from fellow Buell racer Valerie Thompson. He won Dallas after changing out his electrical system in a similar nature.
Rivas and the G2 team have managed to pinpoint problems at the most opportune times. Outside of that, other tangibles of success have come into play for Rivas that he just can’t grasp.
“I’m not sure what the key to our success during the Countdown was but we did have a few races we stumbled in before,” Rivas said. “I felt a lot of pressure in the early going because the team was so great. Last year they had done so well, and qualified and went to the final and the rider let them down. I just didn’t want to do that.”
Rivas believes he put undue stress on himself entering the season largely due to not wanting to repeat what had happened in 2007 to G2 Motorsports where they lost the championship on the last run of the season.
“I got to a point where I said, it is what it is and just tried to do the best I could,” Rivas admitted. “I just didn’t want to do anything different to try and prove myself. There was no reason to do that. There were already a score of people who believed in the talents I had been given.
“I just felt that wherever things were going to fall out, they’d fall out. I went into the Countdown with that mentality. I’m a man of faith and I made my mind up that I was going to let God know I would accept whatever he had for me. I knew I would just do the best of my ability with the talents he’s given me.”
Rivas believed the low elapsed time 6.929-second run was a miracle because he had no clue where the tremendous performance came from.
“I knew headed into the Countdown that I wasn’t going to count points or do anything to manipulate the points,” Rivas added. “I was just going to be there and do my job.”
couldn’t control is what got him.Essentially his championship hopes were toast in the semi-finals once Eddie Krawiec defeated teammate Andrew Hines in a controversial race.
Rivas won his fourth event of 2008, third during the Countdown to the Championship. The victory also marked his second consecutive defeat by newly christened champion Krawiec who won the title without the luxury of winning a national event.
Rivas finished second in the championship points, five points back of Krawiec. Chris Rivas did everything in his power to win a Pro Stock Motorcycle championship, it’s just the things he
couldn’t control is what got him.Essentially his championship hopes were toast in the semi-finals once Eddie Krawiec defeated teammate Andrew Hines in a controversial race.
Rivas won his fourth event of 2008, third during the Countdown to the Championship. The victory also marked his second consecutive defeat by newly christened champion Krawiec who won the title without the luxury of winning a national event.
Rivas finished second in the championship points, five points back of Krawiec.
“We all know there were teams out here and when the two Harley-Davidson bikes met in the semi-finals, we knew it was over,” Rivas admitted. “I don’t feel bad about that at all because Eddie and Andrew are two great riders. He’s going to be a great champion and I even congratulated him when I knew he’d clinched the title.”
Krawiec defeated Hines in a race where the latter went .007 on the tree to the former’s .361. Prior to the 60-foot clocks, Hines’ bike slowed considerably.
“I don’t have any animosity towards that situation. I did what I was supposed to do and however it played out was how it played out. I did what I needed to do by taking out the reigning world champion and kept him from getting the No. 2 spot. I really felt fantastic about that because I felt really good about that.
“We lacked something in qualifying and that could have fixed the whole scenario.”
The G2 team has struggled at times and at other has been nothing short of dominant.
On Saturday, the team had determined their problem to be one of electrical nature, and with that said borrowed the complete wiring harness from fellow Buell racer Valerie Thompson. He won Dallas after changing out his electrical system in a similar nature.
Rivas and the G2 team have managed to pinpoint problems at the most opportune times. Outside of that, other tangibles of success have come into play for Rivas that he just can’t grasp.
“I’m not sure what the key to our success during the Countdown was but we did have a few races we stumbled in before,” Rivas said. “I felt a lot of pressure in the early going because the team was so great. Last year they had done so well, and qualified and went to the final and the rider let them down. I just didn’t want to do that.”
Rivas believes he put undue stress on himself entering the season largely due to not wanting to repeat what had happened in 2007 to G2 Motorsports where they lost the championship on the last run of the season.
“I got to a point where I said, it is what it is and just tried to do the best I could,” Rivas admitted. “I just didn’t want to do anything different to try and prove myself. There was no reason to do that. There were already a score of people who believed in the talents I had been given.
“I just felt that wherever things were going to fall out, they’d fall out. I went into the Countdown with that mentality. I’m a man of faith and I made my mind up that I was going to let God know I would accept whatever he had for me. I knew I would just do the best of my ability with the talents he’s given me.”
Rivas believed the low elapsed time 6.929-second run was a miracle because he had no clue where the tremendous performance came from.
“I knew headed into the Countdown that I wasn’t going to count points or do anything to manipulate the points,” Rivas added. “I was just going to be there and do my job.”
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