Caribbean pride

Though we are a just a small paradise island in the Caribbean, where the sun always shines and the steady sea breeze keeps us cool, we have been drag racing for more than 43 years. That is officially!

We take great pride in doing our utmost and though our limited purchasing power, due to a small economy, do not tip in favor of large budget drag racing operations, occasionally all the stars line up in the sky, resulting in great performances and incredible wins. Below follows a couple of examples:

Stateside:
- Rising out of two pro stock operations in Aruba, a couple of years ago they joined forces and moved to the U.S. where they proudly represent the country of Aruba. They compete in the Extreme Pro Stock division with Aruban native Trevor Eman behind the wheel. Last year they won an ADRL (now defunct) race and they are consistently amongst the best. They finished in the runner up spot at this year's PDRA Georgia Drags. For more on Team Aruba, click here.
 
- Frank Brandao partnering with engine builder and legendary doorslammer Pat Musi to participate with King Kong V, with Lizzy Musi behind the wheel. Although she has yet to get her first career win in the highly competitive Pro Mod class, she has what it takes to win, and as such, it is only a matter of time. Of course, having Edelbrock onboard is great as well.

- Furthermore, Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao (aka A-B-C islands) are well represented in the bike categories. Terence Angela (Aruba) is a frequent participant with already an important win at MiRock in the Superbike category. Rendolph Torbed (Curacao) is impressing the right people, while "Fitipaldi" (Bonaire) is causing a sensation in the U.S. for decades already. Finally, Berginie "Busa Girl" Naar (Curacao) is the quickest female on two wheels in the Caribbean.

In Curacao:
Back in 2010 there was a showdown at the Curacao Int'l Raceway between Pat Musi and his gang and a bunch of locals. Whathehell (pictured left) and crew set a trap for the New Jersey native, who walked right in, trying to better his 60'. To see the video of the race, click here. That night Whathehell, with Jeff Dobbins behind the wheel, outsmarted the much faster Pat in King Kong V to win the Top Gun category. Due to the short racing schedule, local teams occasionally rely on professionals to help with the set up of the car and sometimes with driving duties as well, especially in the pro categories.


In Aruba:

During this year's 3rd Extreme Import Int'l, local Pro Stock bike rider Gino Kock (pictured on the right) won over NHRA rider Craig Trebble, who rode for Da Silva Racing. Another stellar team is Hailey, who in the Extreme Import Category performs very well both in Aruba as in the U.S.
There are surely more examples, which I am certain my Aruban friends will remind me of.

Thanks for reading.

Source: Dragbike.com, Rush Magazine (Aruba)
Photo credit: Radical competition/Dragbike.com, Team Aruba, Edelbrock.com

Ashley's win ranks in the top 10 in NHRA history

On September 6th last I included Ashley's first win in Funny Car to my personal picks of NHRA greatest moments. Well, this win has been picked by the fans to be the 8th greatest moment in NHRA history. It had been more than 30 years since Shirley Muldowney (oh that pink pioneer rail) recorded the first win by a woman in Top Fuel dragster, a woman had yet to win in NHRA's Funny Car class.
On April 27, 2008, NHRA reached another milestone when Ashley Force Hood became the first woman to win in a Funny Car. The gorgeous daughter of Funny Car legend John Force had knocked on the door three times before banging it down a-la-force. And this landmark victory came, ironically enough, against her father, who was seeking to achieve a milestone of his own.

Shirley Muldowney

Thanks to people like Shirley and Lynn St. James (Indy Car driver) that nowadays we have female competitors in motorsports. I remember Pro Bike sensation Angele Savoy, who later became Sampey. She dominated and won the Pro Bike class three times (2000, 2001, 2002) and is the win-ingest female pro with 41 wins. And Melanie Troxel can be seen steering her In-N-Out Burger sponsored Funny Car down the track at the last races for 2011. She's a proven winner in the jaw-dropping Pro Mod class as well. Also from this category is Leah Pruet-Leduc who has just moved up to Funny Car. In the Pro Stock class Erica Enders will soon collect her first Wally. Crew chief Dave Connolly consistently gives her a car that has the potential to win in the final round. She's got the competition "sweating bullets". Greg Andersen in his own words, "I don't want to go down in history as the first to lose to Erica." Greg, it is just a matter of time!

Getting back to Shirley, in September she was honored as the 2011 recipient of the Mildred Marcum Pioneer Award. Other notable women in drag racing are Karen Stoffer (pro bike), Shelly Anderson (top fuel), Peggy Llewellyn (pro bike) and Hillary Will (top Fuel).

One of these days I have to write one about local women in drag racing. I think I will start with Berginie "Busa girl" Naar and work my way backward.

Thanks for reading