The racing weekend that was - Wk 6

In endurance racing, the 12 Hour of Bathurst:
Needless to say, the track at Mount Panorama with its elevation changes and jaw dropping curves usually ensures for a nail biting finish. One would think that after a 12 hour long race this would not be the case. And this person would be so very wrong for a very late safety car bunched up traffic, instantly transforming a lengthy endurance race into a four minute sprint!

Bell leading Vanthoor up the mountain

Matt Bell driving a Bentley Continental GT3 was the race leader when the 20th caution flag waved. However, a quick thinking Ausie safety crew saved the race and allowed for some time for the top four to battle it out, Laurens Vanthoor in the Audi R8, Stefan Mucke in an Aston Martin and Katsumasa Chiyo in the GT-R.

Click here to watch a short video of the race's finish which included some of the best racing of the year, including arguably a candidate for Pass of the Year (Chiyo, GT-R).

2015 Liqui-Moly Bathurst 12 Hour top 5 results:
1. F. Strauss/ K. Chiyo/ W. Reip, Nissan GT-R Nismo GT, no. 35,
2. M. Mapelli/ L. Vanthoor/ M. Winkelhock, Audi R8-LMS Ultra 20, no. 15,
3. D. O'Young/ A. MacDowall/ S. Mucke, Aston Martin Vantage, no. 97,
4. G. Smith/ S. Kane/ M. Bell, Bentley Continental, no. 10,
5. J. LeBrocq/ R. Muscat/ D. Canto, Mercedes SLS AMG GT3, no. 36.


NHRA at Auto Club Raceway:
The 2015 NHRA racing series started out with a big bang in Pomona, California. Always a crowd pleaser, the track is adjacent to the Wally Parks NHRA Museum, which is a must see for drag race fans.

In Top Fuel, 2013 champion Shawn Langdon (pictured on the right) entered the season without a full-time sponsor. Luckily he got support from the Food Network star Guy Fieri and ran the Knuckle Sandwich decals on the AJPE dragster.
Always a good sign, he qualified in the top spot and carried this performance throughout eliminations. Finals he outran Antron Brown with a 3.799 et at 309.91 mph.

In Funny Car, reigning world champion Matt Hagan experienced a spectacular engine explosion during qualifying on Friday but bounced back to qualify in 12th spot on Saturday. On race Sunday, Hagan steered his car to four round-wins, the last one against his team mate Ron Capps.

"You try to put it out of your mind and not think about it," Hagan said when asked about his engine explosion. "These [race cars] are animals out there, and you never know what you are going to get when you crawl in there to drive one. It's always an experience. You have to respect it, but you can't fear it."

Line's Chevy being pulled to the start

In Pro Stock it seemed that a rookie might take the win light on Sunday. However, Drew Skillman's Cinderella story was side-wiped when he met Jason Line in the finals, who claimed his fourth Winternationals Pro Stock Wally. Line outran Joey Grose, Shane Gray, and Rodger Brogdon to advance to the final and meet longtime NHRA Sportsman racing standout Skillman, who had advanced to his first final in his first Pro start. Just amazing day for the Skillman crew. Keep it up!

The next up is the CARQUEST Auto parts NHRA Nationals at Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, near Phoenix on Feb 20-22.


IHRA Nitro Jam at Tucson:

Pro Stock winner Cary Goforth 

Fans at the Southwestern Int'' Raceway in Tucson, Arizona, saw some exciting side-by-side racing, as did the fortunate ones to follow the live feed via the internet, even though it was a tad slow... I must say that I saw some of my friends [ read: Jeff Dobbins] way too pale. Gonna send them all suggestions to come and visit us in the Caribbean so they can properly relax during the off season.

- AMSOIL Nitro Funny Cars: Mike McIntire, Camaro, defeated Jason Rupert, Camaro, by running a 13.555 at 62.89 mph

- Nitro Harley-Davidson: Jay Turner outran Randal Andras with a 6.383 et at 221 mph

- US Bounty Hunter Pro Stock: Cary Goforth beat John Deflorian Jr. with a 6.348 et 219.72 mph.

- Jet Dragster: Elaine Larsen defeated Katarina Moller with a 5.73 et at 281.77 mph pass.

- Top Sportsman: Marlon Goates, 1997 Cutlass won with a 7.468 over Marty Blair 1996 Corvette running a 7.818.

For more race results, click here.


Source: Jalopnik, IHRA, NHRA,
Photo credit: Jalopnik. IHRA, NHRA

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