AAFD Headed to the 53rd Annual March Meet

AAFD Racers Overcome Obstacles to Compete at the first Top Fuel Event of the Season

San Jose, CA - March 3, 2011 - It is a dilemma that has been faced by racers for many years, that of overcoming obstacles in order to race. The front engine top fuel dragsters that race in the NHRA Heritage Series are no exception to the problem.

The Heritage Series is relatively young in comparison with other series. It is just now entering its 4th year, and as such it is subject to growing pains. Looming large in the pain department is the need to finesse the rules to iron out the kinks and plug the oversights. Over the past year there have been events in the racing world that have taken place that pointed out the need to create some new safety rules, and the AA/Fuel Dragsters are one of the classes that felt the trickle-down brunt of those changes.

This season the AA/Fuel Dragsters have been required, among other things, to upgrade their chassis to a new SFI chassis specification, install a form-fitting foam seat, and be equipped with carbon fiber brakes. That last item has brought about the biggest concerns. Although many of the front engine Top Fuel cars that run the series were already equipped with the carbon brakes, a good number of them weren’t. For those still using steel brake rotors the problem of conforming became one of cost and time. Time may not seems like a big problem, as racers are known for spending a lot of time working on their cars, but in this case the time constraint was in ordering and receiving parts from manufacturers before the first race and/or booking time with chassis builders. Cost was certainly an issue also as the total bill for the required upgrades stretched many of the team’s budgets to the stress point.

However, the Top Fuel racers who compete in the Heritage Series are a hearty group with a burning desire to race.

When word leaked out of the new rules just a couple of months short of the start of the season it was feared that a large number of the dragsters would be unable to make the call. Those cost and time issues threatened the car count at the first race of the season, the fabled March Meet. However, as the race grows near it appears those fears were largely unfounded. The AAFD organization has reported that a full field of top fuel dragsters is anticipated.

Leading the way will be defending series champion Adam Sorokin in the Champion Speed Shop entry out of San Francisco. Sorokin parlayed a quick start to the championship last season by winning the March Meet and he is anxious to try for a repeat on both the race and the series.

Sorokin will be joined this time around by a second Champion Speed Shop entry. Larry Gotelli will make a return to the Top Fuel wars after a hiatus of a couple of years. He will pilot the smallblock Chevrolet powered entry formerly driven by Sorokin. Tony Bernardini, co-crew chief for Sorokin, will head the crew for Gotelli.

Coming ever so close to victory at last years March Meet was Howard Haight of Indianapolis, Indiana. His resolve to return and finish the job is evident by the fact that when his usual ride, the Nitro-diction car out of New York was unable to make the trip this year, Howie lined up a drive in the Massachusetts-based Mr. Boston car. This is the first trip to the March Meet for the Mr. Boston car, but Haight has tons of experience on the Bakersfield track to offset the crew’s virgin status.

Also making the long tow from east of the Rockies are Waterloo, Iowa’s Roger Lechtenburg in Dale & Kat Suhr’s Orange Crate and New York’s own Tony Bartone, the Alcohol Funny Car winner at the recent NHRA Winternationals.

The drivers that finished in positions 2 through 6 in the 2010 points standings have all filed entries for the 2011 race. Jim Murphy (Santa Rosa, CA), Brad Thompson (Visalia, CA), Brett Harris (Kaysville, UT), Rick White (San Diego, CA), and Mike McLennan (Pleasanton, CA) each have their sights set on taking home the March Meet trophy. Standing in their way will be, Fresno’s Denver Schutz driving for Texan Jim Cullen, San Jose Chevy stalwart Brendan Murry, Bill Dunlap out of Cupertino in Bob Richardson’s Circuit Breaker, and Sacramento’s Terry Cox in the sleek Cheetah IV.

Qualifying for the Annual March Meet begins on Friday March 18th at Auto Club Raceway Famoso in Bakersfield and continues on Saturday, March 19th. First round of eliminations is scheduled for late Saturday afternoon, with the concluding rounds on Sunday, March 20th. For tickets and more info about the 53rd Annual March meet visit www.famosoraceway.com