Pre-season testing at Bakersfield, session 1

It’s a New Year for Heritage Racers

Words and photos by Darr Hawthorne

It’s a new racing year and as the crews do in the Big Show, Heritage Series racers need some time to tune it up before the season-opening March Meet at Auto Club Famoso Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif. New engine combinations, gear ratios, driver swaps, front halves and fuel systems have to be worked out before the other Big Go West on March 1 – 4 at the Patch.

The relaxed atmosphere of a Test-n-Tune is just the place to refine the tune-up and a few drivers needed to upgrade or renew their competition licenses.  As a result, elapsed times were sketchy and often the nitro teams were testing their launch and short track times.

Nobody works harder than the guys who race Top Fuel Harleys, but off the starting line, this bike left a lot of parts on the track in a ball of flames.

Hard working Oregon-based veteran racer Wally Giavia earned his license driving his “G-Men” ’79 Dodge Challenger-bodied nitro funny car.  Northern California nitro racer Pete Jensen and his Free Mexican Air Force crew have been working on the engine, clutch and chassis set up getting it ready for the March Meet.  Sixty-three-year-old Giavia ran a best of 6.10 at over 235 mph to complete his licensing.