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TROUBLE DOWN UNDER?
The details are sketchy, but Agent 1320 hears that there is a major
broo-ha-ha in the land of the antipodes. The Agent hears that the owner
of two of Australia's four tracks that run national events has closed
his tracks, effectively cutting the Australian national event series
to four races from eight. The Agent has his Australian operatives working
on it. Stay tuned.
NEW SANCTIONING BODY FOR BRACKETS
Million dollar bracket race mogul George Howard has formed a defacto
sanctioning body for bracket racers. Reportedly, Howard has signed up
16-20 tracks that will be divided into two or three divisions. Each
track will hold a series of races paying ten grand to win and the participants
will earn points toward getting a free entry into Howard's million dollar
bracket race. Look for B&M to back the series as it has done with Howard's
races in the past. If this series is as strong as it looks on paper,
this could hurt the number of cars entered at some of the other touring
shows like Super Chevy Shows, NMCA, et al.
TIM AND KIM, TOODLE-OO!
Things are apparently not all well in the Schumacher Top Fuel/Fuel Flopper
camp. Agent 1320 hears that despite offering a multitude of cars to
a multitude of sponsors (including some of his opponents' sponsors)
Schumacher Sr. was only able to get enough sponsorship for two cars.
When the tuning duo of Tim and wife Kim Richards heard that they might
have to work for a tuner already under contract with Don Schumacher,
they decided to take a walk rather than work under those conditions.
PROCK PARKS IT AT SCHUMACHERS
After apparently shopping his talents to several Top Fuel teams (rumored
to include John Force and Doug Herbert) Tom Prock has opted to stay
under contract with team Schumacher and tune the team's Fuel Coupe.
It could get very interesting in the Army between Prock and the outspoken
Whit Bazemore.
FORCE WILL HAVE THREE-CAR TEAM
Agent 1320 has it on very good authority that John Force will definitely
have a third car next year. Reportedly, the "Loquacious One" has confirmed
the third car. The only question is whether it will be a dragster or
a flopper, with a dragster getting the edge right now.
FORCE FACTOIDS
Here is an interesting little factoid. Force told one of the Agent's
operatives that he is going to pay Tim Gibson more to be the aerodynamicist
for his team than what his entire team budget was the year he won his
first NHRA World Championship.
The Agent also hears that Force is saying that next year the team will
concentrate on winning a World Championship for Tony. Wonder what happens
when both cars make the finals. Hey, we're just askin', that's all…
MOSER ENGINEERING RETURNS WITH 'AXLE MANIA'
Moser Engineering will sponsor their "Axle Mania" Shootout in IHRA again
in 2001. All IHRA Sportman racers meeting eligibility requirements will
have the opportunity to qualify for the $46,000 purse. To be eligible,
racers must run a set of Moser axles and the proper Moser Engineering
decals. The Moser "Axle Mania" decals will be available in mid-February
at all IHRA National and Holley Sportsman Championship races.
The inaugural "Axle Mania" for 2000 will be contested at the season-opening
Holley Spring Nationals at Rockingham, March 29-April 1.
WALLY BELL NAMED UDRA OVERALL ROOKIE OF THE
YEAR
After 40 years of racing, veteran Pro Modified star and match racer
Wally Bell won overall Rookie of the Year honors for his first season
with the United Drag Racers Association (UDRA). Bell started racing
in upstate New York and over the years raced 409 Chevys and Thunderbolts
with such racers as Sox & Martin, Roger Lindamood, and Hubert Platt.
He was one of the pioneers of Pro Modified in the late eighties.
Wally campaigns a '92 Pro Mod Camaro built by Gary Hansen, powered
by a Nitrous Express assisted Harold Robinson 706 c.i. Pontiac engine.
Congratulations, Wally. Another overnight success.
E-MAIL FROM E-AUTO, OR ANOTHER ONE BITES THE
DUST
The internet company eAuto, which sponsored the Peter Lehman-owned,
Clay Millican-driven Top Fueler that nearly won the IHRA World Championship
in 2000 in their first year of competition, recently announced that
they wouldn't be back as sponsor for the 2001 season. Seems they think
their marketing funds would be "best suited for other business initiatives"
rather than funding a top fuel team.
The parting between Lehman and eAuto was amicable and neither party
closed the door on future sponsorship.
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