Capps and Brown Leading Full Throttle Series

Ron Capps and Antron Brown seem to be streaks ahead of the pack at this relatively early stage in the 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Racing Series. Both drivers have dominated their respective fields during the first two events of the season and have also started to build a rather impressive points lead in the Full Throttle standings.

Ron Capps may have endured a rather dismal 2008 season, but he managed to catch up somewhat at the end. This year he seems to have picked up where he left off. His explosion into the limelight this year started when he won the Funny Car season opener at Pomona in California. His most recent victory took place at the Firebird International Raceway on Sunday when he captured his second straight Funny Car title in the young campaign by beating Robert Hight and Del Worsham in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist Nationals. Not only did he win, but he managed to gain an impressive 97 point lead over fellow competitors. Commenting on his most recent victories, Capps told reporters: “I’m living a dream right now.” He also commented on his recent experiences behind the wheel, saying: “It’s like a really good cook learning how to cook again completely differently. The car is just so different to run, to feel, and it puts me in the trunk at half track. It’s so much fun to drive and when the win light comes on, it’s even better.” No doubt fans can expect to see more from Capps in upcoming races.

Brown began his 2009 Top Fuel season with a No.1 qualifier and a runner-up finish during the Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals held at the Auto Club Raceway in Pomona. He followed it up with his most recent performance in Phoenix which saw him take the lead over two-time event winner Brandon Bernstein to take the checkered flag. The win also boosted him to the lead in the Top Fuel standings. Speaking about his victory, Brown said: “This just shows how strong our team really is here at Mike Ashley Racing. With all the adversity we dealt with this off season, this is just an awesome feeling.” Brown and Capps were joined by Jeg Coughlin who won in Pro Stock at the recent 2009 NHRA Full Throttle Racing Series event.

Second Season of Unified Indycar Racing Commences

It may not be the first season of unified racing for the IndyCar Series, but teams returning to this year’s events will likely feel that it is. Last year the unification decision was announced in February, just days before pre-season testing commenced. Drivers were ill-prepared for the changes and many suffered for this during the course of the season. This year they can kick off their season truly prepared for it.

Things started out a bit rough-and-tumble for the 2008 IndyCar racing season after some major changes were made a little too close to the first open test. The February Open Test in Homestead, Miami, was missed and a separate Open Test was held in Sebring, Florida. Teams had to spend at least half the season preparing back-up cars just to make it through with some hope of success. Fortunately the drivers were eventually able to catch up, and by the end of the season there were two rookie breakthrough wins by Justin Wilson and Graham Rahal.

Now the 2009 IndyCar series unified racing season is ready to begin as cars get ready to return to the track from February 24-25 for the Open Test. Stating his expectations for the year, Vitor Meira, who has been racing the series for seven years and will be moving to AJ. Foyt Racing for the season, said: “It’s definitely going to be tougher. With the off-season that we have, the new teams have had a lot of time to think, a lot of time to correct their mistakes. Since their learning curve is higher than ours, they’re going to be able to start in better shape than last year.”

Apart from the Open Test announcement, teams will also be racing two new street courses in Long Beach California and Toronto. Drivers seem to be excited about being given the chance to race where people like Mario and Michael Andretti, Helio Castroneves and Dario Franchitti have raced and won before. Will Power remarked that “Unification was the best thing that could’ve happened for open-wheel racing in North America”, due to the fact that “it’s created a lot more interest in the sport.” He couldn’t be more right and no doubt the 2009 IndyCar Series will be a massive success.

Kalitta Wins NHRA Top Fuel Opener

When Doug Kalitta won the NHRA Top Fuel opener in Pomona on Tuesday, it was a rather emotional victory for him. Not only was the race physically and mentally draining due to the large amounts of rain which plagued the track, but this was the first time that Kalitta won since losing his teammate and cousin Scott Kalitta last June in a tragic racing accident.

The dramatic circumstances surrounding Doug Kalitta’s victory only added to the overall drama and excitement of the race. Kalitta took a clean victory, defeating Antron Brown at 3.822 seconds to Brown’s 3.847 seconds. The event had already been running for six days – having been drawn out an extra two days by the rain which prolonged eliminations. During the course of the race Kalitta managed to defeat Urs Erbacher, Morgan Lucas and Cory McClenathan and fourteen of the other sixteen cars in the field. On the final round of the race it was between him and Antron Brown, with Kalitta clutching the victory just seconds ahead of his opponent. Kalitta was ecstatic. It was the 31st Top Fuel event win for the driver, putting an end to a 27-race winless streak since his cousin’s accident. The win no doubt also put an end to the concerns of his family-run team, which is headed by his uncle and father.

The NHRA Top Fuel victory was particularly emotional and even fans could empathize as Doug’s father Connie came running into the winner’s circle to share his son’s special moment. Speaking about the race afterwards, Kalitta said: “I think of Scott when I’m in the car. It motivates me to get up on the wheel. Winning this race is special. Connie won here and Scott won here. In fact, this is the car that Scott drove to the win here in 2005. I’m sure he’s proud of the fact that all three of us have won here now.” Doug Kalitta added: “It was also special that Connie was in the winner’s circle with us. I’m just happy he still enjoys this. This is his 50th anniversary in drag racing and it would be great to give him a big year.”

Final Race of 2009 Jetta TDI Cup Announced

Up until now only nine of the ten events for the 2009 season of the Jetta TDI Cup had been announced. Now Volkswagen of America, Inc. has finally announced the last host in the series of races – Miller Motorsports Park. The track, which is located in Salt Lake City, is set to host Round Three of the event from May 15-17.

The 2009 Jetta TDI Cup is SCCA Pro Racing-sanctioned and fans already know that they can expect top racing from this fantastic auto racing event. Clark Campbell, the Motorsport Manager for Volkswagen of America, Inc., said: “I’m very pleased with the addition of Miller Motorsports Park to our schedule, as it is an excellent circuit to host one of our events. In addition, this race helps us broaden the geographic reach of our series in hopes of spreading the word about the many benefits of clean diesel performance and technology.”

This is only the second season of the still new and young Jetta TDI Cup and it is scheduled to begin at Virginia International Raceway on April 24. The racing action is always exciting since it sees 30 young, undiscovered and unproved drivers take to the track to compete in a series of ten different events on as many as eight different road courses around the country. There is no way of telling what will happen or who will come out on top. The prize money is good, with the series champion taking $100 000 home with him, while each and every driver also gets to earn a Pro Racing license from the SCCA by the end of the season. Drivers are aged between sixteen and twenty-six and the resulting explosion of talent and skill is nail-biting to watch. Competitors in the race are also aware that it is a great opportunity to kick-start their racing careers and they take it very seriously.

Kyle Novak, the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup SCCA Program Manager, noted that the 2009 Jetta TDI Cup season would see these young drivers competing on some of the most challenging and illustrious road courses in North America. He said that these circuits would be a “test of driving ability” and that the result of this would be that “drivers will be equipped with the skills necessary to launch their careers in racing.” He added that the events provide “great exposure because they’ll often be racing alongside some of the best road course drivers and teams from Grand-Am and ALMS.” The 2009 Jetta TDI Cup is certainly not one to be missed so start making your arrangements now!

Auto Racing Set To Take Pakistan By Storm

Pakistan has a widely recognized reputation for two things – cricket and hockey. The people of this country are largely poor and signs of this can be seen everywhere – from the rickshaws that clutter the streets to the rustic living conditions that many deal with. Auto racing is certainly something that most Pakistanis have only ever seen on TV. All that may be about to change as fans get ready to enjoy auto racing events in Pakistan.

Lahore played host to a brand new, exciting auto racing event on Sunday when various flashy, privately-owned sports cars were gathered for the first official auto racing event in Pakistan. Not content to sit and watch the excitement only on international TV, various young South Asian men have decided to break free from old sporting traditions and start racing. Auto racing in Pakistan is not a new idea – it has been carried out somewhat illegally for a little while now. Drag racing has always been discouraged by both local communities and the government due to the dangerous nature of the sport. But now it seems that all that is about to change. Persistent pleading from a few of the country’s racing enthusiasts has led to the government rethinking its stance on the sport. They decided to sponsor a day of drag racing and the result was Sunday’s proceedings in Lahore.

Most of the cars are owned by the country’s elite who have already been gathering in Lahore and Karachi for a couple of years in order to showcase their vehicles and race them in un-sponsored events. Now, with the government’s backing, fans of the sport can make the most of auto racing in Pakistan. Even those who are unable to afford a vehicle can finally experience the thrill of watching from the sidelines with the smell of smoke, rubber and fuel thick in the air.

As the Corollas, Datsuns, Nissan R35s and Mazda RX-8s competed for the fastest time, enthusiastic onlookers decked themselves out with name brands like Ferrari, Honda and Corvette. One of the biggest crowd pleasers was a striking, fire-red Corvette C6, owned by Syed Raza Ali Gillani. Almost sixty men tested their vehicles down the quarter-mile track. Each was allowed two runs in their attempt to clock the fastest time and claim the trophy. The event was a massive success and it seems that now that the eyes of government authorities have been opened to the potential this sport has in the country, it might well flourish under their encouragement. Only time will tell.