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The name of veteran drag racing photo-journalist Roger Gorringe will be known to most readers. Roger makes frequent trips to the USA taking in as many of the major meetings as he can. It is filthy work standing trackside with endless Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars thundering past you but someone has to do it. Fortunately Roger has very kindly offered to share his experiences with us in his illustrated meeting reports.
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For well over forty years after first seeing film and photos of Top Fuel Dragsters I saw the occasional clip or frame of Drag Boats and thought, I’ve got to see these things, they were just as awe inspiring as the nitro-fuelled four-wheel land-locked missiles we love so much today. At last, the chance came as the dates of the SEMA and AAPEX Shows, usually directly after the NHRA Toyota Nationals at Las Vegas changed. A spare weekend! A planned trip up to Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks for a bit of culture was quickly rescheduled to a trip to Phoenix, Arizona. Many thanks to Rob Geiger who arranged last minute credentials to the Lucas Oil Drag Boat Series World Finals at the Wild Horse Pass Motorsports Park, Chandler, near Phoenix, Arizona. I don’t pretend to understand the many classes or race procedures but the basics are very much akin to the concrete and asphalt racing. Distance is a quarter-mile or one thousand feet for some of the top classes. The ultimate class is Top Fuel Hyrdo basically a top fuel motor aboard a boat, there are many classes including Top Eliminator, Top Alcohol Hydro, Top Alcohol Flat, Pro Outlaw and Pro Mod then the Sportsman racers, Pro Eliminator, Quick Eliminator, Modified Eliminator and Stock Eliminator plus several other classes all with explosive demonstrations of pure power as rooster tales high in the air followed each boat. Top Fuel Hydro experienced a scary crash as Daryl Ehrlich overturned the ‘Problem Child’ brand new hull owned by Eddie Knox on the Saturday. Ehrlich in the survival capsule designed to break free from the wrecked hull bobbed up and was hauled out by the rescue crews. The team luckily had another hull and this was substituted for the Sunday eliminations which he won. His earlier first run netted him a 3.57/257 1,000 foot clocking then on a stunning 3.436 at 260.23mph in the number two boat Sunday morning. A first round win against Scott Lumbert’s MAVTV/Spirit of Texas and a bye into the final round where a double fault occurred as both pilots went out of their lane. Officials decided on a first or worst ruling and the win went to Ehrlich in the Red Line Oil boat with a 4.347/157 to a no times ticket from Jeff Gregory in the E3/Safety Kleen boat.
Pro Eliminator became a bout between Kelly Asbe and Jerry Hardwick, it was Hardwick’s race as his 8.049/131 took out the 8.025/129.
Top Alcohol Hydro had Bob Pizza take the win from Darin Dunagan a 4.406/210 win to a slowed up 15.206/53.
Top Alcohol Flat saw Bill Millar take the trophy as opponent Randy Ball red lit, Millar’s 5.693/146 winning over the wasted and disqualified 5.426/151.
Pro Outlaw trophy went to Shawn Reed as his 5.652/162 beat the red light 5.567/161 of Michael Welsh.
Pro Mod races on an index of 7 dead, so there were one or two racers that went out due to running a six. The final however went to Doug Maderer and his 7.092/157 beating the 7.514/162 from Kevin Helm.
Top Eliminator came down to a run-off between Danny Lackey and Josh Patridge, it went to Lackey with a 9.022/107 to a 9.125/106.
Modified Eliminator was wrapped up by Mike Munoz with a 10.145 beating the 10.209 from Joe Alcorn.
Stock Eliminator win was taken by Paul Hodges, his 11.245/81 was enough to see off the 11.425/88 from Chris Hedland.
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