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"We hurt
the engine in the semi-final and didn't have enough time to change it."
He explained. "The NHRA had an eye on approaching rain clouds and
decided that we had to hurry up to beat the weather. We decided not to
risk an engine change in so little time and did what we could to nurse
the engine through the final. As soon as I attempted the burnout I knew
we were in trouble and when I staged I knew I would need a really good
reaction time to beat my opponent Gary Gardella. Unfortunately I was a
little too quick and fouled out with a red light."
The troublesome
engine has been a real workhorse for the team this season and has made
over fifty trouble-free passes before it finally expired.
Trans crew chief Tony Palo was disappointed not to win but was happy about
the teams performance overall.
"We managed to set the speed record and we also beat the Pontiac
Sunfire of Marty Ladwig. We are the first to beat Marty this year and
it gives us a lot of confidence going into the next race. We have proven
that the GM team are not unbeatable and that a five-speed car can run
with the automatics. The second place points also moved us up to within
striking distance of the leaders."
The new speed
record set by the Quaker State® Civic stands at 170.90mph and Tran
was also made the first official NHRA Hot Rod 170mph pass at this event
to back up the record pass.
With three events completed of the ten-round championship the Quaker State®
backed Jotech team now sits in a strong third position in the points behind
the factory supported GM and Mopar teams.
With only a few points separating Tran from second placed Mike Crawford
the next race in Atco, New Jersey should be a thriller.
"We are making a few changes to the car before we head up to the
Northeast again." Said Tran. "We should have even more power
and will be looking to clinch the second position in the championship
by taking our first win of the year.
"We know we can beat the factory teams and now we have scared them
a little it is time to really turn up the wick and start beating them
on a regular basis."
The Atco New Jersey race will be on the 7th and 8th of June. For directions
and more information check out the official NHRA Sport Compact web site.
Contacts:
Jotech Racing: www.jotech.com
Quaker State Oil www.quakerstate.com
NHRA www.nhrasportcompact.com
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