In the offseason of 2007-08, the NMRA had a tough decision to make in regards to the Drag Radial class rules. There has long been a call from the racers in the supercharged camp to do away with the 88 mm turbocharger, and in the beginning stages of the rules process it seemed like they would get their wish.
When the final rules were released, all hell broke loose as the vilified 88mm was back in place, albeit with a huge weight hit over the 2007 rules.
 Kolivas powers to another win! |
John Kolivas is the racer who has taken the 88 mm to new heights, last season running a best of an 8.02 at the opening event and going on to take the championship at the final event over fellow turbocharged competitor Chris Tuten. Towards the end of the 2007 season, racers in the supercharged group seemed to boycott the competition, yet there were 17 racers total on the grounds in Florida for the 2008 season opener.
Kolivas, never one to take the road-much-traveled, showed up with a 5.4 liter-based Modular engine, topped off with the aforementioned 88mm turbocharger and ran nearly 180 mph. After going on to win the race, Kolivas has taken a beating on the NMRA forums from all of the supercharged racers who are complaining that they can't keep up.
 What will this car do once it is sorted out? |
Joey Bridge also showed up to shake down a customer's car and eclipsed the 180 mph barrier, running nearly 182 mph with another 5.4-based 88mm combination. This sparked immediate dissension from the supercharger-equipped racers, and the old battle cry of "allow the F2 ProCharger" has returned in force.
It remains unclear what the NMRA's Rules Committee will do, if anything, but one thing is for certain; Drag Radial certainly keeps things interesting!