Chevy Pro Stock set for debut at Hal-Far Raceway this weekend

Drag racing in Malta is lately experiencing an enjoyable increase in popularity. Participation of foreign racers during various Malta Drag Racing Association (MDRA) events last year and the introduction of new cars at the renovated Hal-Far Raceway added more allure and prestige to the sport.

The first official racing series of the MDRA 2005 calendar was held in February. On that occasion, motor sport enthusiasts saw Gary Curmi making his first appearance on the Toyota Supra Dragster. The Mibrum Racing Team did an exceptional job in building the new racer practically from scratch.

The next MDRA meeting at Hal-Far is scheduled for this weekend. Making a debut at the Raceway will be a new Holdin ProStock of the Cerra Racing Team.

Brothers Victor and Frankie Grech have been working on their project for around three years. Their dream - a pure American-style drag car.

The Holdin ProStock will be powered by a new Chevrolet V8 454 Big Block. Victor Grech is the tuner and builder.

"Most of the car's components were assembled at our garage," he said.

"These include the fibre body, interior panelling and rear aluminum spoiler. We were also responsible for all steel works for the roll-caging and chassis.

"We took our time to finish this drag car but now we're satisfied with what we managed to achieve."

The engine has been fitted with a set of TRW high compression forged pistons and a Fogger Nitrous system.

The Competition Cam camshaft has high lobes for better performance and the fuel is fed to the engine by a Holley Dominator four-barrel Carburettor.

The engine's power is developed through a Power Glide two-speed transmission, built purposely for drag racing, and a Strange rear-end supported by a four-link suspension system.

This weekend, Frankie Grech will be driving the Holdin ProStock.

"These will be our first runs at the Raceway, so, obviously, our targets are not really high at first," he said as the final touches were being applied at their base in Mqabba.

"We are focusing on the engine's performance mainly. There's always some fine tuning to do but as the season develops we seek to improve in competition.

"We dedicated a great deal of our time to finish the project.

"The costs were high and the workload was exhausting at times but we found great support mostly from our family and friends."

The second MDRA event of the season starts tomorrow with testing and a Run What You Bring series.

Meanwhile, it was also announced this week that the Elbros Racing Team will be participating with their Fontana Top Methanol Dragster, driven by John Ellul.

During the weekend, the Malta Slot Drag Racing will be holding an exhibition of 1:24 scale models at the paddock area.

Greeks confirm summer visit for MDRA races

This week, ProMod racer Filippos Papafilippou confirmed Greek participation in 2005 MDRA events.

He said: "We will come for sure, preferably for a night event in summer. I intend to race in Malta at least once, maybe twice, with my Corvette Pro-Mod.

"We are planning to make the trip with some really fast cars and Pro Stock bikes. Makis Nefraim will be in Malta with his Pontiac."

Drag Racing in Greece is currently on a high. At present, there is an impressive list of 10 drag cars and 20 bikes in Open Class all clocking between seven and eight seconds in quarter-mile runs.