First night series of the season

The Malta Drag Racing Association recently organised their first from a series of three Night Drag Racing events this season under newly-installed artificial lighting at the Hal Far Raceway.

Thanks to the sterling work of Remigio Arapa and other helpers, the track has now been upgraded significantly and boasts an international level.

This was also stated by foreign experts Berni Hepworth and Charlie Draper, both with vast experience in various racetracks around the world. The MDRA, they said, have developed their facilities at Hal Far into one of the best drag racing homes in Europe.

During the three-day event, which saw the participation of over 160 competitors, some national records were broken and various personal best times achieved.

The highlight, perhaps, was Chris Polidano's final run - a stunning 7.8 seconds with a terminal speed of 170 mph. Polidano, who drives his father's modified Ford Escort fitted with a four-cylinder Turbo Cosworth engine assisted with Nitrous Oxide, can now truly say he owns the fastest Cosworth-powered pro-stock car on the international scene.

The Powerhouse Racing Team, led by tuner Amante Bugeja, worked hard on Polidano's car throughout the whole weekend to achieve their goal.

Other impressive times were registered by Reno Muscat, Joe Carabott, Karim Cassar, Rennie Zammit, Mark Farrugia, Jesmond Mallia and Jason Martin, Alan Camilleri and Mark Attard.

One may obtain more details on the series results by logging on to www.maltadragracing.com The next night event is scheduled for July 22-24.

The following are the class winners on the day:

Handicap Moto: Ivan Desira - Honda 400cc, 14.042 sec.

HandicapTrucks: Tommy Agius - Volvo 12Ltr+Nos, 11.353 sec.

SM 2 Class: Paul Pace - Escort 2100cc, 11.686 sec.

SS 2 Class: Karim Cassar - Escort 2100cc, 11.700 sec.

PS 2 Class: John Farrugia - Escort 2100cc, 11.595 sec.

PS 3 Class: Reno Muscat - Escort 1700cc+Nos, 10.435 sec.

CA 2 Class: Mark Attard - Escort 2100cc, 11.408 ec.

CA 3 Class: Reno Muscat - Escort 1700cc + Nos, 10.429 sec.

CA 6 Class: Alan Camilleri - Sierra V8+Nos,8.337 sec.

Open 1 Class: Jesmond Mallia - Escort 2260cc + Nos, 10.102 sec.

Open 2 Class: Chris Polidano - Escort Cosworth, 8.044 sec.

Open 3 Class: Chris Polidano - Escort Cosworth 2260cc + Nos, 8.044 sec.

Open 4 Class: Chris Polidano - Escort Cosworth 2260cc + Nos, 7.886 sec.