IHRA Harold Martin Pre Race: Martin Poised to Complete the
Winning Picture in Cayuga
Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
Phone: (704) 662-3121
jgknapp@tmgsports.net
Team ACDelco
IHRA Race Preview
Harold Martin, Owner/Driver
ACDelco Pro Modified Pontiac
Event: IHRA Canadian Nationals
Location: Toronto Motorsports Park
Cayuga, Ontario, Canada
Dates: September 22 - 24, 2006
Martin Poised to Complete the Winning Picture in Cayuga
A successful weekend in the eMax Drag Racing Series' Pro Modified
division requires a blending of several key ingredients. Naturally, the
primary element is a consistent, fast race car. Next, there must be a
top-flight crew ready to adapt to whatever Mother Nature, the track or
the competition may throw at them. The driver also plays a key role and
must be ready to perform at his or her very best, gaining the advantage
at the start and doing whatever is necessary to extract the maximum from
the ride. The final component, however, is out of the team's control,
as throughout the event they must be the recipient of a little racing
luck.
Over the last few races, Harold Martin and his ACDelco Pontiac Racing
team have shown that their organization is ready to return to the
winner's circle. Long hours spent at the shop and at the track testing
have started to pay off with consistent qualifying efforts and solid
performances on race day, including their stirring runner-up finish in
Epping two weeks ago. Although their work is completed and the
groundwork has been set, as they head to Cayuga, Ontario, Canada for
this weekend's resumption of the rain-delayed Canadian Nationals, Martin
and his crew hope Lady Luck will be on their side, keeping the rain away
as well helping them to score their second "Ironman" trophy.
"This weekend, we've set out our plan for the race, as well as a prayer
for good weather, hoping we will be able to have a drag race and not a
boating event" said Martin "However, coming off our runner-up finish in
Epping, we are psyched heading into Cayuga. We celebrated that
performance on the fly, with our reward being a three-page list on how
we could improve our ACDelco Pontiac's performance even further. We're
excited by the foundation we have established with our racing program,
while at the same time looking for continuous improvement, bringing some
more consistent and competitive times to this race, getting us in the
show and through four good rounds on Sunday."
Good fortune aside, the Martin Motorsports crew knows they will have
their work cut out for them this weekend. With another tightly packed
field anticipated at Toronto Motorsports Park, it will be a battle
simply to qualify. In addition, the cooler fall temperatures expected
at this rescheduled race are completely unlike those found in previous
years, when the event was run in the summer, putting Martin and the
entire nitrous-powered contingent at a disadvantage to their
supercharged counterparts.
With little room for error, their success could rely on how well they
interpret their tuning notes from previous races at the Canadian
quarter-mile, which were compiled in different atmospheric conditions.
Despite this daunting assignment, the "EFI Wizard" remains confident of
building upon the momentum established at the last race and continuing
his string of strong performances, buoyed by the support of his many
Canadian fans.
"There's a lot of rain in the forecast, as well as cooler temperatures,
which at the very least makes for another tremendous challenge in terms
of our preparation, as we don't really know what we will find in
Cayuga," detailed Martin. "If the predictions prove correct, we will
have conditions we didn't think we would normally have to race on,
sending us back to our notebooks to see what set-up we will need to use.
With air temperatures ranging from 50 to 60 degrees with off-and-on rain
showers, we have to hope it will stay dry and warm enough that we will
have a reasonable amount of traction. Clearly the nitrous racers will
have their hands full, but we're up to the challenge.
"We're also looking forward to returning to Canada, where we hope the
good fortunes we have shared with our many Canadian friends will
continue to shine in our favor. We have a great following we have built
from our days with ACDelco as the sponsor of this race, as well as the
overall success we have experienced north of the border, and we're
looking forward to another tremendous outing. We think this could be a
really good weekend for the ACDelco Pontiac team."
Notes on Harold Martin and the ACDelco Pontiac Racing Team entering
The IHRA Canadian Nationals:
Martin Has Been a Strong Competitor in Cayuga: In this event's first
four years, Harold has two starts in the top half of the field, and
three quarter-final finishes.
One Year Ago: Harold captured the ninth starting spot with a
6.263-second, 224.28 mph pass, and advanced to the quarterfinals
Event Schedule:
Qualifying:
Friday, September 22:
One round at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 23: Two
rounds at 3:00 & 7:00 p.m.
Final Eliminations:
Sunday, September 24:
First round of eliminations at 11:00 a.m.
Pre-race ceremonies start at 12:15 p.m.
Quarter-finals at 12:30 p.m.
Semi-finals at 2:15 p.m.
Championship round at 4:15 p.m.
Television Schedule:
Saturday, October 7: 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
(Speed Channel)
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