Aero Racing presented for the 2022 Westernationals in Perth Western Australia this last weekend with their new Hemi powered Top Alcohol Altered.
It’s a big change for the team after years of campaigning their unique bespoke billet Toyota based quad cam V8.
Team owner and driver Paul Carey explains the reasoning behind the change. “The Toyota is a great engine, but has some design flaws with the four valve setup. It’s well suited for turbocharging, but not for supercharged blown alcohol at the performance level we are after. We felt that if we want to compete in the class properly we should go with a Hemi”
The team chose to purchase a complete deal from Top Doorslammer champion John Zappia. “My company has sponsored Zappia Racing since 2006, and forged a mentor program with Zap to assist our group 3 and 2 racing over the years. So it made sense to make the move to a hemi motor and have the support and knowledge base available.” said Paul.
The team dedicated two days of testing at the Perth Motorplex prior to the Westerns to get a handle on the new setup. Paul wrote, “We continued with the converter drive and three speed B & J configuration we have previously run, and Zap supplied a known combination from the USA as a base line. Sure enough the combo worked right on all test passes as we dialled the tuneup in with half track and 1,000 foot passes. We certainly had some work to do with a few challenges, but it all came together”.
Qualifying on Saturday went well with the altered running a 6.217 on its first full pass that placed the team mid field in the 14 car field in Competition.
First round up on elimination Sunday saw a great win to Carey with a 0.023 reaction and 6.170 over funny car rival Ian Brown. “The tune-up was still way safe as we slowly make adjustments without breaking any parts”.
Second round was an all top alcohol race – up against TA/D racer Nigel Johnson who was dialling in his new increased overdrive limit combination.
Carey again was out of the hole fast with another 0.028 reaction time, but the car veered right and just crossed the centreline. Nigel’s 5.662 was a good win against a 6.11.
“Incrementals were better for that run, with a 3.80 half track and I got off the power at 1000 ft timing a 4.98 seconds to coast through for the 6.11. The car was responding well to all the tuning changes we were making, and shows great promise. Lots left in the car with a 5 second pass not far away..” said Paul.
“The crew were amazing over the four days, as we have developed dedicated team member who gel perfectly under pressure and responding well to change with the new motor. We are all fired up to start running some consistent times and completing in our class. Watch this space” Paul explained.
