Darren Morgan Racing hasn’t been idle over the short ANDRA Pro Series off-season, signing a number of corporate partners – both current and new – ahead of the Fuchs Australian Nationals this weekend.
AEG Powertools remain as the naming rights partner to the team with Hungry Jack’s Mildura, however off the back of the successful 2010/2011 Championship season – DMR has two returning sponsors in Shannons Insurance and Kennards Hire and a brand new technical partner in Disc Brakes Australia (DBA).
“It’s fantastic that we can bring a new partner on board in Disc Brakes Australia, and bring Shannons Insurance and Kennards Hire back for the ride, so too AEG Powertools and Hungry Jack’s Mildura,” said Morgan
The partners add to a growing list of sponsors on board the Mildura based outfit – arguably the most professional in Australian drag racing.
Shannons Insurance will work with DMR and other partners on the Top Fuel Simulator program developed at the back end of last season – it is the world’s first fully functional Top Fuel simulator.
DBA will be assisting the team with brake componentry and will be critical in taking Morgan from in excess of 550kph to a stop post each 4.5 second quarter-mile (400m) run.
With the season kicking off at Sydney Dragway this coming weekend, Morgan and the crew are aiming to continue the performances of last year that saw them win the Championship in the world’s most explosive motorsport – the Mildura Missile’s first as a team owner.
The Morgan team enters the Nationals with supreme confidence off the back of last season’s Championship and is aiming to back up it’s Nationals win of 12 months ago.
Morgan’s last visit to the Sydney venue for the Nitro Champs ended in disappointment, being knocked out in round one by Allan Dobson.
A stellar field of 10 Top Fuel cars – including American star – Cory McClenathan – have entered for the biggest prize in Australian drag racing.
“There’s a top field that will be on hand for the event – including Cory Mac. Knocking him out of the Castrol EDGE Winternationals a few weeks ago was undoubtedly one of my career highlights – especially as it was the first ever run for the car!” he said.
“It was cool to think that I got the holeshot on a guy noted for his reaction times – and I’d love to be able to do it again!”
Throughout the off-season, Crew Chief Ben Patterson – who became the youngest crew chief anywhere in the world to have won a Top Fuel Title at 21 – undertook a whistlestop tour to the USA, visiting the Sonoma NHRA drag racing event.
He worked with Clay Millican’s team – however they were knocked out in the first round by NHRA front-runner Del Worsham.
The Fuchs Australian Nationals will be held at Sydney Dragway this coming weekend – September 9-11, 2011.
