The Alutech Funny Car was proudly parked back in the winner’s circle last Saturday, boasting the double jubilation of Crew Chief Brodie Pilkington’s first win and the continuation of his father’s second-round winning streak, as part of the Perth Motorplex Nightfire Jets event.
Soaring temperatures tested both man and machine on a less than predictable race surface, however, freshly appointed crew chief Brodie was not intimidated despite missing the first round of qualifying due to a wheel balancing issue sending the Alutech/CTS Low Loaders team scouting Perth’s southern suburbs for a portable balancer.
“For Brodie to get his first win in only his second event is amazing. I just whispered in his ear to not be fazed by the conditions or the competition, and he held himself brilliantly,” the proud father said.
“For the last few years, our second outing for the season has been a round of the national championship and we’ve won the last two, so to carry on the tradition with a win in our second outing of the season is a great way to start the championship, and it’s also great to match our arch-rival with a win for a win,” he said, speaking of points leader, Al McClure who won the first round of the roster.
“We qualified second, which is amazing considering we had one go at it, but we were a little shocked that our first round match up would be against John Zappia, who’s just returned from winning his sixth national championship.”
Despite the tough competition, Pilkington’s razor sharp reaction times would be the key to beating Zappia, as well as McClure in the final and a pair of .03 second starts were exactly what the doctor ordered to take the wins.
“Perhaps this new-found freedom to let the rest of the team take the pressure of getting the car ready is really paying off. I was focussed and relaxed and I think that was reflected in the reaction times, that ultimately got the car to the finish line first.”
Pilkington’s start line heroics may have won on the track, but the Oakford based four time champion was also quick to give credit to his hardworking crew.
“It’s nice to think I had something to do with our success,” Pilkington chuckled, well aware that his son had handed him a great car to race. “We all know this is a team sport, but today the Alutech/CTS crew really shone because every single member, Steve, Frank, Sean, Monique and Scott, all went beyond the call to get this done. But as much as I like the challenge of tuning these things, if we can keep up this level of success with Brodie making the calls, I could be putting in an order for a hammock for resting between rounds!”
Back in the workshop, Alutech Monte Carlo is currently undergoing routine maintenance in preparation for the first two-day event of the season, when the Nitro Funny Cars come to town on November 29 and 30. For more details on when to see the Alutech/CTS Funny Car in action, check out www.motorplex.com.au.
