Rapisarda Autosport International’s stellar early season form continued with a 3.81/320.51mph pass to qualify in ninth spot for round one of the 2013 NHRA MelloYello Championship at Firebird International Raceway.
RAI’s Larry Dixon will face off against second-generation star Brandon Bernstein in first round of eliminations – Monday morning Australian time.
“We spun the tyres pretty hard at the top end of the track on our third qualifier,” said Dixon. “That put cylinders out, we slowed then ended up running a 3.81.It could have been a faster run if the car had stayed hooked up. On our last run we pressed it a little bit and spun the tyres early. Track conditions will be definitely be a lot cooler tomorrow. The track will be tighter and the cars will go faster. All teams will be firing shots and if we want to take home the gold we need to be firing the same shots as well.”
“We were more aggressive with our tune trying to get the car to run in the 3.70’s on our last qualifier,” said co- tuner Santo Rapisarda Jr. “We tried to “tickle the car “ -referring to the pass of 6. 863/88.85 mph.
“Over the two days we did three runs in the 3.81 zone and did not damage any parts which is a great result for the team. It would be nice to get our first 3.70 sec pass on the board and it could happen tomorrow. Our plan is to go rounds on race day. The crew are confident of upsetting Bernstein in first round and who knows what can happen from then?”
