Multiple championship-winning Rapisarda Racing drag racing team is set to race a Nitro Funny Car in Australia after purchasing an ex-Don Prudhomme Racing, 2008 Monte Carlo NHRA car.
Rapisarda Racing US-based crew chief, Glenn Mikres, said the Funny Car was purchased earlier in the year and arrived in Australia mid-May.
“The car is a former Don Prudhomme car. It is a McKinney chassis with a Monte Carlo body. One of the Skoal blue cars. It is lightly raced as it was used as a Prudhomme Racing backup car,” Mikes said.
“It is a 2008 car, so it is a few years old, built just before the new big tube cars came out with all the updates. It is actually a very nice car.
Mikres said he sourced the car after Rapisarda Racing team principle, Santo Rapisarda, the owner of a multi-car Top Fuel team, decided to enter Australia’s Nitro Funny Car ranks.
“Santo (Rapisarda) said he wanted to buy a Nitro Funny Car and asked me to find a good US car for him.
“There are quite a lot of good cars on the market (in the US) and I knew that Don Prudhomme wanted to sell his stuff (cars and parts), so I phoned-up and talked to the guys at Prudhomme Racing and then send Ryan (Elliott) – a US-based Rapisarda Racing crew member – to have a look at the car and all the parts.
“Ryan said everything looked okay so I went to Prudhomme and did the deal.”
Mikres said the Wetherill Park-based Rapisarda Racing plan to debut the Funny Car at the Sydney Dragway Australian Nitro Funny Car Gold Cup event on July 31 and August 1.
“When I am back to Australia to prepare the two Dragsters for the Winternationals, I will also assemble and prepare the Funny Car.
“It is our plan to race the car at the Sydney Funny Car event at the end of July, but we will test the car before then.”
Mikres said he is not sure who will drive the Rapisarda Funny Car, but did not rule out a US driver in the car for the Sydney event.
“I am not sure who will drive the car. It may be an existing Rapisarda (team) driver or it may be someone from the US,” he said.
