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AND THEY’RE OFF . . . These two cars will be among a host of other vehicles and motorbikes that will take part in the Grand Finale of the 2014 Telecel Drag Racing Series at Donnybrook in Harare on Sunday

Sports Editor
THIS Sunday promises hot weather and even hotter action at the Grand Finale of the 2014 Telecel Drag Racing Series. The fourth and final drag racing event of the 2014 series at Donnybrook in Harare this Sunday is set to offer plenty of action for Harare’s motorsport fans and competitors alike. It’s the last chance this year for the 60-plus expected competitors to battle it out on the drag strip with their metal and to settle previous scores, some hoping to hold on to their class titles and others determined to climb the ranks.
Competition will be fierce at the Grand Finale this Sunday as riders and drivers push their vehicles to the limit in the October heat.

This year has seen both car and bike Elapsed Times (ETs) improving consistently, with several more serious competitors modifying their vehicles for the gruelling time challenge.
Competition among the drivers and riders is at an all time high, with less than half a second separating the top three competitors in the cars and bikes respectively.

New Dragpro Club records were set for both cars and bikes at the last drag racing event held on July 26 this year, with South African competitor Reg Murray running a fantastic time of 10.212 seconds at a speed of 211.77kph in his purpose built V8 powered drag racing rail car, and Leslie Carlson breaking the bike record with a time of 10.240sec on his Suzuki GSXR at a speed of 215.57kph through the traps.

Personal grudges continue among competitors within all classes, and stiff competition is expected in the 10-car classes and all three-bike classes alike, but racing fans will be particularly focusing on the top competitors.

With Les Carlson out of action for this final event after his bike suffered an engine failure in Bulawayo, Phil “Archie” Archenoul, on the Dewalt-sponsored Suzuki GSXR, and Shannon Naested, on his Kawasaki ZX14, will be battling it out for the top honours.

Alan Cacace has so far this year been unrivalled in his 11.758 second monster V8 nitrous guzzling Cobra, but Bulawayo competitor Terry Alberry in the green V8 Cobra and Harare favourite Mebs Kerbelker in the blue Subaru Impreza STi are hot on his heels, less than three tenths of a second behind him.

The (hp lubes/Castrol) Toyota MR2 driven by Mano Zevgolis is also on a mission to hunt down the top cars after its recent success at the drag racing meeting in Bulawayo.
Other favourite competitors pushing hard this series are the BMW 3 series regulars, with Isaac Mayor and Shaun Kerwin keeping the fans on their toes.

Newcomer Wellington Bwalya, who showed up the rest of the Subarus in the 2-litre turbo class on his debut outing at the last Harare meeting, will be back for more action.
It is hoped that regular competitor Calstain Sibanda in his v12 bi turbo Mercedes CL600 and avid drag competitor Darai Tuti in his turbo Mitsubishi Galant 4-wheel drive continue to put on an impressive show.

Former motor rally driver Robson Maganezi, who is based in South Africa, is once again expected to return to Donnybrook on Sunday to compete in this exciting event.
Following “the death” of motor rallying in Zimbabwe a couple of years ago, people like Maganezi have turned to drag racing this year, adding more fun to the series which has been attracting more than 4 000 motor racing fans during each race day at Donnybrook.

In fact, Maganezi has been a regular feature at drag racing meetings at Donnybrook since the sport entered the local motor racing scene with a bang last year and he is expected to be among the star attractions this coming Sunday.

With lots of talk on the street of previously not seen modified bikes and cars expected at this event, it’s anybody’s guess as to what is going to happen on the day.
With the warm weather and clear skies upon us, regardless of who wins overall, racing fans are in for another super day of racing at Zimbabwe’s premier motorsport event — proudly partnered by Telecel, hp lubes/Castrol, Turbo Solutions Africa, Financial Gazette, Autobusiness and DHL.