Championship leader has Adelaide race in sights.
When Western Australian Damien Harris arrives to compete at the Pro Series 1000 at Adelaide International Raceway it will be as a first time championship leader.
With a narrow lead of 14 points over second-placed Andrew Cowin, Harris and the Best Tractor Parts team will be using all of their experience to build up the margin.
“We want to try and consolidate our position on the ladder and try and make sure that it is a foregone conclusion for the championship,” Harris said.
Harris recently arrived back from the USA after competing with the Rapisarda Racing team in Las Vegas, providing him with some experience over the new 1000 feet race distance that Adelaide will utilise – a first for championship drag racing in Australia.
“We’re all pretty keen and excited about leading the championship and really focused on making the most of this weekend coming,” he said. “1000 feet racing will be a first for everyone and it’s on a new track so we need to be focused.”
Adelaide marks the beginning of the downhill section of the championship, leading into the Nitro Champs in May and the Winternationals in June. With a win at his home track in Perth backed up with a semi finals appearance, Harris and the Best Tractor Parts team are in prime position to contend for the championship in their first full season.
Harris plans to draw on the experience of crew chief Tim Adams who he said has been proving consistency is what is needed to go rounds in Top Fuel.
“Tim has not been a tuner for long but he has done a great job,” he said. “He spent some time in the USA with Terry Haddock and with Graeme Cowin in the early days and from then he has worked with us, so he has a pretty wide depth of experience.
“As a group we all work well together, the guys in the crew are very experienced and very professional in the way they put the car together and that gives us an advantage on the racetrack. Tim from a tuning point of view never goes for the big number on the board, just to go from A to B.
“The experience is what helps. Some teams are in the situation where the depth of knowledge they have is not as deep as what Tim’s is, but everyone learns the more they race.”
The Pro Series 1000 (April 13, 14 and 15) at Adelaide International Raceway will feature ANDRA Pro Series rounds of Top Fuel, Top Alcohol, Top Bike and Pro Stock Motorcycle plus over 200 sportsman racers.
Racing starts from 10am Friday and Saturday and 9am Sunday and tickets are available at the gate for just $35.
Click here for more information on the Pro Series 1000.