ANDRA Pro Stock points leader Jason Grima will feel the pressure when his PC Group Ford Mustang rolls into Adelaide International Raceway for the second time this season with a slight 18-point lead over his nearest competitor and there just two rounds left in the championship.
The lead up however has been anything but smooth with a variety of factors combining to steal Grima’s attention away.
“We recently went testing on two occasions at Sydney Dragway taking the opportunity to trial a few different setups in varying track conditions from a Wednesday street meet to a private track hire,” he said.
“On one of those attempts the rear wheel fell off as I turned the corner at the end of the strip. I was very lucky that it wasn’t a full power pass and equally lucky that there was no damage to the car. The car shook hard in one and two (first and second gears) and that stripped the thread on the lug nuts.”
In addition to the scary moment when the wheel came off, Grima also was lucky to escape damage from a bushfire that hit the Castlereagh area recently.
“A fire started just up the road from my home,” he said. “I had left for work in the morning and everything was fine but around midday the high winds had turned a fire up the road to out of control.
“Luckily it was blowing in the opposite direction but for my manager he was in the fire path and stayed to fight the blaze along with my brother James and James Jnr.”
On a happier note, Jason and girlfriend Georgia got engaged on Fathers Day following a proposal in a Darling Harbour restaurant.
Grima is looking to perform well at the Lady Daly Spring Nationals to try and build up a buffer before the final Pro Stock round at the Nationals in Sydney.
“At the Winternationals the wet weather robbed us. I had top qualified with a 6.98 and Brandon Huhtala and myself won round one with a pair of sixes. I believe we had a good chance to go all the way had it not rained,” he said.
“Sadly Brandon will not be racing with us for the remainder of the year as he is chasing a Divisional 6 championship of his own in NHRA Comp Eliminator. He’s currently in second place so it looks like the blue car is having a little holiday at the moment.
“The PC Group Mustang team is all looking forward to hitting the track again in Adelaide. We have had some luck there when we used to race our Jag in Super Sedan.”
The Lady Daly Hotel Springnationals at Adelaide International Raceway also includes ANDRA Drag Racing Series rounds of Top Doorslammer and Pro Stock Motorcycle plus a round of the Aeroflow Sportsman Drag Racing Championship.
Qualifying begins tomorrow with racing Saturday.