Rapisarda Autosport International have yet to confirm plans to unleash Gus Ussia- Presley at the final round of the 2014 Mello Yello NHRA season at Pomona this weekend.
“Gus/Elvis” became a cult figure in the world of drag racing after making his push back debut on the Allan Dobson car at the Australian Nationals earlier this month.
“The plan to channel Elvis has been at the back of my mind for sometime and our team owner Santo was happy for me to unleash my inner Elvis,” explained Ussia.
“My favorite fabrics are cashmere, alpaca and silk but after wearing the Elvis suit in Sydney I have added polyester to the list. It clings to your body and when it gets hot it feels like a second skin.”
“This weekend there are several hurdles to overcome before “Aussie” Elvis makes his rookie American appearance. We need to run it past our driver Dom Lagana. That shouldn’t be an issue; he is a real fan of The King and has lots of Elvis songs on his iPod. I’m looking forward to working with Dom on the playlist for the weekend.”
The meeting reunites RAI with Dom Lagana one of the most talented and under rated drivers in the Top Fuel ranks. In his first outing with the team at the Mac Tools US Nationals in September Lagana qualified eighth, defeated category ace Doug Kalitta then lost to seven-time champ Tony Schumacher.
“I don’t want to put pressure on the team,” said Santo Rapisarda. “There are 21 entries and being the last meeting of the 2014 season every team will want to finish the season on a high note. It’s important we do well and that starts from the first round of qualifying on Friday afternoon.”