Kate Harker is following her father Steve and twin sister Diana into the Funny Car ranks this weekend at the Fuchs Winternationals.
The daughter of Aussie NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Steve Harker has entered Competition Eliminator and will debut a 2005 McKinney Funny Car fitted with a 2011 Monte Carlo body.
The car was purchased from Dan and Frank Parker in Michigan with her partner Dan Rice.
“We have spent the past year fitting the car with Dad’s running gear (engine, clutch, transmission) and we purchased the 14-71 roots supercharger from Speed City Performance in Cleveland Ohio,” she said.
“Our funny car is fitted with all the latest NHRA safety elements and is a quality car that could step up with us if we decide to progress into Top Alcohol."
Harker first started racing in Junior Dragster 18 years ago and is excited to be stepping into a short wheel based car here in Australia having competed in NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster full time in 2007.
“Diana got her NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car license in 2011 and I have been really keen to join her in the Funny Car ranks since then.
“I learnt a lot from my first stint in the USA (from 2006 to 2010) having driven full time in 2007 for Tom Conway when we completed 23 race events that year in which we earned three final appearances, two number one qualifying positions, the track record in Seattle and my first win at Shreveport, Louisiana.
“I’m still the quickest female in NHRA Top Alcohol Dragster with my 5.22 seconds run at Chicago, Illinois in 2007 which still holds today. I had a limited race schedule in the following years driving for Randy Meyer and also in our family’s Top Alcohol Dragster.
“My main focus was spent crewing for Mum and Dad on their Top Alcohol Funny Car trying to learn what I could about the cars while managing the teams sponsorship and marketing activities.”
This week Harker will be joined in the Kenda Tyres Supercharged Funny Car pit by her father Steve on a flying visit to watch his daughter race in the Fuchs Winternationals before returning Stateside.
“It’s just a short visit and very much looking forward to seeing Kate race,” he said.
Currently Harker senior is sixth in the NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car Championship going rounds in Gainesville and Reading using an old engine combination before switching to a new combo recently.
“Two races ago we changed out to a new combination which is showing good promise to deliver us more speed and ET,” he said.
“So far so good. We are starting to get some consistency and we are looking forward to winning some races in the second half of the season.”
The Fuchs Winternationals begins tomorrow and continues through the Queen’s Birthday long weekend (Thursday 5 June to Sunday 8 June 2014), with 430 racers from all across the country and New Zealand to compete in front of approximately 30,000 spectators across the four days.
For full information, please visit www.willowbankraceway.com.au or click here.