Aussie racer Mathew Leonard has converted his NitroRat altered from the normal alcohol configuration he runs AA/AM in comp on the NHRA tour back over to Nitromethane for the 6.0 AA/FA class ready for this weekend’s historic March Meet at Famoso Raceway (Bakersfield, California, March 7-10).
Mathew will be taking on many of the top USA 6.0 Fuel Altereds while competing for the coveted March Meet trophy.
“There is a good chance there could be around 20 Fuel Altereds vying for an eight car field. If you love AA/FA, you won’t want to miss this event,” Mathew said.
“I’ve always loved Fuel Altereds and the 6.0 Fuel Altered program is awesome. As long as you run a minimum of 80 percent Nitromethane and don’t go quicker than 6.0 then you can race. You get old school cars running hard, odd ball engine combos, transformers shutting off early; it’s going to be a blast.”
Mathew’s taste for nitro has always been there.
“I love running in comp but to have a car that I can bounce from alcohol to nitromethane entertains the hell out of me. It does come with challenges of course, but life is all about how to overcome those challenges and get the most out of it.”
Running a car in multiple classes means there is always some adjustment required.
“I could use most of the parts from my Alcohol combination but I prefer to change them out to keep them away from the wrath of Nitro,” Mathew explained.
“I change out the injector hat and fuel system, larger fuel pump, supercharger, intake manifold, cylinder heads, head gasket thickness, piston and rod combination, starter in the converter, underpants, diff center and the rear wheels and tyres.
“I run an MSD power grid and have a complete different ignition program to suit. My fuel system is a little different than most in that the idle circuit allows me to change the delivery to each cylinder while it’s running. Apart from that it matches most of what is out there.”
In keeping with the family tradition of the Leonard boys supporting each other across the globe, Mathew’s brother Warren is making the trek again over to the US for the event.
“My brother Warren is flying in from Adelaide to help make this beast fly – we will be making memories while achieving a few more goals along the way,” Mathew said.
“With the help of Mike, Scott S, Andrew, Scott A and the support of our families back at home, we plan on putting on a good show and having a laugh at the same time.
“There’s normally a good Aussie contingent at the event, the Aussie flag will be flying high so come on past, say high and have a cold beverage or two.”
Mathew is also planning on converting the car back over to alcohol to run at the NHRA Las Vegas 4-wide event in early April. He thanks CleanBoost Lubricants, B & J Transmissions, Quickdrive, DJ Safety and Gabel Realty for their support.
For updates from Mathew across the event, go to https://www.facebook.com/NitroRatRacing1/