When everything is working like it's supposed to in Darrin Meroniuk's twin-turbocharged 1967 Shelby Mustang pro mod funny car, it's capable of cranking out 1,400 horsepower fueled by an engine that guzzles gasoline.
But sometimes under the mechanical stress of trying to make a quarter-mile in less than seven seconds, parts break down and, instead of a rocket ride down the strip, you're left with a whopping bill for repairs.
Welcome to Meroniuk's world.
The 53-year-old Prince George heavy-duty mechanic was picking up the pieces on a head gasket after it broke apart during qualifying in the pro mod class last Saturday at the Doorwarz meet at Mission International Raceway.
With his friend Brian Macy of Lake Havasu, Nev., behind the wheel trying to earn his six-second NHRA licence, Macy experienced tire shake as he gunned the engine, a violent shaking of the back end caused when the rear tires get too much grip on the track and react by distorting into an oblong shape, wrinkling at the sidewalls.
"It can be such a force that it actually breaks chassis parts and we figure it broke our boost controller and, because it's a turbo engine, it spiked the boost pressure higher than what the engine was capable of and we spit out a head gasket," said Meroniuk.
Before it broke eight passes into the day, Macy had the $200,000 Mustang running the quarter-mile in 7.41 seconds at 190 miles per hour. With sponsorship from CARS Race Engines, Johnny Lightning Racing, The EFI Store.com, White & Peters Ltd.,and Jack Schultz Auto Body, the 19-foot-long fibreglass and carbon-fibre car was built over three years by RH Racecars in Kelowna.
"They built the chassis and I finished it with paint, body work and all the plumbing," said Meroniuk, who had hoped to bring the car to the All-Out Race Weekend meet Saturday and Sunday at Rolling Mix Concrete Raceway.
"Not having driven it for a full pass, it's actually a pretty easy car to drive because of the long (115-inch) wheelbase and because it's only three inches off the ground."
Even if the car had been ready to race, Meroniuk said he'd been told by Brian Barby, president of the Northern Interior Timed Racing Organization (NITRO) which operates the Prince George track, for safety reasons he wouldn't be allowed to race a car that fast on a green drag strip.
The 770-foot concrete launch area was left with ridges and divots when it was repaved two years ago and the not-for-profit group spent $15,000 to bring in a concrete grinder to smooth out the track.
That work over the past month removed the rubber racers need for grip and the club determined it would have been dangerous to operate a sub-eight-second car until the track gets more use and the layer of rubber is restored.
"I'd say probably by Sunday the track will be really good, if not by the first day (of the All-Out meet)," said Meroniuk, who says he'll have the car rebuilt by the next All-Out meet, Aug. 21-23.
Meroniuk serves on the six-member board that operates NITRO and he's proud to be part of the management of Prince George's drag racing facility at Northland Dodge Motorsports Park, nine kilometres northwest of the city boundary.
"It's one of the best in the country," he said.
"I did drag week last year in Kansas City and Oklahoma and you drive your race car to five tracks in five days and the facilities there, which are big-name facilities, are nowhere near what we have here."
Before he got his pro mod, Meroniuk owned a 1934 Ford Coupe which did the quarter-mile in 6.50 seconds with a top speed of 168 miles per hour.
He sold the coupe to build his funny car. Once he gets a handle on racing the new car he plans to upgrade it to make it even faster.
"The way I look at it is the engine we have in it now is just a training engine just to get everything going," said Meroniuk. "We've got some ideas and we'll see if they come around in the winter, and, if not, we'll still play. I don't want to get something that is to a point where I can't enjoy it on my home track and I'd have to go to Mission. We built the car to be able to play on this track."
The All-Out meet starts tonight at 6 p.m. with a three-hour test-and-tune session, combined with the Friday night street legal ET bracket racing.
The meet get underway Saturday morning with qualifying at 10 a.m. and racing starting at
1 p.m.
The same times apply on Sunday.
