USA drivers are tops at Qatar Racing Club race
American Drag Racing League (ADRL) stars Von Smith and Mike Castellana made their 14-hour one-way trips to Doha, Qatar, pay off by winning the Pro Extreme and Pro Nitrous event titles, respectively, in the 2009-10 season opener for the Arabian Drag Racing League.
In the Pro Extreme final for supercharged entries, Oak Ridge, Tennessee’s Smith overcame a 19-thousandths of a second starting-line advantage by Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al-Thani to win with a 3.758 pass at 205.69 mph over the eighth mile at the Qatar Race Club. Sheikh Khalid ran 3.860 at 198.06 mph to record a runner-up finish in his first appearance as a Pro Extreme driver.
The Pro Nitrous finale saw Mike Castellana, Westbury, NY, leave with a .029 light and run a great 3.931/191.70 mph winning lap. His opponent in the finals Khalid Al-Balooshi, winner of the National Guard American Drag Racing League Pro Nitrous championship at Ennis, Texas, last month, shook the tires right off line, clicked off the engine and coasted to a 7.121 at 89.74-mph finish.
