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The upcoming IHRA Mopar Canadian Nationals holds some special significance for Canadian Todd Paton. Not only will it mark the 2-time World Champion’s return to the IHRA, but it will also be the first time that he will be competing in the category of Top Fuel.
Earlier this month, Todd completed his crossover procedure from Nitro Funny Car to Top Fuel. When he gets behind the wheel of his 6000 horsepower hot rod this weekend, he won’t be concentrating on the differences between a funny car and dragster; he’ll be concentrating on reaction times and doing whatever else it takes to win on race day.
“After we won our second IHRA World Championship in 1995, we switched to the NHRA to allow us to take our Alcohol Funny Car program in a slightly different direction. That in turn, led us to step up to Nitro Funny Cars, “Todd said. “The IHRA began holding the Canadian Nationals a couple of years after we made the switch, so this will be the first time in over ten years that we will be competing at a National Event in Canada. The last time was in 1992 when the IHRA held the Summer Nationals at the former Cayuga Dragway (now Toronto Motorsports Park), where we scored our first victory.”
Paton likes his chances in his new category. “We’ve taken the running gear from our Nitro Funny Car and bolted it right into the dragster. It’s the same basic tune-up that ran an aggregate best of 4.87 seconds at over 315 mph. If we can tweak it a little here and there, we should have enough to go some rounds on Sunday,” he said.
“We never got to realize the car’s full potential during the licensing passes,” Todd added. “On the first full pass, I lifted at about 1000’ because the car was spinning the tires and I didn’t want to over-rev the engine. On the second run, the supercharger drive belt let go just before the finish line, and I coasted to a 5.28.”
Look for Todd to improve on those E.T.’s as he and the rest of the Paton Racing team try to once again score a victory for Canada.
For further information on the Paton Racing team, check out their profie in the ‘Media’ subsection here on DragRaceCanada.com, or on the team’s website at www.ToddPaton.com.
Photos by : Bruce Biegler
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