MIKRES RE-JOINS KALITTA TEAM
Veteran nitro crew chief and former NHRA Top Fuel and Funny Car driver Glenn Mikres has been named as co-crew chief for the Kalitta Motorsports-owned Kalitta Air Toyota Solara Funny Car driven by Scott Kalitta. Mikres, 55, will assist crew chief and team owner Connie Kalitta with tuning. Mikres and Connie Kalitta are reuniting as co-crew chief and crew chief, roles each served in 1988 on a Scott Kalitta-driven Funny Car as well.
“Communication with Conrad will be the key to having a successful program,” Mikres said. “I’ve worked with Conrad in the past, and we work well together. He knows how to make a lot of horsepower. Hopefully he and I can work together on how to get that horsepower applied to the track properly.”
In September 2006, Mikres tuned Swiss Top Fuel driver Urs Erbacher into the FIA (European) record books with a 4.747-second, 318.95-mph blast down the quarter-mile at Santa Pod Raceway in England. Mikres has twice been crowned the Top Fuel champion in Australia as a driver and has driven Funny Cars in the NHRA for Chuck Worsham, Frank Pisano, Bill Schifsky and more. He has also made tuning decisions for John Force, Don Prudhomme and many other drag racers. Mikres also turned the tuning knobs on Scott Kalitta’s final Top Fuel dragster victory at Western Sydney International Dragway in Australia last December. [12-6-2006]
LAST CALL AT LACR
The Last Hangover Nationals at Los Angeles County Raceway will be held on Monday, Jan. 1, 2007. Right now the annual Hangover’s will feature Jet Cars and Funny Cars with
the “Crazy Horse” Mustang and the “Predator” Plymouth Satellite Nostalgia Nitro Floppers in a match race. The drag strip will open at 9 a.m. on Dec. 30, 31 and New Year’s Day.
The eminent closure of LACR is coming as the remaining lease on the drag strip goes through the end of April and may possibly extend for a few more months. However, the life of LACR will soon be over and parts of the spectator parking lot and pits have already been removed.
Proprietor Bernie Longjohn has announced the LACR Racers Banquet on December 17th at the Holiday Inn - Palmdale starting at 4 p.m. At this time Bernie has made not shared any plans for a future drag strip in the area. (Mike Bumbeck photo) [12-6-2006]