10/24/07

By Dahalia Smith NG Sports Reporter

dahalia@nasguard.com

The Bahamas Hot Rod Association's outlaw class drag racer Clint Harding test-drove his silver Ford Mustang dragster, on Monday night, at the Motor Sports Park located the Queen Elizabeth's Sports Centre in preparation for the 1st Caribbean Drag Racing Association Invitational (CDRA).

The CDRA Invitational is tentatively set for November 23-25 in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands.

Harding told The Nassau Guardian that it was imperative to commence test and tuning now for the November event because he has been encountering malfunctions with his dragster for at least a year now.

"Getting ready for the November event has been very trying," he said. "Over the past year of preparation we kept 'eating belts'. We have a super charger that really powers this vehicle and we can't seem to keep a belt on it because after runs it shreds to pieces. We are out here tonight trying to correct that problem so that we can compete."

Harding seems to be cutting it close with the November 23rd event just around the corner. The Outlaw drag racer explained that he is taking a chance not knowing if his mustang will be ready in time.

He added: "We have been testing for a year now on this particular problem. We think we are starting to get things sorted out. Tonight is the first time that we have been able to keep a belt on the car during the mild or slow run.

"Right now our goal is to find some sort of consistency. If we can find a way to keep the belt on the car during a burn out run that would be great.

We are expected to go up against a USVI car named 'The Animal' that set a record here in May," added Harding.

Fortunately and minutes after Monday night's first interview and the highly anticipated run Harding told The Nassau Guardian that everything went as planned.

"It was an excellent run. In the initial run, right before our first interview, we did a mild run just to see if the belt would be able to take any power at all. Then in the run that we did after the initial interview we added more power and did a burn out.

"Normally when we do a burn out or during the launch we end up losing a belt. I just looked at the belt and it is in perfect condition. So that was an excellent run for us," said a satisfied Harding.

Harding added that his normal time on an eighth of a mile track is high fours or around 4.9 at 125 miles per hour. However he and his team members estimated Monday night's time to be around 5.1 seconds at 130 miles per hour.

Harding further noted that being afforded the opportunity to represent The Bahamas at his first international event on foreign soil in the USVI is exciting.

"What I like about it is that we will be able to race against other people for a change," explained Harding. "Normally we race against guys, who we see all the time. I think everyone is excited and now you can really see how patriotic drag racers are.

"When they came here for our international event, we pulled together to ensure that The Bahamas would be represented well. This is good for the sport and for camaraderie," noted Harding.

Harding's Security will be sponsoring Harding. Advantages of sponsoring the drag racers include having the companies' logos displayed on the drag racers' vehicles at local events leading up to the CDRI and also at the actual CDRI in November.

The BHRA is currently awaiting approval from the Ministry of Sports to send the six-member team, that includes Brandon Deveaux, Kelly Arbiter and Ray Fowler, racing in the pro-mod class and Clint Harding, Gurth Knowles, Bertram Bowe and "King" David Rahming racing in the outlaw/A-class.

Earlier this month when the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture staged its Youth March under the theme "Celebrating Youth- Champions of Change" it solicited the use of the BHRA's flat bed trucks to escort the athletes and youth around New Providence free of charge. At the time Adderley said his body was happy to help the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture because it proves that the ministry, general public and corporate Bahamas now considers the BHRA as a legitimate and positive sporting body.