adminCollin Matiza and Tedious Manyepo
PROFESSIONAL drag racer Leslie Carlsson is riding on the crest of a wave after he won the last race of the 2016 Telecel Drag Racing Series at Donnybrook Raceway in Harare on Sunday to defend his title for the third-year running.The 35-year-old Gweru-born biker won the quarter mile event in 10.38 seconds, outsmarting 12 other competitors in a somewhat tight contest during Sunday’s event which was watched by a good crowd of over 2 600, including the founding father of the Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters Association Eddie “Mboma” Nyatanga and his close associates Emmanuel Chideme and Patrice Chakanyuka.That was the fourth time this year that Carlsson hit the line first in the quarterly event having also done the same in March, July and August. What made the victory even sweeter for the Suzuki GSXR 1000cc rider was the fact that Sunday’s success underlined his local dominance for three consecutive years.
He has won each and every event of the edition since 2014, walking away with the fastest bike and first championship accolades in all the occasions. Carlsson said he owed his rare feat to his sponsors, Transerve, whom he said always make it a point that his house was in order prior to the races. “I am over the moon as I didn’t expect this. To dominate the whole year can be something very special but usual.
“But to always come first in four races a year for three consecutive years is something special. “I owe my success to the directors of Transerve who make it a point to always make my life easier before, during and after races. “They are my greatest assets. It is my hope to have them on my side for years to come,” said Carlsson.
The razor-sharp drag racer scored a first in the August session when he became the first local drag racer to hit the line in under 10 seconds in the 400-metre event as he touched down in 9.38seconds. He has already shifted his focus to the Bulawayo drag racing competition scheduled for October 22. “I am looking forward to the Bulawayo event which is on this October.
“I have won it previously but I should prepare well for the event because so many racers are also preparing hard to be faster. “I realised on Sunday that other racers are improving and once I become complacent, I can become history before I know it. So, I am saying it will be all systems go, come October 22,” he said. Meanwhile, the Telecel 2016 Drag Racing Series Grand Finale held on Sunday at Donnybrook will be a day to remember for most drag racing fans in Zimbabwe.
Over 70 car and bike competitors took part in the day’s racing in front of the 2 600 plus strong crowd that thronged the venue to watch the last event of the 2016 series. Racing commenced at 11am and vehicles queued for the start line throughout the day where tyre shredding action ensued. The Grand Finale drew many new competitors, most notably an array of American muscle cars that took to the track much to the pleasure of spectators.
Bulawayo Drag racing veteran Terry Allberry also made a return to the series in his just refurbished V8 AC Cobra which drew serious crowd attention, as did the other two Cobras at the event.
Fans crowded the pit wall and start line area to watch competitors battling it out on the track, cheering their favourites on with great enthusiasm.
The warm sunny weather which was great for spectators took its toll on performance and elapsed times suffered during the hottest part of the afternoon, only really recovering much later in the day during the elimination event. This resulted in several competitors being disqualified from continuing due to “breaking out” of their 3% time bracket allowance.
Whilst several competitors attained their best elapsed times of the day during the elimination event, top bike competitors Les Carlsson and Darryl Carlsson along with the two top car drivers Mano Zevgolis and Alan Cacace all fell short of their usual top times. Les recorded the fastest run of the day with a time of 10.384 seconds and a speed of 219.29kph, short of his record setting time 9.96 second run earlier in the series. Les has been the man to watch this year, with some fantastic racing throughout the year, running the fastest bike times for all four events this year. He is currently the only biker to have broken into the 9-second bracket, and more is expected from this fantastic young rider in the future!
Not allowing Les to become too complacent is his younger brother Darryl, hot on the top man’s heels. Continuing on the bikes, female rider Tiffany Fisher, in the 600cc class, has dominated her class relentlessly, showing all what a girl can do!
Online Reporter