Ironman of a Different Flavour

London Ontario-based Rob Atchison turned a new page within his great drag racing career when he won for the first time in the Pro Modified class category….

Atchison who had been a fixture and champion within the IHRA’s now defunct Alcohol Funny Car class (winning 3 World Championships and scoring 22 national event wins) scored in the PMRA’s bonus feature portion of last weekend’s Mopar IHRA Canadian Nationals held at Grand Bend Motorplex.

Rob Atchison earned his first career win in the Pro Mod category during the IHRA’s Mopar Canadian Nationals

In what was in fact his first race of the 2014 season — his winning effort was very convincing driving his supercharged ’63 Corvette.

Rob beat fellow Canadian Jeff Roth in the championship final round when he recorded a winning 6.070 secs at 236.28 mph to easily run down Roth’s fan favourite ’41 Willys which succumbed to tire shake shortly after jumping out to a starting line advantage (.028 to .170 RT).

“That was a great and gratifying weekend,” said Atchison. “Over the winter we reviewed what was right or what was wrong with all the runs we made last year and we put together a master plan. We tried out a few things here and the end result was the consistency we had been seeking.”

Rob qualified #1 for the program with a 6.021 secs which held up for low ET of the event. During rounds one and two he beat out fellow Canadian’s Paolo Giust and Mike Yedgarian to advance to the final round.

The win was his first in the PMRA, since joining that circuit on a part time basis 3 years ago.

“I got into Pro Mod because I didn’t want to have to stop racing and there were just fewer places where we could go and run our Funny Car,” he added. ” And I personally wanted to stay closer to home for my family and also race more locally.  I’m still a Funny Car guy at heart (will drive that at upcoming Cayuga Nitro Nationals) — but this win might change the future landscape a bit. If we can keep the car running like this – those results speak.”

Jeff Roth was R/UP in Pro Mod with his mega popular ’41 Willys

The PMRA portion of the IHRA’s Mopar Canadian Nationals was a spirited affair that drew 13 entries for the 8-car field.

Event Essentials :  IHRA Mopar Canadian Nationals (PMRA Feature)

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Michigan’s Jason Kalso had a good race with his ultra cool Barracuda going to the final four in competition.

Toronto’s Mike Yedgarian’s turbo charged Firebird was the talk of the Pro Mod pits — he set top speed at 246.71 mph in his first PMRA event experience.

In the PMRA Championship Points Series, Boland still leads with 826 points while Roth with his runner-up moved up to second with 801 points. Strong event efforts by Derek Hawker and Jason Kelso also bettered their positions, Hawker is now in third with 775 points, and Kalso, sits fourth with 772 points.

Next event for the PMRA is the 18th Annual Stratford Spectacular Hot August Nationals August 8-10 to be held at Grand Bend. The PMRA will compete with its two companion series at this event, the Quick 32 Sportsman Series and the Pro Bike & Sled Series, offering a diverse and colorful package of drag racing action.

Posted with files from Bruce Biegler & Tim Miller
Photos by: Bruce Biegler & Brennan Shortall