Montesano Primed for record-setting PMRA Season
Pro Modified driver hoping for good season with very innovative supercharger and converter-outfitted Camaro….
By: Tim Miller
Vito Montesano (Maple ON) had a record-setting season in his first year of Pro Modified Racing Association racing, and he plans on returning with the same focus for 2011.
“We’ll be out there to set some records,” said Montesano. At the Grand Bend Motorplex later in the 2010 season, he took his 1968 Chevy Camaro Pro Modified and set a record of 5.88-seconds, the fastest time for a converter-equipped Pro Modified in the quarter-mile at that time.
Powering the Camaro is a 526-cubic inch ERD (Engine Research & Development) Brad Anderson (BAE) Supercharged Hemi with a Lenco three-speed transmission and Coan Racing torque converter.
Under the new Camaro body is a G-Force Race Cars / LJ chassis. A PSI supercharger sits atop the ERD powerplant, and the fuel system is courtesy of ERD.
Other than a few minor updates on the engine and chassis, Montesano said there are no big changes to the car for 2011. “We have had the body changed to a Cynergy 1969 Camaro body and G-Force Race Cars has done a fine job of doing the work and in a timely fashion,” he noted. “Paint will be applied by none other than Scott Jahren.”
In the final three PMRA events of 2010, Montesano qualified in the top five for each event, and was a quarter-round finalist in each. His season was highlighted with the number one qualifier at Grand Bend over the Labor Day weekend with his record-breaking 5.887-second, 238.53-mph pass.
Crew chief for the car is Carl Spiering together with Sal Vavala. Others on the team include Elisabeth DosSantos, Jon Daniel Montesano, as well as Nino and Minnie the dogs are included in all the work. Montesano said he has been racing since 1984, always in door cars, and enjoyed his rookie year in the PMRA.
“Last year was my first in the PMRA,” he said. “It’s a great, professionally-run series, and I just love it.”
Montesano added he and the team will be ready for the opening round of the 2011 PMRA season, the Victoria Day Weekend May 20-22 at the Cayuga Dragway of Toronto Motorsports Park.
For more information contact Bruce F. Mehlenbacher at Bruce@PMRA.ca
About the Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA): The Pro Modified Racing Association, www.PMRA.ca, was organized late in 2004, and the first race event was held in May of 2005. In 2011, the PMRA will provide the best in Pro Modified racing for its seventh consecutive season.
In 2011 the Pro Modified Racing Association will compete at Toronto Motorsports Park in Cayuga, Ontario and the Grand Bend Motorplex in Grand Bend, Ontario.
Since its inception, the PMRA has grown in stature and popularity, and is one of the top Pro Modified series in North America, holding premier events throughout the race season to the delight of a solid race fan following.
The PMRA is a self-governing organization with input from its teams, and adheres to the technical and safety rules as outlined by the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA).
Cars in the PMRA are the ultimate hot rods. Pro Modified cars are one of drag racing’s most exciting and colorful classes, offering a diverse group of race cars with 2,500-horsepower-plus engines in supercharged, nitrous-powered, or turbocharged format.
With appealing and colorful classic body styles sitting on top of the most modern mechanical and safety equipment, constructors are permitted, within established rules and parameters, to modify and enhance the cars in both appearance and performance. The cars are fuelled by gasoline or methanol, propelling them down the quarter-mile in low six-second times at over 240 miles per hour, and several PMRA competitors have made the trip down the quarter mile in less than six seconds. The PMRA provides drag race fans the opportunity to see, hear, and experience the popular Pro Modifieds, known as “the world’s fastest door slammers”.
The PMRA events are run in conjunction with the Quick 32 Sportsman Series presented by NAPA Auto Parts, www.Quick32.ca, offering fans a great show of drag racing.
