Some Attention to Detail « DragRaceCanada.com

Some Attention to Detail

by editor on Apr.22, 2017, under Hotzone

With absolutely no offence intended toward NHRA tech inspectors — I would respectfully submit — you may have missed the boat recently!…..

It was during the NHRA nationals in Las Vegas earlier this month – when Abbotsford BC’s Dan Provost rolled his very creative Top Dragster though the required pre-event technical inspection for the very first time. During that process officials did have the opportunity to get up close and personal with this particular race car and (although it did not ultimately win the event’s coveted “Excellence in Engineered” award) I’d be personally surprised if it wasn’t on the short list.

Dan Provost (the owner of RAD Torque Machine) unveiled some impressive tech for his BC-based NHRA Top Dragster recently.

For Dan Provost, who is the founder and owner of the amazingly successful RAD Torque Systems company, the event at Las Vegas was his first of the season with his now very much reconfigured race car. While a quick look at the M&M chassis car might suggest some familiarity from last season — that would be a mistake. Provost’s dragster has undergone a major technological metamophisis.

“We wanted to step up our program with this race car,” Dan Provost confirmed. “Our previous combination could run in the 6.6-6.7 secs zone which in reality in modern times for the Top Dragster class would sometimes barely make the cut. So to be more competitive and to be sure we could qualify at every race we attended – we made some major changes.”

Dan examines “waz-up” between runs!

“We took the car apart and reinforced it – because we are throwing a bunch more horsepower at it this season,” Dan continued. We have a new AJ 481X engine program with a 14-71 supercharger and Holley electronic fuel injection. We had that motor on a dyno and it produced in excess of 1800 HP at 20 lbs boost and at 7500 RPM. The car is fully capable now of running in the 5-secs zone – although for our Top Dragster class bracket we are limited to 6.0 secs by the rules.”

Dan was both excited about and quick to point out the intricate details on his race car which features the expertise of fellow Canadian Jason Syvertsen, who’s JS Powersports (Mission BC) is responsible for a lot of the car’s amazing tech.

Not only was the AJ 481X assembled at JS Powersports – they also custom manufactured a slew of components applied to this race car. That includes some serious fuel system workings, like building a modular billet fuel tank from scratch, a custom billet throttle body adaptor with fuel injectors and custom port nozzles to accept fuel injectors. Jay’s team also completely re-wired the car for EFI and built it’s custom headers.

We appreciate the tech — but this is also art!

“Jay’s involvement with this car is extensive and amazing,” Dan added. “I’m personally privileged to show off his work and the finished product speaks for itself.”

“Dan’s car is probably one of the few blown alcohol dragsters out there running electronic fuel injection,” confirmed Jay Syvertsen. “Overall I would say there was a couple hundred man hours to the design and development portion alone. We were able to apply some nozzle tech that I had been working on previously — but many of the pieces were custom made just to his dragster.”

Dan Provost reports that while experiencing some obligatory new car blues initially — he’s pretty impressed with the results already.

“In the real world we’re now dealing with 3.6 Gs – and that feels real fast!” he added. “That also messes with the fuel system a bit but it’s something we’ll iron out.”

Dan, who was a NHRA Jegs All-Stars participant racer in 2015, plans to race this RAD Extreme Torque Machine very frequently this summer attending every NHRA Division Six race as well as 3-4 NHRA national level events.

Dan Provost is also very active and involved with his home race track at Mission Raceway

The involvement of Jay Syvertsen has proven to be a bit of a secret weapon for Provost’s race team, Jay’s background and experience in racing is impressive for sure.

Syvertsen is involved in a few companies within the industry. He co-owns JS Powersports (established in 2009) which is an engine and dyno shop (located in Mission BC) and also since 2012 he is a partner in a CNC machine shop called JRM Performance.

“I have a very talented partner there (at JRM) Jason Monts who has the ability to make my thoughts reality,” he admitted. “My engine shop is also full of talent — Ken Orser, Steve Horne (who is also a partner) and Darryl Schmitke all who work very hard and long hours for our customers.”

Earlier in his driving career Jay Syvertsen drove this truly unorthodox but fan favourite Chevy Pickup Pro Mod!

Jay’s experience within drag racing is extensive. His involvement includes driving his own cars and a particular fondness for running in the Pro Mod class.

“I’ve been dabbling in Pro Mod for about 20 years,” Jay revealed. “I’ve had several cars — both blown and turbocharged. My current car is a 57 Chevrolet (BA Hemi-powered with a PSI) built by RH Racecars (Kelowna BC) and that has a very talented crew run by Ryan Hinrichsen.”

Syvertsen and Steve Horne (who also races his own blown ’41 Willys Pro Mod) use both of those race cars as rolling test labs of sort – it’s where they R&D both their own design port nozzle EFI parts and motor programs.

Jay also affirmed something else on the horizon for him and coming soon. “I am currently putting together a new turbo car too (built by RH Racecars),” he added “It’s a ’63 Corvette with one of our in-house Brad Anderson Hemis (521 CID).”