Buford Ontario’s Kyle Harris Racing continued it’s path to prominence during the 2017 racing season….
For sure for team founder and owner Kyle Harris this just past season was loaded up with challenges and also filled with both ups and downs.
After enduring a very frightening TD crash that involved his daughter early last spring (at Cayuga Dragway) — his aspiring and family oriented team which includes his wife Jennie, children Ryan and Cristina, and brother Cody showed great resiliency by hitting the reset button and then to move forward to a rest of a season that was accentuated with positives.
The KHR racing team is a very family centred group whose focus for the future includes strategic development for both it’s young team drivers — Cristina and Ryan.
For Kyle, who has also been a long time and highly valued crew member at Rob Atchison Racing, his own race team’s ability to attract and then build impressive partnerships for their multi-car team operation does stand out from the norm. And that is something he works very hard at and is very proud of.
For sure one of the most impressive headline developments for this race team was their formation of an alliance with Charles Jones Industrial limited as a new primary and major sponsor.
Charles Jones Industrial Limited, which was established over 50 years ago in Hamilton, is a very innovative family business that sources and supplies equipment for a variety of industries including; agriculture, automotive, construction, food, industrial, manufacturing, petrochemical, telecommunications & utilities.
With a 95-100% delivery rate, their highly trained and motivated staff helps customers find the best products at the best price. Charles Jones Industrial Limited has relationships with most of the world’s top manufacturers and product lines including DeWalt, Ridgid, Milwaukee, MSA, Featherlite, Westek Electronics plus many more. Charles Jones Industrial Supply has grown to include five locations – Stoney Creek, Nanticoke, Brantford, Montreal and the newest location in Edmonton AB.
Kyle Harris’s very calculated and very quick supercharged ’32 Austin – has for sure been one of the fan favourite cars in Eastern Canada every since it’s debut.
Earlier this season, VP Kevin Bethune introduced KHR to their Brantford facility located just off Hwy 403 where they toured their spacious showroom and received a very warm welcome – it was soon thereafter that their partnership was finalized.
Kyle Harris Racing was also proud to announce a new partnership with Mountain Tire Ltd during 2017. Located in Hamilton, Mountain Tire has been serving the Hamilton, Ontario area for over 65 years and that company is ocally owned and operated, providing fast reliable tire services and carry all major brands of tires. Mountain Tire is the proud recipient of numerous Consumer Choice and Readers Choice Awards -over multiple years.
Mountain Tire Ltd owner Mike Azzopardi actually joined the KHR team for the 2017 season to get hands on experience from A to Z in drag racing. It was revealed too that Mike’s ultimate goal is to eventually licence and compete within the KHR top dragster program at some point in the future.
Kyle Harris Racing also carried forward an important partner this season, Iron Bridge Fabrication Inc.
Iron Bridge has been involved with KHR as a primary sponsor for Cristina throughout her Junior Dragster career and continues to support all three drivers as they advance through the ranks. Iron Bridge Fabrication Inc are located from Brunner, ON and they specialize in large component fabrication of bridges, architectural structures and custom fabrication with their team of professionals being dedicated to the production, delivery & erection of the highest quality structures, on time and on budget.
“We were very proud and privileged to have our new partners onboard this season,” Kyle Harris reflected. “They stood by us with all of our racing programs within the Napa USDS this year including Flyin’ Ryan in Junior Dragster class racing, as well as my 32’ Austin Bantam Altered running in the Top Dragster class.”
Kyle Harris qualified #1 at each of the Napa USDS events he attended last season. He also scored the Top Dragster title win during the marquee Mopar Canadian Nationals at Grand Bend Motorplex last August.
And in that Eastern Canadian series the team ran very well too. Running at 4 of the 5 USDRS races, Kyle qualified #1 at each race and just missed winning the overall Sampson-sponsored Championship points title by 4 points. “Flyin’ Ryan” placed a very respectable 3rd overall in Napa USDS final Elite Junior Dragster racing points.
“Although KHR was in attendance at all 5 of the USDRS races, we were unable to register qualifying runs at the first race of the season as we chose to withdraw from qualifying to attended to the aftermath of Cristina’s devastating crash,” Kyle reflected. “But still Ryan and I finished very well and everyone is looking forward to what 2018 will bring!”
In between USDRS races, Flyin’ Ryan also competed in the Race Cayuga Sportsman Series where he placed 3rd overall in the points chase with the series. At the final race of the season, it was a weekend of firsts with Flyin’ Ryan driving his Junior Dragster straight into the winner circle, to capture his first win and on Sunday, team KHR unloading a 5.93 secs 232.51 with the Charles Jones Industrial sponsored ’32 Austin Altered. Talk about ending the year on a positive note!
2nd generation drivers Ryan and Cristina continue to hone their driving skills in Junior dragster racing.
“I would like to thank all of our sponsors for their support,” added Kyle. “Charles Jones Industrial Limited, Mountain Tire, Ironbridge Fabrication, Atchison Machine Service, Fast Eddie Racewear and Equipment Express Inc. I would also like to thank the entire KHR team for their support, hard work and dedication. My wife Jennie and our children Ryan Harris, Cristina Johnston, my brother Cody Harris and also Jordan Hardie, Mike Azzopardi and Shane Towers. Everyone brings something valuable to the team and I can’t thank everyone enough for their support and hard work.”
Just a Sneak Peek! — With the ongoing support of their very valued partners — the future for KHR will be very interesting to monitor. The team is already well on track to replace their crashed dragster with a brand new car that will very well open up some other major possibilities.
They have a new TAD spec chassis currently under construction by Richard Hartman from Horton Race Cars. This new chassis will be loaded with the latest advancements in safety features and dragster chassis technology – offering up all the performance advantages that go with that.
KHR expects to take delivery of the new chassis about mid-December and will work to finish off their final product during this off season. This car will to receive an KHR/Atchison Machine prepared 481X supercharged motor program and an associated drive train combination for testing that’s expected to begin in the spring of 2018.
KHR’s new TAD spec chassis is taking shape at Richard Hartman’s Horton Race Cars facility.
“We plan to campaign in Top Dragster trim in the 2018 racing season,” Kyle added. “Then we will continue to look ahead with possibly advancing our dragster program (potentially into the Top Alcohol Dragster class).”
Posted by Bruce Biegler
DragRaceCanada file photos by Bruce Biegler
