Paton team a fraction away from win
Paris-based Top Fuel crew finishes 0.278 of a second back at NHRA event in North Carolina
Canada’s only Top Fuel Dragster team in regular competition came oh-so-close to winning its first major National Hot Rod Association event over the weekend.
The Paton TF team, based in Paris, battled with the stars of the class to finish in second place in the sport’s top division during the Circle K NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at zMAX Dragway outside Charlotte, N.C.
“Man, what a weekend,” said crew member Yvonne Potter, who lives in St. George when not travelling with the team. “Going from struggling to start the season after the last-minute loss of sponsorship to banding together to show what we can do in Charlotte and coming out a runner-up on the weekend is unreal.”
With Californian Cameron Ferre driving the 10,000-horsepower car, the Paton team qualified for the 16-car field for the unique fourwide format, which pits four cars racing against each other on a fourwide drag strip rather that the usual pair of cars on two lanes.
In the final round, Ferre was up against Mike Salinas, Josh Hart, and Spencer Massey. Salinas, also from California, won the four-car final with a 3.708-second, 330.47m.p.h. posting, as Ferre tripped the lights in second with a 3.986-second, 272.56-m.p.h. run. The event was the sixth in the 22-event 2022 schedule.
Potter has been a part of the team for 10 years, starting as a parts washer. She now performs intricate internal engine and supercharger work during car teardowns and rebuilds between the rounds of racing. She also takes care of the team’s social media needs. There are seven members of the Paton crew, headed up by former Funny Car driver and team owner, Barry Paton, for the past 15 years.
At present, only one team member is full-time.
The team races six or seven times a year, depending on finances. Major NHRA Top Fuel teams have huge budgets which consists of five to six rounds at up to $5,000 per round. The Paton team makes do with $30,000 to $50,000 per event, with about a third of that amount going to the driver.
Paton has had several drivers in the cockpit over the years, and last year hooked up with Ferre, who brought much-needed sponsor financing to the team. But, with that support now gone, Potter said she hoped the team can run four more races of the remaining NHRA season.
“The team is grateful for financial support and believes it could be a contender with major sponsorship,” she said. “We are low budget compared to the multimillion-dollar a year teams on the NHRA circuit, but we’ve proven as a parttime team we can run the same high level as anyone out there.
“I love this sport, the ups and the downs,” she said. “But, through all of it, nothing beats those win lights. We can’t wait to get to work on the next opportunity. We are hoping we can use this momentum to show what we are capable of.”
Staying with drag racing, there were some other winners in the sport over the weekend.
The John Massingberd Award was presented to two individuals who have shown extraordinary commitment and dedication to the sport. Held during the recent Motorama Custom Car show in Toronto, Harvey Silverthorn and Bruce Biegler were honoured with the award, named after the well-known auto racing broadcaster who died in 2008.
A prominent builder in the powersport and automotive industry in Canada with Wiseco Piston Canada, Silverthorn, from Woodstock, has been a staunch supporter of several racing series in Canada. Bruce Biegler is from Waterdown and, after retiring from a career with the Canadian Pacific Railway, turned his focus to drag racing photography and reporting on a national level.
This award is bestowed in conjunction with the Pro Modified Racing Association (PMRA) since 2009 and was presented this year at Motorama by Raceline Radio’s Erik Tomas and the PMRA’s Bruce Mehlenbacher.
Weekend winners Flamboro Speedway opened its 2022 season Saturday with a full card of racing on the third-mile paved oval outside of Millgrove. Winning the Late Model Sportsman feature was Brantford’s Mark Burbridge. Lane Zardo, of Walkerton, took the Super Stock feature and Quinton Murdock, of Cambridge, won the Canadian Vintage Modified feature. This Saturday the touring Can-Am Midgets will race at Flamboro along with the regular divisions … The dirt oval of Merrittville Speedway also officially opened Saturday night with five divisions competing on the Niagara dirt oval. Gary Lindberg, of St. Catharines, won the 358 Modified feature, and Cody McPherson, also of St. Catharines, won the Sportsman main. Taking the Stock feature was Hagersville’s Dave Bailey; Tyler Winger, of Ridgeway, won in Mod Lites and Tyler Lafantaisie, of Thorold, won the 4cylinder feature.