Going faster in the Middle East
Written by Sheila Scarborough · September 19, 2008
I’m intrigued by the growing Middle Eastern connections in drag racing.
At the NHRA Carolinas Nationals, Top Fuel driver Hillary Will drove a dragster emblazoned with the national colors of the US and the kingdom of Bahrain, a small island nation in the Persian Gulf that is a major financial center and the future home of a state-of-the-art $200 million auto-parts manufacturing facility.
Bahrain is home to the Bahraini GP in Formula 1 racing and welcomes Western visitors — not too surprising, since it was a British protectorate until 1971 and is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters. I lived there for a few years as a preteen and have fond memories, so my ears perk up about anything Bahrain-related.
Over in Qatar, the new Alan Johnson Al-Anabi Racing Team will field a Funny Car and a Top Fuel rail next season (plus Al-Anabi is working some Pro Mod action.) The team announced today that Del Worsham will drive the team Funny Car and Aaron Brooks will be the crew chief.
Top Fuel driver and crew chief aren’t set yet.
Worsham loses his Checker Schuck’s Kragen (CSK) sponsorship after this season; the company was bought out by O’Reilly Auto Parts. Brooks is leaving the Roger Burgess R2B2 Racing Funny Car driven by Frank Hawley.
Alan Johnson Al-Anabi Racing is a partnership between Alan Johnson and His Highness Sheikh Khalid Bin Hamad Al Thani. The Sheikh wants to promote motorsports awareness in Qatar. Johnson is a seven-time NHRA Top Fuel Championship crew chief and is currently tuning the Tony Schumacher Army dragster.
The team hasn’t yet established a shop location or Web site. I’ll be interested to see if they have a satellite garage/offices in Qatar; knowing that region’s propensity for incredible buildings, any Middle Eastern race shop is going to be the Burj Al Arab of automotive facilities.
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