Hirata, Hool Take Upset-Filled Norwalk Race

Courtesy of Todd Veney/Pro Sportsman Association
Photos courtesy of David Smith

At the wide-open Summit Racing Equipment Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio, Dave Hirata broke through for his first national event victory in 13 years and Kris Hool earned his second career title. Seven of the eight semifinalists in Top Alcohol Dragster and Top Alcohol Funny Car – everyone but superstar Frank Manzo – had combined for one national event win since the turn of the century. Hirata, who last scored at the rain-delayed Englishtown race in September 2000, won Top Alcohol Dragster with an 18-second pass when No. 1 qualifier Ray Martin red-lighted in the final, and Hool ran a consistent 5.65 to take out Fred Tigges in Top Alcohol Funny Car.

Hirata was the only Top Alcohol Dragster driver still around for the semi's who'd ever won a national event before, though by that point Martin clearly was the favorite. Martin, at the wheel of Hugh Ridley's blown-alcohol dragster, had low e.t. of both qualifying sessions – matching 5.34s – and low e.t. of each of the first two rounds, back-to-back 5.39s against Canadian Jeff Veale and 2011 event winner Marty Thacker. With his second teen light in a row, Martin defeated ever-improving Robin Samsel on a semifinal holeshot, 5.47 to 5.42.

Hirata qualified just 15^th but upset the most accomplished driver in the field, five-time world champ Bill Reichert, in the first round Saturday afternoon, 5.56 to a tire-shaking 5.67. He won all three rounds Sunday at the starting line, starting with Ken Perry in round two on a holeshot and his only run all weekend that would have been quick enough to advance, 5.46 to 5.42. To reach his first final since the 2007 U.S. Nationals, Hirata won the other semifinal match with a 5.54 when rival Brandon Booher red-lighted by the smallest detectable margin, .001 second, nullifying a quicker 5.42.

Martin had another .01 light in the final – unfortunately for him, it was a -.014, voiding his 5.50 and handing the win to Hirata, who collected his first Wally since the 2000 season, when he won three times (Atlanta, St. Louis, and Englishtown) and appeared in five finals.

Hool qualified No. 3, behind heavy hitters Tony Bartone and Manzo, who tied for the top spot with 5.594s (Bartone won the tiebreaker on speed, 262.33 mph to 259.91), and had by far the best car all weekend. His final-round 5.65 actually was his slowest run of eliminations. Every other one was between 5.61 and 5.64, highlighted by a 5.61 semifinal win over Manzo, who was coming off low e.t. (5.57) in the previous round. Hool opened eliminations with a 5.64 against John Bojec and took a come-from-behind win over early season points leader Dan Pomponio in the quarterfinals, 5.62 to 5.71.

Tigges shut off to a 6.21 in the opening round against 2009 Norwalk runner-up Chris Foster, who banged the blower, and made his best run of the event, 5.65, in a second-round decision over Lance Van Hauen, who had taken out Bartone in the first round when Bartone got over the centerline.

Tigges idled downtrack on a semifinal single when Paul Noakes was shut off at the line with an oil leak following a between-rounds thrash. Both drivers had one previous final-round appearance, both against Manzo. Tigges, whose other final came in a barrage of 5.50s at the 2011 U.S. Nationals, cut a .015 light in the final and was ahead by a full tenth at the 60-foot mark but shook the tires and had to lift.

With the win, Hool, who was coming off five consecutive first-round losses, leaped back into the top 10 with his second career title and first since Brainerd in 2011. Martin is up to fourth in the Top Alcohol Dragster standings and has been to at least two fewer races than all three drivers ahead of him – Jim Whiteley, Chris Demke, and Rich McPhillips.

TAN U.S. Nationals Review

The most winning Top Alcohol drivers at Indy reigned supreme once again this year, with Bill Reichert and Frank Manzo earning their third and tenth titles, respectively. Both drivers made history with their wins. Reichert is the only TAD driver to win Indy three times. Manzo became the winningest driver of any class at the U.S. Nationals, a feat that was truly under-appreciated by the announcers and the media.

5-time national champion Bill Reichert started off Top Alcohol Dragster eliminations in the #2 qualifying spot, stopping 2011 IHRA Pro Fuel champion Mike Manners, Brazilian Sidnei Frigo, and Chris Demke on his way to the finals. There, he would face Duane Shields, his opponent in the 2008 final round as well. Shields defeated Columbus divisional winner Brian Mans, Richard Bourke, and narrowly beat Brandon Booher before facing Reichert in the finals. Bill Reichert denied Shields his first Indy win, leaving the starting line first and never looking back, 5.32 to Duane's losing 5.36.

It was a real David vs. Goliath match-up in the Top Alcohol Funny Car final round, pairing Division 1 racers Fred Tigges and Frank Manzo. Manzo met up with Brent Henry, Cassie Simonton, and John Lombardo Jr. before running Fred in the final round. Underdog Tigges reached the finals after taking down Steve Gasparrelli, Fred Hagen, and Brainerd winner Kris Hool in earlier eliminations. In the end, Frank Manzo got his 10th U.S. Nationals title, 5.49 to Tigges' 5.59.

Manzo also claimed the #1 qualifying spot (5.55), the top speed of the event (265.22) and the low E.T. of the event (5.46) in TAFC. In TAD, Chase Copeland earned the #1 spot (5.28) and top speed (279.90), while Bill Reichert ran the low E.T. of the race (5.27).

First-time Indy qualifier Brandon Booher also made history during the NHRA's most prestigious race. Booher is one of a few alcohol dragsters that utilizes a convertor instead of a clutch to put the 3,000 horsepower to the wheels. When he defeated defending event champion Marty Thacker in the finals, he became the first convertor-equipped TAD to win a round at the U.S. Nationals. His 5.42 pass in the semi-finals was also the quickest pass by a convertor car in history. According to Brandon, the car would've ran 5.37 had it made a full, clean run. A very impressive accomplishment for the driver who is in only his second full year in the Top Alcohol Dragster class.