D'Aprile shows up strong in Valdosta
VALDOSTA, Ga. (May 7, 2007) - After a hugely successful 2006 season that found D'Aprile 5th in IHRA points and the Pro Rookie of the year, many expected D'Aprile to do well at ADRL's 3rd Annual Camp Motorsport Georgia Drags in Valdosta. Tommy wasn't sure.
D'Aprile brought his brand new Vanishing Point car to the race. "We really didn't know what to expect," D'Aprile explained. "We didn't even fire the engine before we got to the track. Jim Geese from Vanishing Point put an unbelievable car together for me. Then Quain Stott goes in there and tunes the car up and said 'let's see what that will do'.
What 'that' did was rocket D'Aprile to a first pass, 3.96ET, putting him well within the top half of the field. That first pass would hold up for a number 4 qualifying position. "Jim said that car would go right down the track," Tommy added. "I'm thinking, 'yeah right'. Jim gave me his phone number to call if I had any questions. I only called to say thank you."
D'Aprile would make seven passes during the weekend - all straight and quick. "Quain said that car had a lot left in it," said D'Aprile. "Considering that we were in a class full of screw blower cars and we chose not to lean to hard on the motor, I was pretty happy with the weekend."
D'Aprile would make a semi-final appearance before a throw-out bearing in the transmission ended his night.
"I couldn't be happier with the weekend," said Tommy. "How many times have you heard of a guy bringing a brand new car to the races and running like that? For Quain to hit that tune-up off the trailer and my guys working so hard to get that car to the track. I can't thank Ron, Mike and Fred enough for all the time the put in on this car. I also have to thank my wife Susan. She continues to support me and takes care of us all weekend long."
D'Aprile is currently looking at the ADRL schedule to determine how many events he will be able to attend. "The ADRL puts on a great show," said D'Aprile. "The fans are awesome! They stack them in that track 10 or more deep along the fences - they're having fun and we're having fun. I can't wait to get back out there."
