R2B2 Racing Pro Mod preview

R2B2 Racing stable representing the cutting edge of Pro Mod class

GAINESVILLE, Fla. ()March 8) -- The R2B2 Racing pits will look and sound a lot different when the Get Screened America Pro Mod Series starts its 2011 season at this weekend's 42nd annual Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals.

Melanie Troxel aboard her In-n-Out Burger Toyota Camry

Ted Rossino

The R2B2 racing stable has added two turbocharged cars -- and their distinctive rumbles -- to its team and has brought star driver and turbo expert Brad Personett into the fold.

"I'm going to be driving a 1953 Corvette with a twin turbo and automatic transmission," said R2B2 driver/owner Roger Burgess. "I'll be using an Alan Johnson wedge motor, which is a combination no one has used before.

"We're excited about this because this is the culmination of a two-year process to design and build a competitive Pro Mod car that is also low-maintenance."

Burgess said his team has been busy working out some bugs in the brake system ahead of the season opener.

"We've switched to carbon-fiber brakes, which have given us some problems," Burgess said. "We made some changes and now the car is staging and launching the way it is supposed to."

Personett said he's been busy finding the tuning window for his record-setting turbocharged machine.

"We take steps forward, then we take a step or two back," Personett said. "It doesn't sound good, but at least we are doing it now in testing rather than at Gainesville, which we did last year. I feel like we're ahead of things.

"It's just a matter of working out the little gremlins and making some laps in the car."

R2B2 Racing will also field two supercharged Pro Mod cars, each driven by returning members of the team, Melanie Troxel and Raymond Commisso.

Commisso said he is ready to rebound from one of the worst seasons of his career.

"I think we have a promising racecar," Commisso said. "We've made some good laps, and I'm more confident than I was last year. My head is in the game 100 percent and I'm going to try to win some races."

Also running with R2B2 Racing power for this race is 2010 Atlanta Pro Mod winner Micke Gulliqvist of Sweden.

The Tire Kingdom NHRA Gatornationals get under way with qualifying at noon EST at Gainesville Raceway. Qualifying continues on Saturday with Pro Mod eliminations Saturday afternoon.

-source: r2b2