You have likely heard of the island of Antigua. It is a popular tourist resort destination but you likely do not know that it is a hotbed of drag racing as well. In fact the entire Caribbean is a hot bed for the sport with most of the tiny islands having their own drag strip. In the case of Antigua the strip was a public road that was used for some time with the approval of the government. A couple of years ago that same government agreed to spend nearly a half million dollars, close the road to the public and make it a billiard flat dedicated drag strip. How’s that for a level of support we can only dream of here in the States. But we digress.
With this strip has come an increased level of seriousness among the competitors. Antigua is part of the Antigua and Barbuda Drag Racing Association which has a full season of action and these cars are not stuff you’d likely see at American strips but the competition is legit and we respect the hell out of these guys for doing what they do down there. Someone has raised the bar through the damned stratosphere with the addition of a freaking nitro funny car in Antigua and this video is proof.
We need to do some research to see who’s old car this is. From what we can see it is a Pontiac Firebird body and the thing sounds pretty healthy so there’s a good percentage of fuel cursing through its veins. Apparently the thing ate itself up on the burnout but you are seeing something pretty neat in the fact that as best we can tell, everyone in this video is experiencing a nitro funny car for the first time!
(Video credit: Shavien Otto YouTube channel)
Nitro in Antigua, pretty cool
First off, it’s an alcohol car not nitro. Secondly they need someone that knows how to set the clutch pack or someone is going to get hurt down there. Probably a moot point since it sounds like they killed it at 1:26.
It is an old Alky car body for sure but it sounds pretty cackle-y for an alky car at least to my ears.
It’s nitro and the clutch was left loose because of the track conditions.
As the owner / driver of this car, I can assure you it’s a fuel car.
We’re running 85% nitromethane. This body is from Ana Alcohol car, originally driven by Dave Wilcox, the car was named “Dirty Bird”. We also have a Carbon Fiber body (originally from Bob Bode) that we’re either going to hang on this car, or possibly use on the next N/FC we’re about to build.
P.S. More videos on it can be seen on the YouTube page “Shutters in Paradise”
It may be an old Alky body, but it definitely is a nitro engine.
No phones! No lights! But funny cars!
Antigua? I gotta google that.
That’s one more drag strip than in the whole of the north east of England!
Imagine that. Our whole country is only 11 miles X 11 miles, and we have 2 dragstrips. The best part? We drag race in perfect weather, 12 months of the year.
Who wants to bring their car here next winter??
no alchy car cackles like that! only one thing makes that sound, and it ain’t straight methanol
True Dat. Gotta love the sound and feel of Nitromethane!!
Watched one of their You tube videos. Appears they are running a nostalgia motor set up. Single mag, smaller blower, etc. Definitely a good size load from the sound of the cackle and the header flames. 85% sounds about right. How about naming it “Nitro in Paradise”?