TOP FUEL DRAGSTER

Record Holders!

Despite already holding the title of New Zealand’s quickest and fastest quarter-mile, after running their A/Fuel dragster to a 5.40-second pass at 268mph, the team at Marsh Motorsport dreamed of going even faster. The only way to achieve that was to step up into a Top Fuel dragster, and that dream became a reality in July 2012 when the team purchased an 8000hp nitromethane-fuelled vehicle out of Australia.

Prior to its purchase, the car had covered the quarter-mile in 4.40 seconds, and featured the most up to date technology available, making it the perfect machine to help them achieve their goal.

Despite already having plenty of experience with nitromethane in their naturally aspirated record-holding A/Fueller, the step up to Top Fuel was a massive learning curve, not to mention an expensive exercise.

With the right people on the team, and Anthony Marsh in the driver’s seat, the car impressed right from the get go, running a very low five-second pass at its first meet. The goal of running New Zealand’s first four-second pass was already tantalizingly close for the team, and they were determined to claim the title.

That record-breaking run took place on January 10, 2015, when the team clocked a mind-blowing ET of 4.985 seconds at 288.20mph — forever etching their names in New Zealand record books.

Since then, the team set their sights on being the first to run a 500kph quarter-mile pass, and again — thanks to determination, the right people, and plenty of expertise — it’s another record they claimed on January 9, 2016.

With a current personal best of 4.78 at 315.12mph, and being the only local team to claim a four-second pass and a 500kph trap speed, don’t think for one moment that the team are going to take things easy from here on. The goal now is to not only improve that PB on local soil, but perhaps also take their mission trans-Tasman and race the car in Australia as well. Of course, none of the would be possible without the help and support of the team’s sponsors Mount Shop and Redline Oils.