"It's very exciting to see all the pieces come together,"
Friesen said from his dental office in Winnipeg, Man. His car,
a 2002 Camaro with a 526 cubic inch replica of a 426 Hemi that
churns out close to 3,000 horsepower, is driven by Roger Bateman
of Calgary, Alta.
Friesen has always found racing exciting. He has fond memories
of watching races at the local track as a child. He used to
race his own car at Gimli Motorsports Park, but gave it up to
pursue a career. Friesen, along with his current crew chief
Ken Murray, managed a No. 2-ranked Top Alcohol dragster in the
late eighties. They sold the team after finding it difficult
to compete with those that had more resources.
With a career established, Friesen was able to amass the
resources needed to pursue his hobby once more. It's no wonder
Friesen felt excited considering how the NobleSmile.com/Friesen
Motorsports team finished last season. A runner-up at the
AAA Autoclub finals in Pomona, Calif., combined with a first-place
finish in the Division Seven Lucas Oil Drag Racing series
in Las Vegas, Nev., earned Roger Bateman of NobleSmile.com/Friesen
Motorsports a top-10 ranking.
"It's exciting to see this concept in Winnipeg, we actually
beat all the best cars in the world," said Friesen.
The Division Seven Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series closer in
which Bateman finished first was the quickest field in Top
Alcohol Funny Car history. Friesen's car blew its motor in
the second round, but his crew, with the help of two other
teams, changed motors in time for the final round. Bateman
defeated Clint Thompson with a 5.828 second pass at 249.35
miles per hour in the final round of the event.
"Just like a fighter, you don't dodge the tough opponents,"
Friesen said of the event in Las Vegas. "We went after
the best and we stood up and we beat them all."
"In California, it's not as laid back as they say it
is," Murray said. Bateman qualified for the AAA Auto
Club Finals with a 5.631 second pass at 255 miles per hour.
He defeated Dennis Taylor with a 5.742 at 251.95 miles per
hour and Doug Gordon with a 5.672 at 255.68 in the semi-finals.
Bateman lost to David Ray in the final round of the final
event in the NHRA Top Alcohol Funny Car season after the car
lost control and crossed the centreline. Ray finished the
season ranked 14th.
With a top-10 finish, Friesen said he's inspired to take
it to the next level in the upcoming season. "We're totally
committed to racing another year. We've updated all of our
parts and we're hopefully going to get a new truck and trailer.
We are throwing energy, time and money to hopefully chase
for the world championship," Friesen said.
"From the performance we were clearly one of the best
cars in North America at the end of the season. If we carry
that forward to next year and continue on with our momentum
we have a chance of becoming number one."
CONTRIBUTORS
Nobel Biocare, HAAS, Penzoil, RedBull, Sign Source, Computer
Boulevard, The Prolific Group, Pepsi, Ivan's Autobody, Winnipeg
Free Press.
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