CRUZ: TESTING NOT NECESSARY
Thu, 2009-01-29 11:29
Thursday afternoon NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon
seemed more concerned with getting proper decal placement on his
Advance Auto Parts Toyota Solara than he did with missing any of the
preseason testing and with good reason. The decals had more priority.
“We’re going to have a new look for this year and it takes a little more time to dial-in just the right look,” Pedregon admitted, as he talked while he worked. “I’m just running a little behind.”
Pedregon doesn’t plan to undergo any preseason testing because in his assessment, the process produces very little positive impact on the team.
World Champion Says Team Ready To Defend Title …
Thursday afternoon NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon seemed more concerned with getting proper decal placement on his Advance Auto Parts Toyota Solara than he did with missing any of the preseason testing and with good reason. The decals had more priority.
“We’re going to have a new look for this year and it takes a little more time to dial-in just the right look,” Pedregon admitted, as he talked while he worked. “I’m just running a little behind.”
Pedregon doesn’t plan to undergo any preseason testing because in his assessment, the process produces very little positive impact on the team.
“We weren’t going to test, even if we were ready to,” Pedregon admitted. “We looked at everything including budget and then the track where testing is held usually produces a tire shake ceremony. We weighed in all of those factors.”
Among those factors, was the mad rush among his nitro counterparts to begin testing after January 1.
“We didn’t want to race just to get out there,” Pedregon said. “When you look at it, there just isn’t enough time in the off-season to get everything done. When you factor in the holidays you don’t have as much time as people think.
“Tony and I both thought and this may come as a shock to a lot of people, we just didn’t feel going to Phoenix was in our best interests. We’re talking about a lot of years of experience to draw that conclusion.”
Pedregon explained that in the 1990s, during his time as driver for Larry Minor’s McDonald’s entry, he made as many as 12 runs in one extended weekend session, none of which made it to the finish line under power. He admitted pressure from Minor to make a full run, which they never did, then they went to Pomona and qualified in the top five. A few years later, when sponsored by Interstate Batteries, Pedregon made hot lap after hot lap in Phoenix testing and then went to Pomona and missed the cut.
“We were the car to beat on the weekends it didn’t count,” Pedregon recalled.
Pedregon believes the team, led by tuner Rahn Tobler, had a potent baseline established when they left Pomona last fall as the NHRA World Finals winner.
“We didn’t change a thing from last year, we do have a new car, but it’s exactly like the one we had in 2008,” Pedregon said. “We don’t need to change anything, and why would we?
“I’m excited for the opportunity to defend our title in 2009. [With the short off-season] I realize now how long the season is. When you look back to when the Countdown begins in Charlotte and the season ends in Pomona, there’s a lot of racing in-between.”
Essentially Pedregon has given up his “free” test sessions as defined by the NHRA’s new testing policy, and for him, the implementation of this new regulation limiting testing to just four sessions during the season suits him just fine.
“It needed to happen,” Pedregon said. “I don’t think testing provides a real big advantage, but it can be. A lot of other series have brought forth similar testing regulations, so it was just a matter of time before the NHRA introduced their version. I think it’s good.”
“We’re going to have a new look for this year and it takes a little more time to dial-in just the right look,” Pedregon admitted, as he talked while he worked. “I’m just running a little behind.”
Pedregon doesn’t plan to undergo any preseason testing because in his assessment, the process produces very little positive impact on the team.
World Champion Says Team Ready To Defend Title …
Thursday afternoon NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car champion Cruz Pedregon seemed more concerned with getting proper decal placement on his Advance Auto Parts Toyota Solara than he did with missing any of the preseason testing and with good reason. The decals had more priority.
“We’re going to have a new look for this year and it takes a little more time to dial-in just the right look,” Pedregon admitted, as he talked while he worked. “I’m just running a little behind.”
Pedregon doesn’t plan to undergo any preseason testing because in his assessment, the process produces very little positive impact on the team.
“We weren’t going to test, even if we were ready to,” Pedregon admitted. “We looked at everything including budget and then the track where testing is held usually produces a tire shake ceremony. We weighed in all of those factors.”
Among those factors, was the mad rush among his nitro counterparts to begin testing after January 1.
“We didn’t want to race just to get out there,” Pedregon said. “When you look at it, there just isn’t enough time in the off-season to get everything done. When you factor in the holidays you don’t have as much time as people think.
“Tony and I both thought and this may come as a shock to a lot of people, we just didn’t feel going to Phoenix was in our best interests. We’re talking about a lot of years of experience to draw that conclusion.”
Pedregon explained that in the 1990s, during his time as driver for Larry Minor’s McDonald’s entry, he made as many as 12 runs in one extended weekend session, none of which made it to the finish line under power. He admitted pressure from Minor to make a full run, which they never did, then they went to Pomona and qualified in the top five. A few years later, when sponsored by Interstate Batteries, Pedregon made hot lap after hot lap in Phoenix testing and then went to Pomona and missed the cut.
“We were the car to beat on the weekends it didn’t count,” Pedregon recalled.
Pedregon believes the team, led by tuner Rahn Tobler, had a potent baseline established when they left Pomona last fall as the NHRA World Finals winner.
“We didn’t change a thing from last year, we do have a new car, but it’s exactly like the one we had in 2008,” Pedregon said. “We don’t need to change anything, and why would we?
“I’m excited for the opportunity to defend our title in 2009. [With the short off-season] I realize now how long the season is. When you look back to when the Countdown begins in Charlotte and the season ends in Pomona, there’s a lot of racing in-between.”
Essentially Pedregon has given up his “free” test sessions as defined by the NHRA’s new testing policy, and for him, the implementation of this new regulation limiting testing to just four sessions during the season suits him just fine.
“It needed to happen,” Pedregon said. “I don’t think testing provides a real big advantage, but it can be. A lot of other series have brought forth similar testing regulations, so it was just a matter of time before the NHRA introduced their version. I think it’s good.”
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