Lessons learned

Hampshire, UK-based Andy Robinson, founder of eponymous Robinson Race Cars (RRC), has been an active drag racer since the early 1970s, achieving great success and winning no fewer than seven MSUK championships. His company is one of the UK’s few dedicated drag race chassis builders, responsible for producing some of the quickest drag cars in Europe, while also undertaking specialist fabrication for a host of other racing disciplines.

Over the past two decades, though, his name has been synonymous with the Pro Modified class of cars, and his team is currently putting the finishing touches to its latest machine, Anger Management 2.0, a ’69 Chevrolet Camaro.

For those not familiar with drag racing, Pro Mod is home to the fastest machines outside of nitro-fuelled Top Fuel Dragster and Funny Car, with the top racers running the quarter mile in the 5.6 to 7-second bracket at terminal speeds over 250mph. Since the mid-’90s, its popularity has rocketed and the class has gained pro touring status with the NHRA, while regional championships have appeared across Europe and the Middle East.

A complex maze of engine, clutch and chassis settings with the single goal of pushing the rear tyres to the limit of available traction, but no further

The NHRA regulatory framework, which is more or less followed by series around the world (even if they run under the FIA’s remit), specifies that Pro Mods must be ‘door slammers’ ie full-bodied cars with two functioning doors (ruling out Funny Car-type one-piece bodies), built to SFI 25.1 safety standards, and retain the recognisable shape of the production car on which they are based.

Engines are limited to V8, single camshaft units with capacity and vehicle weight dictated by the form of induction – also known as the power adder – used, effectively creating a Balance of Performance system.

FIA-managed rules in