New GTO to be part of new Middle Eastern drag racing team

Pat Musi has been racking up the frequent flier miles commuting from his shop in Carteret, New Jersey to the Middle Eastern-based country of Bahrain. His mission has been clear from day one – introduce fast doorslammer racing to a region starved for horsepower.

Musi’s relationship began when he was introduced to automobile enthusiast Khalil Toorani by longtime customer Ali Aryan. Toorani bought Musi's legendary Pro Street 1969 Camaro, a car that Ali drives in Bahrain.

New GTO to be part of new Middle Eastern drag racing team

Pat Musi has been racking up the frequent flier miles commuting from his shop in Carteret, New Jersey to the Middle Eastern-based country of Bahrain. His mission has been clear from day one – introduce fast doorslammer racing to a region starved for horsepower.

Musi’s relationship began when he was introduced to automobile enthusiast Khalil Toorani by longtime customer Ali Aryan. Toorani bought Musi's legendary Pro Street 1969 Camaro, a car that Ali drives in Bahrain.

Next spring the two will bring their joint effort to the States for some fast doorslammer racing within the American Drag Racing League’s Pro Nitrous division.

Toorani will take delivery of a new Jerry Bickel GTO. It will mark the first time that a Middle Eastern-owned team has ever competed in the United States. Musi will handle the driving chores in this car until he and longtime partner Don Reem debut their new 1953 Corvette, a car built by Reem.

“We are excited about it and we will get to test a lot of stuff,” Musi said. “We are going to start out with the Wedge engine and put in the Chevrolet Hemi that is at the PRI Show this week.”

Musi will be assisted in the endeavor by another fellow Pro Stock racer from the old school and present fraternity – Rickie Smith.

“Rickie went over to Bahrain with us and had a good time,” Musi said. “He will be aligning himself with us in developing this program and working with the electronic fuel injection programs.

“Rickie’s excited about working with us in this area. When he was over in Bahrain, I insisted that he drive the car to get a feel of the power curve. He sees this as a potentially strong combination. We are just working on finding a combination to handle the horsepower it is putting out.”

Musi anticipates a February debut with the GTO and plans to test extensively.