BIRT BLASTS ALL-TIME QUICKEST NITROUS PASS

by Ian Tocher    Sat, 2019-03-23 10:16

 

Even Marcus Birt was surprised when told he'd just made the quickest nitrous-boosted, eighth-mile pass in history--bar none. The 3.604 at 204.76-mph pass came in Saturday's first Radials vs. The World qualifying session, the sixth of 11 total pre-elimination rounds for promoter Donald "Duck" Long's Sweet 16 event at South Georgia Motorsports Park.

"They told me that was the fastest nitrous pass in history and I sure hope it's true. It feels good to hear after all the hard work we've done. It's been a battle," Birt said later in his pit. "To be honest, we went out there and kind of had an expectation of going maybe a .65 or a .66, and then we run a .60, so obviously we're really happy right now."
Coming into Sweet 16, the quickest RvW nitrous pass belonged to Jamie Hancock, who ran 3.687 last year at the same race, while PDRA Pro Nitrous record holder Jim Halsey made a 3.646-seconds run last fall in Virginia. (Note: at 2,450 lbs, minimum weight for PN cars is 200 lbs heavier than RvW.)

Driving a Jerry Bickel-built 2016 Corvette with a 959 c.i. Pat Musi engine under the hood, Birt crossed the 60-foot marker in .990 and hit half-track in 2.41 seconds. 

"It was so smooth. I mean, you wouldn't think it could be, as fast as the car is going, but it's just like going down the Interstate, that's how smooth the power comes in," he said. 
When pressed for why he thinks it all came together Saturday morning for a record-setting performance, Birt spread the credit around, but reserved special praise for tuner--and RvW rival--Steve Jackson, who qualified his own screw-blown '15 Camaro directly behind Birt in fourth.

"Man, I think (track prep specialist) Wade Rich has got the track just superb, the air is pretty good, and the car is happy. And I'll tell you, Pat (Musi) has got the best motor program in the world, hands down, it just couldn't be any better," he said. "But the problem before was we could just never get the motor happy, but now Stevie's got the motor where it wants to be. He's made all the difference."

Heading into eliminations among the quickest RvW field ever assembled, bookended by number-one starter Daniel Pharris at a record-shattering 3.578 at 214.11 and 16th-place Tom Blincoe at an equally impressive 3.694 at 201.31 mph, Birt knows race day will not be easy.

"I think we can go some rounds if I can do what I need to do on the tree and the car stays where it is right now. I feel real good about it," he said. "But I think every pass has got to be almost picture perfect if you're gonna' have a chance to win. Like you're gonna' have to go low .60s and have an .020 bulb every time. And you're gonna' have to get out on a turbo car, there's no question about that. It's gonna' be all or nothing." 

 

 

 

 
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