Gates looking to clinch pafca title at sacto

GATES LOOKING TO CLINCH PAFCA TITLE AT SACTO

Carlsbad, Calif. – For 43 year old Alcohol Funny Car driver Eric Gates, the road to clinching a series championship has not been as straight as the quarter-mile drag strips he races in the Pro Alcohol Funny Car Association. In some aspects, it’s been more like a roller coaster. But as the Fallbrook, Calif. resident likes to remind himself, his family and friends, he is blessed with the opportunity to take a ride regardless of the outcome or struggles.

Gates cut his teeth at drag strips in Minnesota and NHRA Division 5, when his father John, who passed away in 2008, worked with the Smith Brothers & Fetrow AA/Funny Car of the early 1970’s. The family then moved to Iowa where the senior Gates became one a fore-runner of sorts by using a power-glide transmission in his rear-engine dragster. The highlight of Gates family racing season would always come Labor Day weekend, as from 1974-1979 they would attend the NHRA US Nationals. The Gates clan then moved to Southern California in 1980 and has been campaigning in the NHRA Division 7 bracket classes ever since.

“Racing at those mid-west tracks and attending Indy every year definitely fueled the passion for me,” noted Gates, who enters the PAFCA final event at Sacramento Raceway September 24th number one in points. “Being able to grab a rag and clean the car, or just able to hang out with my dad made me feel like I was the king of the world, even though I was just a kid. When we moved to California and I learned more, the desire to drive a race car got stronger. Thankfully, I had a father who understood that and guided me along that path.”

Gates earned his NHRA competition license in 1991 behind the wheel of Bruce Cunningham’s Super Eliminator Dragster where Don Vance, Guy Aguyo and his father John signed his competition license. He then began racing at smaller bracket series such as the “Outlaw Quick-16 Series” at Carlsbad Raceway, sharing the seat of the family rear engine dragster with his father the entire time. As Gates put it, “Dad would race Super Comp, and I’d race Super Pro. It was a good arrangement,” Gates said with a chuckle. Gates earned the Southern California Drag Racing Series (SCEDA) championship in 1993 and repeated that feat in 2001, and was runner-up to Bracket Racing kingpin Kyle Seipel Division 7 ET Finals in 97’. Needless to say, Gates was a good driver. But even though he also captured the elite Federal Mogal GRAND 900 award in Phoenix, Gates had Funny Cars on the brain.

“I’ve always been a fan of the funny cars,” Gates said. “Even growing up, watching Big Jim Dunn, Jungle Jim, Snake, Mongoose, Raymond Beadle and everybody else, I was attracted to how cool floppers were. I had a chance to drive for Ray Alexander in a mid-8 second altered in 97’ and 98’ and upgraded my competition license in Dennis Murphy’s Blown Alcohol Funny Car, (where current NHRA Funny Car drivers Jack Beckman and Jeff Diehl signed his license upgrade). In 2006 we bought a Victory Race Cars chassis front halved by Grant Downing from Del Worsham, put the 99’ Firebird body with a Randy Goodwin short block and went racing.”

Gates had an auspicious debut to say the least as while competing at his first race on the 7.50 second index, Gates stunned the crowd and raised some eye-brows of fellow racers by recording a 7.501 elapsed time in his first round of competition. Gates went on to win the Governors Cup his first year running with in the former CIFCA association.

Next weekend, he will enter the final event of the PAFCA 2010 campaign at Sacramento Raceway during the Governors Cup with the opportunity to claim the series first championship title. “I love racing in the PAFCA and I respect Joe Powell for the work he has done in trying to make this series successful,” Gates states. “It’s very satisfying racing in a series where we are the show amongst a group of racers where I feel like I belong. I’m in my own world with the fans, as I’m a fan like them. We might be running the smaller tracks but we love it. They are true blue fans of the sport of drag racing, and so am I.”

The PAFCA is supported by CleanBoost® PERFORMANCE MOTOR OIL, a sub-division company of Combustion Technologies USA (http://www.combustionusa.com). All PAFCA members receive this revolutionary, hi-performance motor oil at significant discounts. PAFCA President of Operations Joe Powell is an authorized distributor of CleanBoost® METTLE-ARMOR 70 wt Racing Oil and METTLE-PLUS™ Metal Conditioner. Powell will have large quantities of these products on hand at the Gov. Cup event for sale to PAFCA members and all racers. To learn more about CleanBoost® METTLE-ARMOR Racing Oil visit them online at http://www.cleanboostoil.com.

To learn more about the Pro Alcohol Funny Car Association, please visit their website at http://www.pafca.com.