Call Sign January 2006 - Page 33 - DAC’S MARK IS A REAL DRAG…!

DAC’S MARK IS A REAL DRAG…!

Dial-a-Cab driver Mark Watts (T71) is a difficult man to catch up with. Well, when you’re used to covering a ¼ mile in just 10 seconds, life in the fast lane comes naturally! But undaunted after several unsuccessful attempts, Call Sign eventually caught up with him recently to delve deeper into Marks’ unusual hobby – Drag Racing… Mark trained as a motor engineer at H.R.Owen, working on such exotic cars as Rolls Royce, Aston Martin and Ferrari before having a stint at running his own construction company. "There’s nothing I can’t do in a house," he said confidently! In another change of career, he has been driving a taxi for 8 years and been with DaC for just 4 months. "I’m very happy here, everything’s run fairly," he said, "and that’s important to me!" Mark got into Drag Racing after watching the sport while on a visit to Los Angeles some years ago. "I’ve been racing now for 12 years with several different cars over that time, including a Dodge Demon and a Dodge Dart. I’ve owned this 1957 Chevvy 2-door for four years now, having bought it from another cab driver at the airport and I’ve won several races with it," he told our reporter. He prepares the car himself, with a little help from friend Mark Partridge (R30) from his storage/workshop facility at Langley and transports the dragster to meetings on a trailer that is towed by a van - which in turn doubles as a mobile workshop/home at trackside. "The Chevvy is not exactly a road-going, street-legal machine," Mark mused, "it has a 7.2 litre engine, twin Holley 850 carburettors and an 8/71 Supercharger which is 10% overdriven (faster than engine speed) to produce 700 horsepower!" He added while grinning: "It will cover the	measured ¼ mile in 10 seconds and its top speed is around 130 mph," – no doubt comparing it to his taxi! The car has Lexan unbreakable plastic windows for safety and weighs 3000lbs with fuel and Mark inside. His young son Jamie often accompanies Dad on his adventures, sharing in the successes and offering advice when things don’t go quite to plan… "I enter about 10 ‘meets’ a year, depending on the weather," said Mark. "That affects the track, which has to be dry and sticky for maximum wheel adhesion. That’s also why you’ll see entrants’ spinning their wheels on the grid, to warm the tyres and make them expand." Mark told Call Sign that the expenses of running the car are quite high, with engine oil costing about £40 a time - something that is changed every other race! Surprisingly, real 20/50-grade oil - not synthetic - is used in such a powerful engine. "I blew one engine up, so I take great care of this one as it cost me £15,000!" Mark told us adding that tyres are another expensive item. A set of rubbers costs about £600/800 and will usually last him one season. "Taxi tyres are cheap by comparison," Mark laughed. Do you have Sponsors, Call Sign enquired? "No," was the firm reply, "but if you know of anyone, I’d like to hear from them." Mark races at Santa Pod and Stratford County Raceway in Stratford-upon-Avon. If you have an unusual hobby or interest, why not tell Call Sign at the usual email address? © Call Sign Magazine MM5

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