Bissessar continues to dominate Harland Sharp Elite 8

When Chris Gulitti entered the 2010 Mardi Gras Nitro Jam he knew he had a competitive car, he just didn’t know how competitive it would be for both races over the course of the weekend.

As the reigning IHRA Sportsman Driver of the Year Gulitti came prepared for a fight in the ultra-competitive Top Sportsman class, but he wasn’t quite sure how he would fare in the new Harland Sharp Elite 8 showdown.

In no way did Gulitti come with the biggest dog in the fight, but he did have a consistent car and apparently that is all that mattered.

Chris Gulitti

After bowing out of the national event in the semifinals Gulitti shifted his focus to the Quick 8 race later in the afternoon and did something that even he didn’t expect – win the whole thing.

With plenty of guts and a little bit of luck Gulitti bested eight of the quickest cars at the event to take home his first Harland Sharp Elite 8 championship and the glory that goes along with being the best of the class.

 “It was exhilarating to come out here and win the Quick 8 at a national event,” Gulitti said. “To come out here in this field with our car and win is tremendous. I am not the fastest car out here, but we can get down the track.”

Scenes from Mardi Gras Nitro Jam

Gulitti beat Scooter Hampton in the final with the only pass of the weekend in the six-second zone. Gulitti ran a solid 6.970 elapsed time at 198.58 miles per hour to drive around Hampton who had an equally impressive 7.024, 195.73.

Gulitti also bested Larry Smith on his way to the win, while his highly anticipated matchup with Earl Folse was cut short when Folse failed to make the call.

In Top Dragster Sheldon Bissessar once again proved why he is the quickest and fastest dragster in racing today with another world record on his way to his second consecutive Harland Sharp Elite 8 win.

Sheldon Bissessar

Bissessar fired off three straight passes in the five-second zone to eliminate John Angelle and Robert LeJeune with a weekend best pass of 5.820, 241.80 coming in the second round of the Harland Sharp race.

“We were thrilled to win the first one and to win for the second straight time is thrilling for us,” Bissessar said. “Hopefully we can keep this up and continue winning this thing.”

Sheldon Bissessar

With the dominance Bissessar has shown so far this season there is little doubt of the huge target on his back entering Rockingham where many of the best drivers come to play.

While both Bissessar and Gulitti saw plenty of success in the Quick 8 race, neither reached the finals of the Mardi Gras Nitro Jam national event.

National event winners in IHRA’s seven sportsman categories from Baton Rouge included Glenn Wright (Top Sportsman), Peter Vicari (Top Dragster), Mark Powers (Quick Rod), Chris Arnold (Super Rod), Marlon Goates (Hot Rod), Tim Hebert (Super Stock) and Jody Simoneaux (Stock).

Scenes from Mardi Gras Nitro Jam

All seven drivers also earned a spot in the 2010 Tournament of Champions at Virginia Motorsports Park in October.

Racing action at Mardi Gras Nitro Jam was capped off by a standing room only crowd both Saturday and Sunday watching IHRA's talented sportsman competitors do their thing.

For complete sportsman coverage from Mardi Gras Nitro Jam check out the next issue of Drag Review Magazine or visit their website at www.ihramag.com.

Scenes from Mardi Gras Nitro Jam