Ocala, Fla.(January 27 2017) – The International Drag Racing Hall of Fame (IDRHoF), a part of the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing, has announced the iconic “Rat Trap” AA/Fuel Altered race car will be a focal point in the cocktail reception area of the Wyndham Garden Hotel Gainesville for the 27th annual International Drag Racing Hall of Fame Banquet presented by Lucas Oil Products, to be held on Thursday, March 16th, 2017 in Gainesville, Fla.
Owned by Ron Hope of the Rat Trap Racing Team (Franklin, Tenn.), the beautiful orange and blue race car was built in 1995-96, and is an exact reproduction of the third, and final, Dennis Watson chassis built in 1968, and began competition in 1969. The car features an Austin Bantam roadster body shell, attached to the chassis. The late Don Green, the originator of the Rat Trap, built the original supercharged, nitromethane-fueled Chrysler 392 engine, and built the current Chrysler 392 engine. 2016 marked the 50th Anniversary of the Rat Trap.
“In the era before the appearance of the ‘Funny Car’ class, the Fuel Altereds were highly popular, and perhaps the most violently unpredictable cars in drag racing,” said Don Garlits, President and curator of the Museum. “The original ‘Rat Trap’ was a very popular car, and the reproduction does the original great justice, and it runs as good as it looks.”
During the course of its competition career in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the “Rat Trap” had some illustrious drivers including Gary Gablich, Frank Harris, Dan Collins and others.
Hope has built two other matching cars, all of which are active participants in the exhibition nostalgia match racing circuits in North America, Great Britain and Europe, plus Australia and New Zealand. The ”Rat Trap” competes with several other restored or reproduced AA/Fuel Altereds in the match races.
“We are very pleased to have the ‘Rat Trap’ at this year’s Induction Banquet,” said Donna Garlits, Chief Financial Officer and General Manager of the Garlits Museum. “It will create a strong reminder to the attendees about the legacy of the cars raced by the contemporaries of those honored with their induction into the Hall of Fame. Ron Hope, his wife Diane and family have been long-time friends of the Garlits family, and we’re very pleased to have them participating in this year’s dinner.”
In addition to racing the “Rat Trap,” Ron Hope and son Brian are very involved in the Land Speed Record community, competing with a modified sports racer.
Banquet tickets are available, but are moving briskly. The Corporate Tables for 10 people are priced at $1000 per table. Individual seating tickets are available at $100 each. Corporate table sponsors receive table signage, program recognition and other benefits.
The banquet is preceded by a cocktail reception which starts at 5:30 PM (Eastern). The banquet dinner will be served at 6:45 PM and the awards ceremony beginning at 8:00 PM.
The event will be filmed by Masters Entertainment of Bristol, Tenn. for MAVTV. The air date(s) and time(s) will be announced at a later date.
PHOTO CREDITS: Rat Trap burnout – Richard Brady Photography; Ron Hope – Rat Trap Racing
