The Madman Raises The Bar: Runs Insane 3.529 In Qatar Test

Frankie “The Madman” Taylor laid down the gauntlet in testing at the Qatar Race Club on Tuesday ahead of this week’s third round of the Arabian Drag Racing League series, carding what is unofficially the quickest 1/8 mile doorslammer run ever with a 3.529-second blast at 213.50 mph in his supercharged Pro Extreme Corvette.

This winters’ Arabian series has been a back-and-forth, seesaw performance battle in the Pro Extreme category between Taylor and the formidable Al-Anabi camp and its drivers, Alex Hossler and Von Smith, and their shots have literally been heard ’round the world.

Despite Taylor’s status as one of the premier doorslammer racers in the world, the good ‘ole boy from Texas, his crew chief and brother Paul Taylor, and their family-run team represent a stark contrast from the well-funded Al-Anabi pit that boasts the best equipment money can buy and arguably the best blown alcohol racer/tuner the sport has ever seen in Frank Manzo. Of course, Smith’s crew chief, Howard Moon is no slouch, either.

Just a week and a half ago, Hossler ripped off the quickest pass in doorslammer drag racing history — and did it in the quickest side-by-side race in history — when he edged out Smith in the final round of Pro Extreme, 3.534 to 3.555. A week later, Taylor found himself back on top, scoring a win in round three of the championship over a wounded Hossler, despite Hossler scoring low elapsed time of the race (but not bettering his elapsed time record).

But as has been the case all winter long at the Qatar facility, records are short-lived and ripe for the picking, and although it still stands, it would be a hard bet to say that .53 stands when everyone packs up in a couple of weeks to head back stateside, as indicated by Taylor’s monster run in testing.

For those keeping score, The Madman was .897 to sixty feet and 2.375 to half track. A little math reveals a 1.154-second back half split, which is stupid-quick for any vehicle.