2003 FIA European Top Alcohol Dragster and MSA British Drag Racing Champion Dave Wilson and the American Car Imports Racing team will be competing at this weekend's Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals.

The team competed last weekend at the Division 7 Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series event at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway where they finished ninth of 22 entrants and missed the show by one spot despite running two 5.51s at close to 260 mph.

The team will remain in the United States through May 2004, competing at as many national and divisional events as possible until May next year. They will then return to Europe to defend their 2003 European Championship, according to Team Principal Anthony Cohen.

With a best time of 5.44 at 261mph, American Car Imports Racing entry is a 2003 Hadman chassis powered by Brad Anderson blocks and a PSI blower. The team has more than 18 sponsors, including Playstation and many non-automotive European sponsors. They have also signed a deal with Sean Hyland Motorsports for the American campaign. ACI Racing has a comprehensive website at www.americancarimportsracing.com where their team performance and car details can be viewed.

American Car Imports is the leading independent importer of new American vehicles in Europe and views drag racing as the Formula 1 of the American car scene. By featuring the new 500-horsepower Dodge Ram SRT10 on the side of their dragster, ACI are trying to promote the link between drag racing and the use of new American performance vehicles on dragstrips in Europe. To reinforce this message, American Car Imports has been the major sponsor of Top Fuel, Pro Stock and Alcohol shows for the FIA European Drag Racing Championship on TV. They are also a main sponsor of the European Drag Racing website, www.eurodragster.com, in addition to being a track sponsor of Santa Pod, the United Kingdom's most renowned dragstrip

Wilson, Cohen, crew chief Andy Bissett, and the ACI team are under no illusions about what will be required in Pomona this weekend as well as the rest of their US tour. "

We are expecting very stiff competition", said Cohen. "There will be 25 Top Alcohol Dragsters in the field and you will probably need to run a 5.4 to qualify; but we have already done that five times in Europe -- the most by any European team -- so we have a good chance. We're here to run at our best and to remind our American friends that drag racing is a truly international motorsport with very fast times being run outside the U.S. We would love it if one or two top teams came over to race us in Europe; we shall have to see. Whatever happens, we will do our very best to represent European drag racing while we are over here."