ANNA MONICA / L’Observateur / March 8, 2000

Donnie’s new rear engine dragster won its first race in only its second time out in the IHRA Top Dragster category in the first race of the year 2000.

Can I repeat that? Probably not, because I don’t know very much about car racing of any kind. But this information was on the internet, and DonnieTorres of Reserve, driver and owner of Donnie’s Chevron in LaPlace, is one proud winner of that Hattiesburg, Miss., event!Undoubtedly Donnie would be glad to show anyone his new racing vehicle which is often at his station on Airline Highway. I remember the first time I saw itand wanted to know where the rest of it was. When Kendall and Mickeystarted to explain, I then had to know where, if anywhere, a person could sit in that lil’ bitty thing. Besides, where was the engine?Well, the engine was coming off Donnie’s previous racing Camaro, a basic looking stock production car. Donnie raced the Camaro for about seven yearsand with it won one race in Baton Rouge and placed in others, making a little prize money. His desire for racing cars took hold just after taking over theChevron station, and the Camaro was his first race car. With the help andsupport of family and friends he continued to race his Camaro until the beginning of 1999 when he hurt the engine and, being angry at himself, agreed just then to take an offer from a buyer.

Then came the Top Dragster, which can handle a quarter mile in 7.35seconds at 183 mph in contrast to the Camaro which did 8.48 at 162 mph. The Top Dragster was made by CRC Race Cars for Donnie and has the Camaro’s engine. It arrived in October 1999, is yet unpainted and has a longnose of 241 inches. For the uneducated about racing cars, like me, who tendto cringe at this kind of speed, keep in mind that every feature has taken safety into consideration.

When Donnie drives he is strapped into a three-layer racing suit, helmet, gloves, neck brace, special shoes and arm restraints. To me it sounds likesolitary confinement, but to Donnie its state-of-the art design for safety and comfort for racing. In the event of a mishap the car is designed to breakin half right behind the driver and in front of his feet so where the driver is would stay in one piece.

There are five more IHRA Divisional Point races coming up, spread over the year, about a month apart. Donnie’s next race is in Sealy, Texas, on April 1and 2 and the motivating factor for him to go on depends on how he finishes.

He drives in Division 4 of seven divisions. Each division will have its ownchampions in their certain classes, and Donnie is in the Top Dragster class.

In that class for the last race there were about 40 four cars and they had to run six rounds and win all six to be the big winner as Donnie was. This is partof the IHRA Divisional World Championship Series Races, and I feel real cool in repeating that.

Greg Passman, David Levatino and Robert Cool were together at the Hattiesburg event with Robert racing two of his own cars and getting to the second and fourth rounds before losing out.

Even though Lindy, Ashton, Morgan and Madison, Donnie’s wife, son and daughters are excited about his racing efforts, he doesn’t anticipate his future in racing. It is an expensive endeavor, so if there is ever to be asuccessor to the Top Dragster as the dragster was to the Camaro, not even Donnie knows.

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