AL HANNA - DRIVER
HANNA MOTORSPORTS
“EASTERN RAIDER” JET FUNNY CAR/DRAGSTER
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
1966 Raced S/S B Ford Fairlane - timed in 10.8 second range (fastest in the Northeast).
1967 Purchased and campaigned the “Yankee Peddler” injected fuel funny car with partner Bill Flynn.
* 80% wins during season.
1968 Match raced “Yankee Peddler” - recorded as the East’s quickest and fastest blown fuel funny car.
1969 Match raced.
* Built the East Coast’s first flip top funny car (Dodge Charger)
* Held most track records in the East including Maple Grove.
1970 Match raced.
* Debut of the original “Eastern Raider” - named after the section of country and the Oakland Raiders football team.
1971 Match raced.
* Began building his first Ford funny car (Pinto) - originally built as an injected fuel funny car.
1972 Revamped injected car to blown fuel funny car.
* Campainged @ both regional & national events.
* Ran 44 states & 150 tracks.
* Won “Manufacturer’s Championship” @ OCIR in California.
1973 First major funny car crash occurred @ Maple Grove.
1974 Signed with Revell. Ran coast to coast schedule.
* Built 1st Mustang f/c with graphic design by Youngblood.
1974 - 1977 Ran nationally under the Revell All-Star Banner.
1975 Match raced.
1975 - 1976 * Raced as a member of the select “COCA-COLA Cavalcade of Stars” (a closed 8-car national touring funny car show).
1977 Match raced with new Ford Mustang.
1978 Match raced - formed partnership with wife, Ellen, named Pro-Race, Inc. and have raced under this name since.
1979 Match raced.
1980 * After building a new “first of it’s kind” funny car, was named NHRA New England Division’s most beautiful car.
* New car had consistant times in the 6.1’s and a best of 6.06.
* Only non-sponsored car to qualify at the “Summernationals”.
1981 Match raced.
* Wrecked car @ NED, rebuilt in 8 days and returned to NED to reset track record. 1 week later race car, truck, and trailer stolen and Al turned to jets.
1982 - 1990 Raced jet funny cars in exhibitions/competition and credited with many achievements/innovations in the category in areas of safety, professionalism and aero-dynamics. Set sights on being #1 in country.
1982 Received prestigious “Dodger Glenn Memorial Award”.
1987 Named to NHRA Tech Committee for jet cars to set jet rules.
1989 * Built top fuel dragster (chassis: Mike Kase). Tested.
1990 * Signed major sponsor with ADAP/ Auto Palace.
* Continued to campaign jet funny car with new high-tech, aero-dynamic Ford Thunderbird body.
* Leader in jet revolution.
* Won IHRA Jet Funny Car Championship.
* Career best of 5.852 @ 272mph
* 95% win record & numerous track records.
* First “All-AmericanJet Car Nationals” final (“curfewed” out).
1991 * Won the “All-American Jet Car Nationals” at Englishtown NJ.
* 98% winning record & set 21 new track records.
* Innovations included composite air inlet system (now used by all jet funny cars nationwide) & on-board computers.
- more -
* Quickest & fastest in history @ 5.67 280+ mph.
* Chosen to govern Projet Committee.
1992 * Renewed Auto Palace sponsorship and signed Pontiac Corp.
* New National Record of 5.601 @ 281mph.
* 99% win record.
* Developed mutiple stage afterburner system.
* Runner-up @ the “All-American Jet Car Nationals”, NJ.
1993
* Renewed Auto Palace/Pontiac sponsorships.
* Won the “All-American Jet Car Nationals”, NJ.
* Won the Diamond P taped “Projet Challenge of Fire” (The Tom Brown benefit race) held in OH.
* 98% winning record including all major jet races.
* Inducted into the Projet “Hall of Fame”.
* Voted Projet “Driver of the Year”.
* Entered the Projet “280 MPH Club”.
1994 * Renewed Auto Palace/Pontiac sponsorships.
* Created revolutionary “one-of-a-kind” jet funny car where the driver sits in front of the engine and has air ducts on either side of the cockpit like a jet fighter.
* Campaigned 2 car father-son jet funny car team.
* Center-drive car runs best of 5.92 @ 272 mph (a car that skeptics said would never even start).
* Continued work on a series for jet cars.
1995 * Renewed Auto Palace/Pontiac sponsorships.
* Match raced 2 car team nationwide.
* Designed and built a new track dryer for Lebanon Valley.
* Captured several track records with center-drive car.
* Ran best of 5.79 @ 279.67 mph (the second fastest jet funny car of the year following son Rich).
* Voted Projet “Person of the Year” for his continuing work on a jet series and television.
* Semi-final finish in the “ESPN Projet Nationals”.
1996 * Renewed Auto Palace/Pontiac sponsorships.
* Match raced 2 car father/son team nationwide.
* Designed and Built two new track dryers for NHIS.
*Ran a new best e.t. for center-drive car @ 5.77 seconds.* As a result of his continuing work on a t.v. series, Al debuted a new series on CBS sports - the innaugural “Ultra Teams Challenge” featuring jet funny cars and dragsters. This was the first time CBS covered drag racing in their history and the show was a success. * Voted Projet “Person of the Year” for his achievement with the CBS “Ultra Team” event.
1997 * Signed 2 yr. sponsorship with AUTOWORKS, a 140 store automotive parts chain in the mid-west.
* Debuted 3rd Team Car - “Eastern Raider” Jet Dragster - the highest technical jet dragster built in history.
* Winner - Canadian Jet Car Nationals - Sanair International Raceway - Montreal, Canada
* Team ran a record 70 match race events in 1997.
1998 * Fielded three car team
“Eastern Raider” Jet Firebird F/C
“First Strike” Jet Firebird F/C
“Eastern Raider” Jet Dragster

Signed Jessica Willard - 21 - to drive jet dragster

Total number of events - 70