Rickie Smith has never shied away from challenges.This one has been waiting since March, but Smith is just now getting the chance to tackle it.As expected, the Pro Nitrous legend is chomping at the bit.Smith’s latest trick will include driving a brand new ‘69 Camaro in the Pro Extreme class of the Arabian Drag Racing League.Smith will debut the new car on Thursday for the start of the eight-race season and “Trickie” is excited with what lies ahead.“It’s going to be different, that’s for sure,” Smith said. “We’ll have to see where this all goes. It’s going to be different. “I’m used to running 194-195 miles per hour and I’m going to be going 204 or 205 in this thing. That’s a major move.”But it’s not one Smith or his Bahrain Racing team is backing down from.The PX Camaro was built by Jerry Bickel Race Cars and he said that Bahrain Racing made plans to have Smith, who finished atop the 2010 points standings in Pro Nitrous in the American Drag Racing League (ADRL), drive the car in Qatar as far back as March.”(Bahrain Racing) wanted me to bring my nitrous car, but they built the (PX) car and they planned for me to drive it all along,” Smith said. “They wanted me to concentrate on that and that’s fine with me.“It’s going to be a different challenge, but I’m up for it and we’ll see what happens.”What makes this all even more interesting is that Smith estimates he has less than 10 passes in a Pro Extreme car in his racing career.That will make for a steep learning curve in Qatar, especially considering Smith’s first time down the track in the car will be just two days before a three-race stretch on consecutive weeks (Dec. 2-3, Dec. 9-10, Dec. 16-17).“It’s going to be a chore to get everything done,” Smith said. “We’ll really get after it Wednesday and hopefully we can do well.“If we can get through that first race, get some points and get some data, we’ll be in good shape. We’ll have the weekend and that whole week after that, so the biggest thing is just getting through this first race.”Rick Hickman will be working on the motor for the PX car, while Smith will focus on the driving and the suspension.The longtime racing legend will surely get the hang of the Pro Extreme car quickly and should provide plenty of highlights for a Bahrain Racing team that also includes PX standout Joshua Hernandez.“Hopefully we will do well,” Smith said.As for Pro Nitrous, Smith won’t be running in the class in Qatar.But he will be plenty busy in the Pro Nitrous division. He will be tuning a brand new nitrous car that has never even been tested, meaning Smith won’t have much free time overseas.“I’ll be calling the shots for that car,” Smith said. “I’ll be busy, but that’s okay.”As for 2011, Smith isn’t sure what direction - or what class - he will choose.After winning three straight ADRL races in 2010 and finishing as the points leader, he hinted at retirement.But that doesn’t seem to be the likely destination for the ultra-competitive Smith.“I’ll talk to (Bahrain Racing) and see, but I’m looking at a couple different things,” Smith said. “I put an automatic in my (PN) car and I liked it. “We’ll see what happens.”
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Latest Trick For Smith Is Driving Pro Extreme Car In Qatar
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