Rough-N-Ready Racing made the perfect start to the 2022 California Independent Funny Car Association season competing at the Famoso Dragstrip in Bakersfield at the weekend.

The Bermudian-owned amateur drag racing syndicate won the 7.0 Pro Class title for the first time at the season opening Good Vibrations Motorsports March Meet with driver Tony Trimp behind the wheel of their 1965 Mustang GT funny car.

It was a feat team member Jacqueline Williams said exceeded expectations.

“We weren’t expecting to take the win but we ended up taking victory with a 7.01 at 171mph,” she told The Royal Gazette. “After watching the win light come on at the end of the track, the Williams family and team definitely broke out in tears knowing that this would be our first-ever March Meet win.

“Harvey Williams Jr [sibling and team owner] always said that if we ever won this race it would be the best thing ever to happen to Rough-N-Ready Racing.

“We are looking forward to a positive and persevering season.”

The win was an emotional one for the team as it came on the eve of the first-year anniversary of the death of Williams’s father, Harvey Sr.

“It is often said that the very first win is a special one,” Williams added.

“In our case this one was more special than our other victories in the past, considering that our father Harvey Williams Sr had passed away a year today [yesterday].

“It really showed our true colours of who we are and that the perseverance that comes from the team.”

Williams said tuning the car in the weather conditions was the team’s biggest challenge.

“To say the least, the conditions were against us,” she said. “Somehow on every run that we made to get to the finals we were consistent with the mph and time.

“The first and second round was our toughest rounds due to our competitors being right on the money with running a 7.006 to our 7.007.

“We ended up getting a bye in the semi-finals, which would give us a pass to the finals without running another team.”

Trimp secured the team’s maiden title at the event after beating rival driver Derrick Moreira in the final.

To date, Rough-N-Ready Racing have won the CIFCA Championship series on three occasions and finished runners up last year.