JOHN DEFLORIAN TO RACE BLACK DIAMOND MOTORSPORTS 2012 CAMARO IN ADRL XPS

Courtesy of Black Diamond Motorsports

Fenton, MO – Long acknowledged as one of the most popular drivers in drag racing competition, John DeFlorian is making the move to the highly competitive Extreme Pro Stock Eliminator in the American Drag Racing League. After decades of remaining competitive in a variety of race cars despite often meager funding, DeFlorian has announced his association with one of the ADRL’s most innovative racing teams.

For the 2012 season, DeFlorian will campaign a radical new Extreme Pro Stock entry in conjunction with the Black Diamond Motorsportsoperation of current ADRL Extreme Pro Stock star Kevin Bealko. John will debut one of the first “new generation” 2012 Chevrolet Camaro Extreme Pro Stockers and will battle side-by-side with teammate Bealko’s already-proven 2011 Pontiac GXP.

Bealko, a coal mining entrepreneur from Bridgeport, West Virginia, has already made waves in 2011 with the first competitive modern Pro Stock entry to utilize an automatic transmission in a category previously populated with only manually-shifted race machines. His Pontiac GXP, constructed by Jerry Haas Race Cars, has also received awards for its magnificent paint scheme depicting the coal mining industry.

As the shop foreman at the renowned Jerry Haas Race Cars, DeFlorian was instrumental in the creation of Bealko’s unique GXP and the two struck a quick friendship. “John has been one of the keys to making our automatic Pro Stock a viable ADRL threat”, said Bealko, “and I can’t think of anybody I’d rather have for a teammate in what is a brutally tough division. The decision to combine our resources was an easy choice. John DeFlorian is one of the most knowledgeable individuals in our sport and it’s an honor to have him racing under the banner of Black Diamond Motorsports”.

DeFlorian has already started building his new 2012 Camaro at Jerry Haas Race Cars. A truly self-made racing champion, John’s remarkable career has been the subject of several features aired within the ADRL’s global television coverage. The St. Louis, Missouri, resident will employ state-of-the-art techniques in the construction of what is already anticipated to be one of the most technologically advanced vehicles ever designed for the ADRL’s wild Extreme Pro Stock division.

“Most people know me as a racer in the ADRL’s Pro Nitrous Eliminator”, said DeFlorian, “but my roots are actually in the Pro Stock category. The first car I ever designed for a professional class was a Ford Probe which I built for Pro Stock racing”. While DeFlorian secured an impressive reputation in a race car fabrication and driving career which has spanned three decades, he relishes the challenges which must be met to compete in Extreme Pro Stock, the planet’s only arena for naturally-aspirated, gasoline-burning, eight hundred cubic-inch late model production vehicles. Every North American automobile manufacturer is represented equally within the competition category.

“Joining forces with Kevin Bealko is huge”, admitted DeFlorian, “because we will have the ability to field two cars which are truly capable of winning the ADRL Extreme Pro Stock World Championship. Black Diamond Motorsports will spare no expense in procuring the best equipment and the talent needed to be in the thick of the competition. Just to qualify for an ADRL event is an accomplishment and to win elimination rounds takes a monumental effort. It’s not unusual for an ADRL Pro Stock field to include sixteen qualifiers separated by less than seventy thousandths of a second. Once we develop a competitive car, the pressure will be on me to perform at the top of my driving game, too”.

Both Black Diamond Motorsports entries will be equipped with 825 cubic-inch General Motors engines produced by Sonny Leonard Racing Engines of Lynchburg, Virginia. Long acknowledged as one of the giants in the creation of ADRL “mountain motor” Pro Stock powerplants, Leonard has vowed to supply the team with the 1,800 horsepower needed to reach the winner’s circle in ADRL racing. DeFlorian’s new Camaro will utilize a conventional clutch-equipped, four-speed transmission.

Barely able to contain his excitement, DeFlorian added, “With Sonny’s engines, Kevin’s direction and two of the best race cars in the class, I can’t wait to get back to Pro Stock racing. Smoky burnouts, launching off the starting line at 9,000 RPM and shifting three gears in four seconds at 180 miles per hour are all a part of the ADRL Extreme Pro Stock experience. To be involved in it all is a dream come true!”.

For more information on the Black Diamond Motorsports team, visit http://www.mindsciencemotorsports.com