Special Section
SITTING BETWEEN THE FLEX PLATE AND BELLHOUSING IN RANDY WEATHERFORD’S WS CONSTRUCTION ’69 CAMARO IS THE
LEANDERS CLUTCH, A PRODUCT DEVELOPED BY SWEDISH ALCOHOL FUNNY CAR CHAMPIONS ULF AND JORGEN LEANDERS. SOME
TECHNICAL MINDS IN THE EIGHTH-MILE DOORSLAMMER RACING WORLD MIGHT SEE THE CLUTCH AS AN OUTDATED PIECE OF
TECHNOLOGY IN A TIME WHEN THE QUICK-REACTING LOCKUP CONVERTER IS TOO TEMPTING TO IGNORE, EVEN FOR THE MOST
DIEHARD CLUTCH ADVOCATES. WEATHERFORD FINDS HIMSELF ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THAT ARGUMENT, THOUGH, AS HE
BELIEVES THE CLUTCH IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST REASONS BEHIND HIS RECENT SUCCESS IN SWITZER DYNAMICS PRO NITROUS
PRESENTED BY MOTEC.
“There needs to be diversity in this
class – clutches, torque converters,
whatever – to make the sport
advance and not be bogged down
by one combination,” Weatherford
says. “I think with the combination
we’ve got, we’re kind of making the
sport advance.