Dirt
SCOTT PALMER
So what did Tommy Thompson see in you
and this team?
Times were tough and I had a bunch of worn-
out Top Fuel parts. I was just to the point where I
knew I had to step this up or just be content being
someone in the lanes. I didn’t have the parts to
run it any harder, but I had a chance to run the
Lucas Oil Top Fuel Hydro Series. I circulated my
parts through the boat and I kept buying better
stuff for the car. But the main thing was Tommy
Thompson walked down in the pits and talked to
me. He knew my story and we got to be real good
friends. Where everybody goes around asking
Tommy for money, I never did.
We’re just friends and I was just fighting my
fight, and I was content with that. One day he
just said, ‘We need to do something together.’ I
said no, initially, but he kept on me about it and
I never saw anyone want to race that bad. He’s
made it so much easier and nicer for us. None of
it is work for me. I tell him, ‘I’ll spend your money
like it’s my money.’ I don’t really have a budget,
but we’re learning how to win as we go. The car
runs good, but we’re learning.
You’re now a team capable of going rounds
and winning races. What’s that adjustment
been like?
It’s a whole new mindset. You have to turn your
mind around and say we want to win this race. It’s
hard when you qualify and not say, ‘Well, we did
it.’ Before, if you qualified the celebration was on
Saturday night. My rule this year has been to be
aggressive no matter what first round. It’s hard
to break that cycle of being conservative. But we
have to do that.
What’s the road been like to get to that point?
Blocking everything out is hard. If you’re me-
chanically involved on the car, I can’t block ev-
erything out. But I like that side of it, too, and I’m
not willing to give that up. Of course, Torrence
has helped us and we have guys helping us, but
we still have to do things on our own and I like
that part.
That’s the good thing about this deal. I want
to show everyone you can be a competitive Top
Fuel dragster and do it this way. I want to show
them you can still have a normal life and have
a Top Fuel car.
Is there piece of mind for you knowing you’ve
done things the right way?
I’ve just been lucky to meet the right people.
I’ve never asked anyone for money. I just meet
the right people and it just happens. I don’t think
it’s happened slowly. If you’re doing it the way I
had to do it, it happened pretty fast.
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Chip off
the Block
Jndia Erbacher follows in father’s
footsteps in FIA Top Fuel
By David Beitler
Your father has been racing for 30 years and
has won six European championships. How
does it feel to follow in his footsteps?
36 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
The particular footsteps are quite big. My
dad has raced in the U.S. and made himself a
name. Even today he gets recognized when he’s
walking the pits over there. And, of course, also
in Europe he has his fans. And one always reads
“daughter of the six-time champion.” This doesn’t
exactly put pressure on me, but I surely want
to make my dad proud. I want to show that I’m
the future generation.
But overall, I’m totally proud and look up to
him. He’s been my idol since I was a small kid.
And not just when it comes to racing, but also
Issue 146
J
ndia Erbacher has been involved
with drag racing from an early age. Her
father, Swiss custom motorcycle builder
and European drag racing ambassador
Urs Erbacher, has been active in the sport for
over 30 years. It seemed that it was just a mat-
ter of time before the daughter of the six-time
European champion would make the jump up
to Top Fuel too.
In 2016, Jndia successfully debuted in an A/
Fuel dragster at her home race in Hockenheim
and ended up fourth in the standings at the end
of the season. Only one year later, she made the
switch to Top Fuel, earned a runner-up finish and
ran well at Tierp Arena. In 2018, she landed a big
sponsorship deal and ran her first 3-second pass.
This year will mark the first time she’s going to
run the full European tour.
During the season-opening FIA Main Event at
Santa Pod Raceway in England, D rag I llustrateD
sat down with Erbacher to learn about her goals
for her assault on the 2019 season.