Dirt
New Beginnings
Sweeping upgrades have
Valerie Clements excited
about 2020 season
By Craig Cook
V
28 | D r a g
I l l u s t r a t e d | DragIllustrated.com
alerie Clements may have taken
a short hiatus from drag racing, but
the Ultra Street and NMRA Ren-
egade competitor is planning to turn
everything up a notch in 2020, making numerous
changes both on and off the track.
The time away occurred due to a number of
events in Clements’ personal life, including get-
ting engaged to fellow racer George Farkouh,
and moving from South Carolina to New Jersey.
“I met my fiancé through racing,” Clements
recalls. “We bought a house together, and we’re
getting married this year. So we took about a
year of time where we lightly raced, maybe once
or twice.”
Now, with help from Farkouh, his father Farid,
and their Farks Supercars shop, Clements is mak-
ing massive changes to her 2005 Mustang GT.
The most noticeable upgrade is the switch from a
365ci cast iron small-block Ford to a brand-new
427ci SBF built by DiSomma Racing Engines.
The new bullet features a Shelby-style alumi-
num block, equipped with new American Racing
Headers and a F1A-94 ProCharger. The team is
also front-halving the car, complete with a chro-
moly tubing front end, and replacing the factory
hood and front bumper with carbon fiber ones.
Clements believes they’ve already exceeded their
goal of shedding 150-200 lbs.
“We’re upgrading the car all around – chas-
sis, engine, converter, shocks,” Clements says.
“Before, my car always wheelied because we
didn’t have the weight exactly where we wanted
it. Now with all of the upgrades, we’ll be able to
put weight where we want and really fine tune
the car. My car has always had power, but when
you wheelie, that’s just wasted momentum in the
wrong direction.”
The vast array of upgrades is a new experience
Issue 155