Urs Erbacher

Team Name	Erbacher Drag Racing Team	Driver	Urs Erbacher
Home town	Basel	Country	Switzerland
Date of Birth	25th October 1961	Occupation	Runs Harley Custom Bike shop & Biker Bar
First started drag racing	1982	First raced Top Methanol	1989
Crew Chief	Urs Erbacher	Car Length	125"
Chassis built by	Dave Uyehara	Chassis updated by	Geof Hauser
Engine make	Brad Anderson TXF	Engine capacity	511 ci
Fuel System by	Brad & Randy Anderson	Cylinder heads	Brad Anderson Mk V fat heads
Six shooter		Air timer system
Supercharger	PSI	Clutch	Crower
Gearbox	B + J	Magneto(s)	MSD 44 Amp
Car weight	approx 2200 lbs	Data logger	Racepak
Body Type	Pontiac Firebird	Body bought from	Randy Anderson

Car bought from	Randy Anderson
Best Elapsed Time	5.694 seconds - Main Event, Santa Pod 2003
Best Top Speed	252.37 mph - Main Event, Santa Pod 2005
Crew	Horst Pauli, Patrick Kamber, Beat Weibel, Lucien Abt, Robert Brunner, Monika Irsigler, Robin Grice, Andrea Wucher
Events & Championships won	Hockenheim & European Finals 1999, Mantorp & European Finals 2002, FIA Championship 2003 & 2004, Main Event 2005
Sponsors	Quaker State, Techno Switzerland, PAD Delemont, Fitness Treff Niklaus, SCS Switzerland, Fat Attack Custom Bikes, Regofix Precision Tools, Switzerland
Comment	Monika (ex Peter Beck and Robin (ex Barry Sheavills) join the team this year. They are also running a Top Fuel Super Twin bike team for the first time in 2005
Profile	As you wander down the pits you may hear the sound of cow-bells and cheering that could almost be yodelling. It’s the Swiss fans supporting their hero, Top Methanol Funny Car driver Urs Erbacher, two-times FIA European Champion. Possibly the hardest class in which to be champion two years running. These cars want to go any which way but straight and are hard to get down a track. To have done so consistently better than any other team for two years straight is a tribute to the driver and the hard-working, dedicated team who range from IT specialist to farmer in their daytime jobs. Urs has two families - his wife Veronika and children India and Miles, and his race team. To say that they all show determination above and beyond the call of duty is an understatement. Motor sport has been very tightly controlled in Switzerland and until last year they had to leave the country to race their car. That changed in 2004 with a triumphant appearance at Turtmann, where they won even more trophies. The whole team have qualities that make them champions, with a spirit and purposefulness they get from Urs. You only have to look in his eyes to see the level of concentration, determination and single-mindedness that have made him a consistent winner. At the same time he’s a really nice guy. I’ve known Urs for 17 years and I can honestly say I like him and the way he approaches racing with the true spirit of competition. While he’s very determined to win he doesn’t allow it to change him. At the track he’s usually very modest and quietly spoken, letting his racing do most of the talking. Urs comes across as wanting to win fair and square on the track, not a ‘win at all costs’ type. His sponsors love him too because he has that bit of ‘showman’ and charisma in him that gives a great performance off the track. Urs started drag racing in 1982, switching to Top Methanol in 1989. He took to the driving seat of the Funny Car like a natural and hasn’t looked back since. He has held the FIA Championship title for the last 2 years, holds the FIA European TMFC record and several track records. He balances his success on the track with a successful business, Erbacher Fat Attack Custom Bikes, away from it. You may well see one of his creations in the team pit area. Producers of many acclaimed custom Harleys and components, this year the team are also racing a Super Twin Top Fuel bike for the first time. There’s a saying that “some people are born with a silver spoon in their mouth”. In the case of Urs Erbacher you would have to say it was methanol in the blood.