IHRA: Tetsoshvili scores second in Pro Mod points

It was clear early on that no one was going to take the first IHRA Pro Modified championship away from Billy Harper and his black 2000 nitrous-injected Dodge Viper.

But in the 2016 points battle for the IHRA Drag Racing Series, Ruben Tetsoshvili came closest with his second-place finish, one spot up from his 2015 performance, which was also one spot ahead of Harper.

This year, constant teething problems with his lime-green Chevrolet Camaro often gave Tetsoshvili a hard time in getting all the way down the track. But he rose to the occasion last weekend at the Northern Nationals at US 131 Motorplex in Martin, Michigan.

His best run was 6.214 seconds at 223.66mph, but he lost in eliminations to eventual winner Billy Glidden. He set an IHRA world record with his top speed of 250.98mph en route to the victory, so there was no shame in getting beaten by the Billy Glidden.

"We made a lot of changes," Tetsoshvili said. "It's taking some time to get it all figured out."

He has been drag racing for 20 years, and this is his third in Pro Mod. Why that class?

"I like the rules," he said. "It keeps the teams in check. It's affordable, compared to some other classes."

Tetsoshvili said he has had cars that run in every "time zone," and as he wants to go quicker, it takes some convincing for his wife. "We raced a 14-second car, then I promised her I'd be happy with a 12-second car... obviously I wasn't."

So what's next if he can convince her – the IHRA's new Top Fuel class next year?

"Only if I can get some corporate sponsorship," he says, laughing. "That one's out of our price range!"