After Pete Ashworth's Outlaw-Anglia appearance in Hal Far way back in November 2005, local drag racing enthusiasts are in for a similar treat this weekend with the presence of Mark Pointer and his Ford Fordson van at the Raceway for a Malta Drag Racing Association (MDRA) racing series.
"This debut will launch my adventure in the Maltese drag racing scene," Pointer said as soon as he popped in at the Raceway a couple of weeks ago for a familiarisation visit.
His statement looks very encouraging for local motorsport, seeing also that Ashworth's Ford Pop will also be racing in Malta on a regular basis as from this season.
The success achieved in his Ford Fordson has made of Pointer a hard and competitive racer. He took part in several races of a certain calibre, such as FIA European Events and he is also a regular in the UK Outlaw-Anglia Championships.
Pointer is known for his spectacular burnouts, which he performs in most of his appearances.
The Ford Fordson is classified as an Outlaw-Anglia. However, due to the high level of performance and also for the way the van is assembled, it is also grouped among Doorslammers and Pro-Modifieds.
In 2005, the van was built and designed by B&H Autokraft, of Doncaster, England. Later on it was modified by renowned chassis builder John Webster, of Webster Race Engineering. The chassis is made of Chrome-molly and is tagged to run unlimited elapsed times.
The van is powered by a Chevy 540 Big Block, having a Dart cast iron block and PRO 1 alloy heads. Complimenting this piece of engineering is a Callies Billet crankshaft, alloy connecting rods and JE pistons.
The most attractive part of the engine is the F3 Pro-Charger. Apart from the fact that it occupies most of the front section of the engine, this supercharger multiplies the engine's power and plays an important part in clocking very fast runs.
Such a combination of chassis and engineering helped Pointer cover the quarter mile in just nine seconds in 2005. During that same year, Pointer listed his name as the driver on the fastest Anglia in Europe with an impressive 7.41 seconds following a 186mph run.
Pointer is now embarking on a new chapter in his racing career. His plans are to race in Malta this month. Should everything go as planned, he intends to visit the islands more regularly.
"Malta is a reborn heaven," he said.
"It gives you strength, on top of which, the drag strip is great for some good racing... the weather in Malta is ideal for our sport."
Pointer never wanted to race for honours or trophy presentations, he loves driving... racing is his passion.
"Although I always drive consistently well and even set international records, I never run for direct competition or winning certain races," he said.
"I race for myself, for the team that makes it possible and for my personal pride. I haven't won anything really, as I always participate in classes that suit my outlooks. I love driving my van, that has always been enough and more than rewarding."