Mark Mariani to make return to Top Fuel

Second generation racer Mark Mariani will be making an exciting return to Top Fuel this year behind the wheel of the Mariani Family Motorsports dragster.

"It's always been a dream of mine to put together a Top Fuel operation and go racing with my dad Mario and all our family. Top Fuel drag racing is in our blood, going all the way back to the Castlereagh days," said Mark.

Mariani Family Motorsports has purchased a complete Top Fuel dragster from Darren Morgan Racing, the sister car to Darren's Championship winning car.

"Business is good," said Mark, "and now is the perfect time for us to get back into racing. We're starting from scratch and this year is all about preparing for the 2014 season."

"At the moment we have a new workshop under construction and we're looking into all the bits and pieces we need. We're going to do this right, take our time and make sure we've got all the boxes ticked to be consistent."

Having driven for Rapisarda Racing for 5 years, Mark is no stranger to Top Fuel and is looking forward to getting behind the wheel again. "We plan to take our time and not rush things. We will do some testing over the coming months with our aim to make the 2013 Australian Nationals at Sydney Dragway in November our first event."

"I've got a team of blokes ready to come and help us with the car. Some are experienced while for others this will be their first taste of Top Fuel racing, "said Mark. "It's great to have Darren Morgan and Ben Patterson on-board and we'll be taking their advice with my dad Mario responsible for the tuning."

With only 9 months away from the new season, Mark, Mario and the team at Mariani Family Motorsports have a lot to do in a fairly short space of time.

While the operation set up is being supported by the family businesses, TransLock and ManageMate, corporate sponsors are required for the team to compete at all the Championship rounds in 2014. Interested parties are encouraged to contact Mark (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) to discuss the team's unique and engaging marketing opportunities.

Stayed tuned for more updates as the team prepares for their assault of the 2014 Championship.