Jean Dulamon treats himself to a double championship tour
Living in the very south of France, Jean Dulamon is probably the driver who has to travel the most miles of all competitors to attend races. This season the Frenchman might reset records as he will complete a double programme, the Motorsport UK Pro Modified Championship and, for the first time, the full FIA European Pro Modified Championship tour.
You only live once and you only turn 65 years old once. “Yes, I’ll be 65 years old this year and it’s my 35th season in drag racing. As a birthday present to myself, my intention is to do the Motorsport UK Pro Modified Championship and the FIA European Pro Modified Championship as well,” said Dulamon. For many years, the Frenchman is a regular competitor in the Motorsport UK Championship, attending almost all races every year. Dulamon also attended the FIA European Championship races at Hockenheim and even Tierp Arena, but never all in one season.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, 2024 will be the first season Dulamon will do the full FIA tour. “My crew members are all volunteers, so the Tierp event in June might be a problem as some of them have other obligations. But we’ll have to see. My goal is always to win, but I don’t put any pressure on myself, having fun is far more important.”
After several years with all sorts of problems, Dulamon made big steps in the last couple of years with his Tim McAmis built Bad Apples ’68 Chevrolet Camaro with the huge 908 ci Reher-Morrison nitrous engine. Five-second runs are quite normal now and with personal bests of 5.91 seconds at 242 mph, the Frenchman can easily surprise the frontrunners in the championship. Dulamon is ready for the next step. “At The Main Event Brad Morgan from Reher-Morrison Racing Engines will be with our team for advice and assistance. I’m really looking forward to that.”
And when talking about ‘barring unforeseen circumstances’, The Festival of Power ended in a way Dulamon didn’t want to see at all. After recording a great 5.95 seconds on the Friday, something went wrong in the burn out of the first run on the Saturday. The Camaro went sideways and touched the wall, damaging the front of the car. But one thing is for sure, Dulamon has overcome far bigger problems and he will be back at Santa Pod for The Main Event and many more races to come.
Text and photos: Remco Scheelings
