Speed-Crazy Prince Spends Millions in Bid to Dominate Sport
He is 22-year-old Sheik Khalid bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar, who offers both wealth and commitment to a sport in which the best-funded team often ends up on top. A drag-racing fanatic since age 12, Mr. Al-Thani has made a long-term commitment to the sport and is spending an estimated $10 million this year to support a team with the best cars, crew, equipment and research available.
In the highest levels of professional drag racing — where cars surpass 300 mph in less than four seconds — even the top drivers and team owners can spend endless time hunting for corporate sponsorship money. It costs at least $4 million a year to fund a top team, with expenses including everything from $70,000 Funny Car bodies to $2,500 per racing weekend for nitro-methane fuel to $140 for clutch discs, a couple of which need to be replaced nearly every time the cars speed down the track.
Come race day, while other crew chiefs are wolfing down barbecue pork sandwiches and hobnobbing with sponsors, Alan Johnson, the team's co-owner and chief engineer, sits in front of two 24-inch computer monitors in his sleek trailer, quietly crunching data as he enjoys a plate of deep red tuna sashimi the team chef had flown in from Chicago for $20 per pound. More at Wall Street Journal