MARK MICKE
BETWEEN DRAG RADIAL EVENTS WITH THE
MALIBU AND NHRA PRO MOD AND PDRA RACES
FOR CUSTOMER SUPPORT, 2019 IS SHAPING UP
TO BE A BUSY SEASON FOR MICKE AND M&M
TRANSMISSION. “I THINK IT’S GOING TO BE A KILLER
YEAR FOR US ALL THE WAY AROUND,” MICKE SAYS.
engine, but also for serving as a mentor of sorts.
“I’ve learned a ton of stuff from Bill on how the
engine works and the dynamics inside with the
fuel curve and compression ratios,” Micke adds.
“Bill has helped us immensely. That was a huge
turnaround in our program when we got with
him. He’s kind of taken us under his wing and
really helped us get a handle on what we’re doing.”
Continuing the topic of innovative perfor-
mance partners, Micke brings up the time when
he first synced up with FuelTech. Going into
Lights Out a few years ago, Micke was strug-
gling with the switch to methanol. The Malibu
showed up to Valdosta with, as Micke puts it, “no
engine in it, no fuel system, no anything.” The
decision had been made to install FuelTech’s
FT500 EFI system. “We actually got a FuelTech
system, installed it at the track and rewired the
whole car. Those guys came over and helped us
with tuneups and we went out and ran a ca-
reer-best ET and speed,” Micke says. “They’ve
been a good company to keep us going on the
straight and narrow.”
Finally, in the rundown of manufacturers
influencing the Malibu’s performance is M&M
Transmission itself. The Malibu uses one of
M&M’s Turbo 400 transmissions, its lock-up
torque converter and shifter. The combination
has proven itself to be hard to beat. “We expect
to be the best,” Micke says. “We feel we are the
best in the transmission and torque converter
game. That’s all we’ll settle for.”
Micke is set on making 2019 his best season
yet in racing and business. On the business side,
he wants to expand his customer base in the
Pro Mod world while continuing to serve his
existing clientele. Lead transmission guru Troy
Williams will provide technical support out of
Michael Biehle’s trailer at all 12 races on the
NHRA Pro Mod tour, while M&M will also send
their support truck to PDRA events, all three of
Donald Long’s small-tire races, Tyler Crossnoe’s
Outlaw Street Car Reunion (OSCR) in Bowling
Green, Kentucky, and some Mid-West Pro Mod
Series races.
“I think this is going to be one of our bigger
years,” Micke says. “We really would love to get
another NHRA championship in Pro Mod. Same
in PDRA. We’ve got solid players in all the classes
over there. I think it’s going to be a killer year for
us all the way around.”
As for the Malibu, Micke and Carter will hit
a smaller schedule of radial races, choosing to
focus on major events like Lights Out, Sweet
16, OSCR, No Mercy, and likely the Shakedown
Nationals at its new home, Virginia Motorsports
Park. The decision came down to fielding the
Malibu at races with favorable weather con-
ditions and track prep. Plus, the maintenance
routine required to run 3.60s and 3.70s – and
maybe even a 3.50 – has made it impractical
to run the car more than 10-12 times per year
like they did in 2013 when Micke unloaded the
car at 18 races.
“These cars just eat parts like crazy,” Micke says.
“When that car comes home from a race, we ba-
sically rebuild the whole car it seems like. You’re
going through the motor, transmission, torque
converter, suspension, shocks, struts – everything
on the race car, every race.”
But that’s exactly what it takes to perform at the
top of the Radial vs. the World game. If nothing
else, Micke and Carter have proven that such a
dedication to excellence at the shop and in the
pits will inevitably pay off on the racetrack.
“That’s the beauty of drag racing: it’s a result-driv-
en sport,” Micke says. “There’s no subjectives or
anything. You either win or you lose, period.”
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