The local attraction was Santa Pod Raceway, and elder daughter
Paige, then eight, liked what she saw, so much so that she badgered her
parents to go back for more. Despite having no interest or background in motorsport, Andy and
Dionne relented. Before they
knew it, Paige was entreating them to buy her a tuition session in Santa
Pod’s Junior Dragster and, soon enough, the birthday treat came her
way.
The trouble with such gifts is, they don’t always satisfy the
appetite. Sometimes they
merely whet it. And so it came to pass, late in 2009, that Andy Wheeler – who
had never once imagined himself a race team boss – found himself proud
owner of a Junior Dragster and all that accompanies it, and nervous father
to a precious daughter risking life and limb at the
controls.
As an Alamo Rent A Car executive, Andy felt the company would
be a fine choice as a marketing partner, and the company agreed. While Paige began learning the
competitive ropes on-track during 2010, Alamo initiated sponsorship
arrangements with Santa Pod and Eurodragster.com and launched a programme
of increasingly attractive rental car discounts for the drag racing
community worldwide.
And that’s just the start.
At September’s European Finals, Paige was introduced to Melanie
Troxel for a newspaper article (“local beginner meets American
superstar”). A bond was
forged. Then, to cap a perfect weekend, Paige went ahead and won the race,
her first Junior Dragster victory.
Seven weeks later, the Wheeler family and a couple of team
colleagues arrived in Las Vegas as guests of Melanie and R2B2 Racing’s
media manager, Rob Geiger, to attend the NHRA season’s penultimate
race. Paige even found
herself ensconced alongside NHRA’s biggest stars at the pre-race FanFest,
signing autographs for all she was
worth.
Sportsman driver in the Spotlight:
PAIGE WHEELER
Junior Dragster
PAIGE WHEELER
Junior Dragster
You just can’t tell what life has in
store…
When the Wheeler family – Andy and Dionne, newly settled in Wellingborough with young daughters Paige and Belle – decided to spend the day at a local visitor attraction, they never dreamt where it would lead.
When the Wheeler family – Andy and Dionne, newly settled in Wellingborough with young daughters Paige and Belle – decided to spend the day at a local visitor attraction, they never dreamt where it would lead.
Paige Wheeler
This March, Paige and Andy travelled to Florida to join Melanie and the R2B2 team at NHRA’s Gatornationals. And to their surprise and delight, “join” turned out to be a literal term when R2B2 owner Roger Burgess invited them to become team members and fly the R2B2 flag across the Atlantic. Now Melanie Troxel, Raymond Commisso, Brad Personett and Burgess himself can genuinely claim to be teammates of Paige Wheeler.
Will 2011 continue to be as momentous? A new, more powerful Junior Dragster awaits as Paige turns 13 and moves into the older age category, and plans are in train to buy another car in America for her to race there. And sister Belle has her eyes on the driving seat Paige has just vacated.
The moral of this story is: be careful when you take your kids out for the day. You never know what might come of it.
Paige with her R2B2 team mates Melanie Troxel and Bob Frey. Troxel pilots in both Funny Car and Pro Mod 2011
Text by Robin Jackson based on an interview with the Wheeler family - don´t miss the R2B2 press relase about Paige below!
Paige in action at Santa Pod Raceway Championship venue which is also Paige´s home track
BELOW FOLLOWS THE OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE ISSUED BY THE R2B2 TEAM ON APRIL 11th 2011:
Multi-car team owner Roger Burgess is taking steps to secure
the future of his R2B2 drag racing team by signing 12-year-old Junior
Dragster sensation Paige Wheeler of Wellingborough,
England.
Wheeler first came to prominence in her inaugural race last
year, the Easter Thunderball at Santa Pod Raceway in England, where she
raced her Alamo Rent-A-Car dragster to a semifinal finish. A few months
later, Wheeler met and befriended R2B2 pro Melanie Troxel, who was racing
in the FIA European Finals at Santa Pod. With Troxel's signature on the
top of her racecar, Wheeler went on to win that event, and celebrated the
occasion by accepting Troxel's invitation to attend the NHRA National
event in Las Vegas in late October.
It was there that Wheeler was introduced to Burgess, who
offered her a chance to join his six-car team in time for her to compete
in this year's United Kingdom Championship Series.
"This is a fantastic opportunity," Wheeler said. "I keep
pinching myself. Melanie has been my idol since I first discovered drag
racing and it was such a thrill just to meet her. To think that I'm
teammates with her now is hard to believe. I'm absolutely over the moon at
the moment.
"I will do my very best to represent R2B2 Racing in the U.K.
and Europe. Mr. Burgess puts forth the utmost in everything he does and I
want to show off his team at a top level. The R2B2 motto is 'Uno Alla
Volta' -- One at a Time -- and that's how we plan to race the
season."
Wheeler will carry R2B2 branding on her Alamo dragster
beginning immediately. She plans to race all events in the United Kingdom
Championship Series as well as the NHRA Junior Drag Racing League Eastern
Conference Finals, which are scheduled for July 28-30 at Bristol Dragway
in Bristol, Tenn. She also may enter any other races she can manage to
attend while in the United States, pending her school schedule.
Additionally, Wheeler will represent R2B2 Racing at numerous car shows and
exhibits.
"We welcome Paige and her parents Andy and Dionne to our
family," Burgess said. "She's such a delightful young lady and I'm
extremely confident she'll be a championship drag racer and a wonderful
spokesperson for our team, both in Europe and here in the United States
when her schedule allows.
"She reminds me a lot of Melanie in that she has a quiet
intensity about her, and as we all saw at Santa Pod, she knows how to win.
She's definitely R2B2 material."
When not in her dragster, Wheeler can be found cheerleading at
her local club and majorette troupe. She'll soon be joined on the strip by
younger sister Belle.
Text by Robin Jackson based on an interview with the Wheeler family
Official Press relase published by Geiger Media / Team R2B2
Photos provided by team Wheeler
This article is part of the Speedgroup Club Europe Newsletter #3/2011
www.speedgroup.eu
Published by Speedgroup www.speedgroup.eu
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