67-Year-Old Grandpa Is a Top Level 1/4-Mile Racer in His 1,500 HP Mustang

Over the past 15 years, I've interacted with thousands of race drivers across the globe. I've seen kids competing as soon as they turned five, and I've also witnessed professional drifters winning championships at age 55. Of course, younger athletes always have the upper hand in some parts of the game. But more often than not, they have to compete with older drivers' experience and financial stability.

Concerning my recent drag racing experience, I sought some of the most impressive driver and car combos. I've shown you the world's fastest AWD VW down the 1/4-mile. And I have also talked about the 3,000 horsepower Chevrolet Camaro "Predator" from Hungary and the 1,183 horsepower Camaro SS from Switzerland. Still, I have quite a few more stories in store for you, and this is one of them.

You might have seen our Burnout Compilation video recently, and inside, you will notice quite a special-looking Fox Body Mustang. When I saw a big turbo protruding through the hood, I realized this machine would put down a solid run. Turbocharging a V8 leads to a magnificent sound, especially when everyone else around seems to be running the same naturally-aspirated setup.

As I was looking for the owner of the Fox Body, I realized that the man sitting next to the car was a legend in the drag racing community. Grzegorz Staszewski is the mastermind behind a company and racing team called VTG. I had seen him in action before, more than a decade ago, when he was still racing a Chevrolet Corvette C3. With a turbocharged AWD setup, he is still the fastest drag racer in Poland.

It took me 30 years to start drag racing

His best ET is 7.545 seconds with a trap speed of 173 mph (279 kph). And no other driver from his country has managed to break this record since 2017. I asked him if he knew anything about the driver of the Fox Body, and he pointed toward Zbigniew Brach, an elderly gentleman with a look of complete determination on his face. With his racing suit half-unzipped and wrapped around his waist, there was a special aura about him from the very first moment we started talking.

We were so caught up in talking about the car that I forgot to ask him more about himself. I followed up with an email after the race, and I was astounded to learn that he was also competing in the European Table Tennis Championship. Right now, I can't think of any other 67-year-old person successfully competing in two different sports simultaneously. Can you? While I know that Chris Karamesines managed to do a 305-mph (490 kph) pass at 86, Zbigniew is one of the fastest granddads on Planet Earth. And I can only hope I'll still be able to drive fast cars when I am his age.

I wanted to learn more about his racing antics, and I wasn't disappointed. "I liked fast cars since my early youth, but I could only afford one after college. Working as a construction manager and house designer helped me buy an FSO Syrena 102 (a Polish-built car from the '60s) in 1980. But it took me another 30 years from that moment for my racing career to begin. My first drag race happened in 2010; I had a Nissan GT-R, which could run the 1/4-mile in 12.5 seconds."

"Of course, I wanted to become faster, and after a few years and an HKS GT800 kit later, my best ET was 9.767. It was the Polish Street AWD record at the time. I won the Polish Grand Prix for three years in a row between 2015 to 2017." Describing his car, he mentioned his close collaboration with VTG, to whom he attributes a big part of his racing success.

Drag racing teaches humility

"The Mustang has a 7.0-liter V8 inside, a 91 mm Precision turbo, and everything required for a sturdy 2,000 horsepower output. Still, I'm only using it at about 1,500 horsepower, which was good enough for an 8,195-second pass and a trap speed of 173 mph. It's currently the second-fastest RWD car in Poland."

During his recent outing at Kiskunlachaza, Zbigniew only managed to go as fast as 8.3 seconds down the 1/4-mile. He was one of the few drivers to go up against Zoltan Kohari's beast of a Camaro, and we'd certainly like to see a re-run of this battle once the Polish driver turns up the boost all the way. But he was so close to obliterating his former record, as he believes he could have extracted a 7.8-second pass.

A sudden loss of grip halfway through the run almost led to disaster, but upon opening the parachute, he recovered without a scratch. I asked the 67-year-old about his plans for the future, and it's clear that he aims to join the 7-seconds club soon. He will still be driving the Fox Body in 2024, and his eyes are set on a 7.834-second pass, making him the fastest RWD driver in Poland. As with all the drivers I've interviewed in Hungary, I was curious about two more things when talking to Zbigniew.

First, I wanted to know how he perceives the evolution of the sport throughout the past decade or so, and secondly, I asked for advice that would help a newcomer to succeed in this sport. "In recent years, I have seen clear progress in the drag racing scene. Just by looking at the situation in Poland, seven or eight cars in the RWD class can easily run the 1/4-mile in eight seconds, which is evident progress."

"Looking toward the future, say 2030, it's difficult to say. But considering the electrification trend, drag racing as we know it today will not likely continue to develop. But of course, I'd like to be wrong about that. As for my advice to younger drivers: try to experience this sport as soon as you can buy any car. Drag racing teaches humility on the road or track while allowing the driver to improve his skills."

"The things you'll learn at the racetrack can also be useful when driving down a public road." I don't know about you, but I'm more and more tempted to see how my car can handle this sport as soon as I get it back online. I don't think I'll ever get to an "I live my life a 1/4-mile at a time" level, but it's always nice to see where you stand after so many years of building up a project car. We will be keeping a close eye on Zibi and his racing antics, and we sure hope he can dip below the 8-second mark sometime soon. We'll report back once we get word of the big news!