History Happens at ‘House of Hook’
Words and photos by Ian Tocher
11/22/06
urprisingly little cheering went up Nov. 12, when the scoreboard flashed a record-shattering 4.367 at 172.07 mph as Tim Lynch and his twin-turbocharged Proline Racing ’02 Mustang scored the ORSCA Outlaw 10.5 win at Carolina Dragway. Instead, dropped jaws prevailed amid an air of awe and disbelief, with many later confessing to not even noticing the very respectable 4.48 posted by Jack Barfield in the right lane.
“We’ve known the car had the power and the capability to run these numbers. It’s just been getting everything together at the same time, track conditions included, to make it work,” Lynch said after earning his first ORSCA points race title. “I didn’t think the car could go that fast, to be honest. It’s just that this track is that tight and the turbos love this cool air. It all worked out together.”
Putting the pass into perspective, ORSCA’s eighth-mile E.T. record heading into its final event of the 2006 season was a 4.49 set last year at Huntsville, AL. That mark was officially eclipsed three times at the “House of Hook”—by number-one qualifier Tony Johnson, new ORSCA champ Steve Kirk Jr., and Lynch—before the Woodstock, GA-based “Lynch Mob” went to work in eliminations.
After qualifying third with a 4.467-seconds effort at 174.03 mph (a new ORSCA speed record), Lynch enjoyed a bye in the opening round, then easily handled Darrell Morgan in round two before making history with the first-ever run in the .30s for an Outlaw 10.5 car with a 4.394-seconds win over Mike Hill.
The stage is set for history in the making as Tim Lynch (near lane) and Jack Barfield stage for the ORSCA Outlaw 10.5 final at Carolina Dragway. |
With a twin-turbo Proline Racing Engines 604 big-block Ford motivating his ’02 Mustang and Mickey Thompsons providing the traction out back, Tim Lynch powered to the race win and into the record books with a 4.36-seconds pass in the final round of ORSCA Outlaw 10.5 action this season. |
