Matheson gets historic fourth Australian TF Motorcycle win

Damien Harris recorded the quickest ever time in the past nine years with a 4.443/335.32 mph qualifying pass.  (Jon Van Daal photo)

 

The 50th running of the IHRA Australian Winternationals at Willowbank Raceway last weekend was simply stunning. While Sunday was rained out, Saturday provided the best day of drag racing that our antipodes correspondent, Jon Van Daal, had ever witnessed since first attending races down under since 1970.

 

With probably the biggest ever one day crowd ever at the track it made for an outstanding atmosphere that even one American correspondent in attendance had never felt before. A massive 550 entrants faced the starter over three days of qualifying that saw most record personal bests while their Track Meters registered traction figures never before seen in Australian drag racing history.

 

This produced record breaking times including the quickest quarter mile times in the world over the last nine years with Rapisarda Motorsport International recording 4.44 and 4.48 quarter-mile Top Fuel times.

 

We’ll have a complete report on all the new IHRA Australian champions (Remember, it is winter in Australia) for you soon.  [06/12/17]

NDRL racers at Memphis for first wins

PRO Comp went to Glenn Lever with a narrow .007 MOV over Rod Beall.

 

The Nostalgia Drag Racing League make its first visit to Memphis International Raceway for the Rod and Custom Memphis Nationals.

 

Kenny Robinson got the PRO Gas win over John Treesh.

 

In PRO 7.5, with almost identical Reaction Times Bo Boles took the tree and carried that to the stripe to get the win over Jarrod Bradshaw. Billy Smith ran dead on the index to take the PRO 7.0 win over Gordon Horn.

 

Next stop for the NDRL will be July 14-16 at Summit Motorsports Park for the Blue Suede Cruise.  [06/12/17]

End of an Era: Carpenter parks ‘shoebox’ to debut ’68 Camaro

Charles Carpenter has been racing his ’55 Chevy shoebox in Pro Modified, but that iconic car will soon be replaced by a 1968 Camaro built by Jerry Bickel Race Cars.

 

During the final round of the Carolina Xtreme Pro Mod race at Darlington Dragway in March, Carpenter’s nitrous-aided Chevy made contact with the wall.

 

Carpenter thought of retiring after racing for over four decades, but decided he wasn’t ready yet. His son and crew chief, Mike, suggested a change in race cars.

 

“I’ve always thought the ‘68 Camaro is a good-looking Pro Mod, so that’s what we started hunting for, and I think we’ve found a really nice one,” Carpenter said.

 

He purchased the car formerly campaign by Gary Courtier of Long Island, NY. After some changes to accommodate their 5.2-inch bore space engine and M&M Transmission TH400 by Carpenter’s racing partner, Paul Albino, at his Total Induction Tuning Solutions shop in South Windsor, CT, Carpenter will make his first appearance with the Camaro at the Mad Mule Pro Mod Shootout at GALOT Motorsports Park in Benson, NC, on July 1.

 

The ’55 Chevy, originally built in 2008, will be repaired at Alan Pittman Race Cars in Greenville, SC, and will be for sale as a rolling chassis. [06/12/17]

Torrence, Beckman, Anderson, Savoie take Englishtown NHRA wins

Photographer Ron Lewis cooled off a bit in the tower at the Old Bridge Township Raceway Park. It was wicked hot outside.

 

Steve Torrence powered his Top Fuel dragster to victory Sunday, June 11, at the 48th annual NHRA Summernationals in Englishtown, NJ. Jack Beckman (Funny Car), Greg Anderson (Pro Stock) and Jerry Savoie (Pro Stock Motorcycle) were also winners at the tenth of 24 events on the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series schedule.

 

We’ll have a look at the action tomorrow in DRO.  [06/12/17]

IHRA reschedules Louisiana SSNC event for second time

The International Hot Rod Association and State Capitol Raceway will move their rescheduled IHRA Summit Sportsman National Championship event from Sept. 7-10 to August 3-6, the sanctioning body announced.

 

Due to torrential rains and widespread flooding during the month of May, IHRA and State Capitol Raceway postponed the June 1-4 event until September. It was the best-available weekend, but it was just two weeks before the season-ending event at Dragway 42 in West Salem, Ohio, leaving little flexibility should weather again become an issue.

 

The sanctioning body and race track identified the first weekend in August, which at the time of the postponement was not a viable option, as the best time for the rescheduled IHRA Summit Sportsman National Championship event so it is now scheduled for Aug. 3-6. The weekend will begin with a test & tune session on Thursday, Aug. 3 with three separate IHRA Summit Sportsman National Championship events following on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  [06/12/17]

Harris sets Aussie quarter-mile TF mark at Winternationals

Damien Harris recorded the quickest ever time in the past nine years with a 4.443/335.32 mph qualifying pass.  (Jon Van Daal photo)

 

The 50th running of the IHRA Australian Winternationals at Willowbank Raceway last weekend was simply stunning. While Sunday was rained out, Saturday provided the best day of drag racing that our antipodes correspondent, Jon Van Daal, had ever witnessed since first attending races down under since 1970.

 

With probably the biggest ever one day crowd ever at the track it made for an outstanding atmosphere that even one American correspondent in attendance had never felt before. A massive 550 entrants faced the starter over three days of qualifying that saw most record personal bests while their Track Meters registered traction figures never before seen in Australian drag racing history.

 

This produced record breaking times including the quickest quarter mile times in the world over the last nine years with Rapisarda Motorsport International recording 4.44 and 4.48 quarter-mile Top Fuel times.

 

We’ll have a complete report on all the new IHRA Australian champions (Remember, it is winter in Australia) for you soon.  [06/12/17]

Vic Edelbrock Jr. dies unexpectedly

Vic Edelbrock Jr. passed away at his Rolling Hills, CA, home on Friday, June 9, at the age of 80 after complications from a cold.

 

Edelbrock Jr. took over the aftermarket performance parts company that bears his name after the untimely passing of his father, Vic Edelbrock Sr. Vic Jr., an only child, was just 26 when his father died in 1962. He inherited a company that had 10 employees and $200,000 in the bank and continued to grow the company into sales in the multi-million dollars.

 

In 1965 Bob Joehnck, who had been a close friend of Vic Sr., called Vic Jr. with a suggestion.

 

“He said, ‘Make a manifold for the small-block Chevy,’” remembered Jr. “I said, ‘They already make one.’ He said, ‘Trust me, make one.’ So, we made one.”

 

The Edelbrock manifold for the small-block Chevy became the foundation from which the company moved into legend. That manifold led to a relationship with Holley to mate Holley carbs to it, which eventually led to more parts for more cars.

 

Edelbrock Jr. served as president of SEMA from 1971-74 and was on the Board of Directors 1967-89. He was selected to the SEMA Hall of Fame and the IHRA Hall of Fame, He was named Person of the Year by the Performance Warehouse Association in 1982 and 1987. He was the recipient of the Robert E. Petersen Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.

 

He served as president and CEO of Edelbrock Corp. until 2010, when he gave up those positions but stayed on as chairman of the board.  (DRO file photo)  [06/12/17]

IHRA reschedules Louisiana SSNC event for second time

The International Hot Rod Association and State Capitol Raceway will move their rescheduled IHRA Summit Sportsman National Championship event from Sept. 7-10 to August 3-6, the sanctioning body announced.

 

Due to torrential rains and widespread flooding during the month of May, IHRA and State Capitol Raceway postponed the June 1-4 event until September. It was the best-available weekend, but it was just two weeks before the season-ending event at Dragway 42 in West Salem, Ohio, leaving little flexibility should weather again become an issue.

 

The sanctioning body and race track identified the first weekend in August, which at the time of the postponement was not a viable option, as the best time for the rescheduled IHRA Summit Sportsman National Championship event so it is now scheduled for Aug. 3-6. The weekend will begin with a test & tune session on Thursday, Aug. 3 with three separate IHRA Summit Sportsman National Championship events following on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  [06/12/17]

VOLUME XIX,  NUMBER 6 - JUNE   2017

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