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JUNE 29, 2009 Go to Bill`s Blog at the zone for a large gallery of Doorslammers. photos courtesy Robert Hunter and Dean Murdoch What a wild, awesome, huge and unfortunately a bit disapponting weekend... oh ya, we have a new point leader and the fifith different winner this year.
It was weekend for the ages, the RH Race Cars sponsored race #5 saw over 30 cars trying to make the field. It has been over a half decade since there were 30+ cars for a DS event. Looking back to the 2004 archives and I could not find a race with this number. My recollections say there was a 30-32 car field that I was a part of, but I have not proof or copies of ladders. The end results from qualifying showed 29 cars qualified and four failed to make the field............33 cars in total.... Wow!!!! The topper to the weekend was the massive Sea Food / Pig Roast courtesy Lance Racing and Springer Racing, and hosted by SpeedZone Magazine. The BBQ raised over $1400.00 for the assoc. going right into the point fund, totally awesome!!!
Thanks to the two teams for donating the awesome food, and special thanks to the hard working cooking crew who prepped all afternoon, including Caddy, Lisa, Marie, Darren, Britanny, Jan Julie, Bill, Larry, Shelby and Josh. The assoc. can't thank you enough.
On to the race...... As stated earlier, the car count was ....simply awesome! 12 cars running quicker than 7.50, with Terry Spargo taking the pole...again, with a new career best 6.53/212. There was potential for a battle at the top, as the Stone's were at the track but they decided to race Pro Street instead of the Doorslammers. They wanted to try a heads up class, both Stone cars ran well and went two rounds in eliminations. Duane Grosart just failed to qualify for the Pro Mod show, running a 6.65 best in that class, but he made just the one lap and ran an on and off the throttle, extremely loose 7.05 at only 148 mph.
With the great air on the weekend, no less than 11 cars ran career bests running in the doorslammer series, including (but not limited to) Bob Marshall, Brian Kikel, Phil Davis, Grant Howell, Lyle Hinrichsen, and Chad Abougoush. Newcomers to the class included Ken Orser in last year`s TCS Pontiac GTO. He made quite an impression to say the least, as he found out the 482 cu in Schmidt powered GTO makes a bunch more power than he was used to, as the launches on his first couple passes, threw his foot off the loud pedal. He got in one very stout pass, a solid 7.09/191 that unfortunately was quicker than his dial-in, in round one.
He went away extremely satisfied with the weekend, though and who wouldn't after a 191 mph shot. Bob may be wishing he did not sell the bullet in that car. A very cool feature was having all four of Bob Marshalls's last four cars at the track and I was fortunate enough to do a photo shoot of the four cars. Lyle Henrichsen from Kelowna was out as well in the family 63 Corvette and is it ever a sweet ride. Son Ryan of RH Race Cars put this piece together over the last few years and I`ll tell you it was worth the wait. David Heans from the Island was out and he made the field but broke the motor and could not make round one. Mark Shuppener finished his licensing on Saturday and then qualified in the final round of qualifying Sunday morning.
Robert Boyd in one of the ex-POS door cars qualified for his first ever doorslamer event. Scott Charlston in his awesome black 71 Cuda, made the field as well, running a 8.32 best.
Chad Abougoush in the Boyd Auto Body 68 Cuda from Kelowna, keeps on improving, as his second event netting him a wheelstanding 8.11. There were a few unlucky drivers this weekend, Ken Kruger had transmission/convertor issues and could not make a qualifying hit. He hopes to be back at the next event, thanks to Ken for contributing to the BBQ this past weekend. The major incident was a double whammy for Mike Bedsworth from Marysville, Wash. Saturday night after the awesome BBQ the Bedsworth team (Mike and Kim) went to the hotel for the night and at 11:00pm, their Ford Pickup was stolen from the parking lot. Mike and Kim ever the troopers they are, arrived at the track ready to race. They BAD luck did not end there though as in round two, Mike was side by side with Brian Kikel at the finish line, and Mike took the narrow stripe, when he pulled the chute, he started to ease on the brakes and on rear wheel locked up sending him into the guard rail. Mike was not hurt, and the car was not too seriously damaged (front left wheel and tire, front nose, driver side door, hood were the major damages). Hopefully Mike's bad luck ran its course this past weekend, for a long, long time. Walter Nichols was out for the first time in two years but he could not get his Vega dialed in and failed to make the field. The same went for weekend BBQ contributor Jack Springer, who fell .014 short (8.713 best) of making the field.
Jack and the Doorslammer Assoc. want to thank C.C. Trucking for their contribution to the BBQ. Jordie Lazic struggled go get his five Speed dialed inand he fell a couple tenths short of making the field. Randy Arlitt, with new power under the 55's hood, could not manage the starting line as he wheelstood the Chevy violently on his attempts and he failed to make the field.
Finally a big thank you goes out to Greg Anderson who had issues of his with his Grand Am. He broke the motor on Saturday and headed home that night. He graciously came back Sunday to tow Mike and Kim's Race Trailer back home Three cars ran in the sixes and three more ran 7.0's by the end of the weekend. Here is final qualifying
Terry Spargo 6.532/212.61
DNQ
Failed to make a run .......... Ken Kruger
Sunday eliminations
Terry Spargo got the first round bye (for being #1 qualifier) he ran right on his 6.54 dial in. #2 Craig Donaldson faced Layne Wooley and Wooley gave it back to Donaldson at the stripe, as he did not see the faster Grand Am of Donaldson's coming on strong. Donaldson ran right on his 6.90 dial and took a .011 stripe. Jeff Hill was late against Grant Howell and that is not a good idea, as Howell was on his game and the car ran flawlessly (until later rounds), right on his 7.46 dial in.
Bob Marshall took on Ken Orser and Bob's last car, Bob dialed a 7.05 and Orser a 7.30. Ken was still getting a handle on the 1.0 60 foot launches and in his first round race he got a handle on it.
The car left like it was stolen right from under Bob, as his 7.30 dial was not even in the same zip code, as Ken crossed the finish line with a stellar 7.09/191.9 blast. Bob could only watch as he shook the tires and got loose. The good news for Bob was that Ken went way under his dial in and Marshall got the win. In the biggest battle of hitters in round one, Rob Charlton faced last race winner Zak Clarke. Clarke was dialed in qualifying with double 0 lights. He could not repeat in round one though as he went thirty to Charlton's twenty three. Charlton ran right on his dial (7.76) and Zak went under trying to force a double break out.
Other first round winners included Glen Norman, Mike Bedsworth, Troy Pike, Mark Schuppener, Kevin Lance, Dave Warren, Terry Langdon Davies, Tyson Wells, Robert Boyd and Brian Kikel. Sweet 16................ (15 actually), Terry Langdon Davies advanced to the later rounds for the second race in a row, as he easily defeated a snoozing Troy Pike. Kevin Lance and Glen Norman both fell way off their dials, but Lance's .028 light was better by just a tick and he was off to round three.
Tyson Wells in the 55 Bug (did I mention it has 900 ponies) took out a late Mark Schuppener, Robert Boyd defeated a late Dave Warren and Warren surrendered his point lead. Terry Spargo got a gift from Craig Donaldson when Donaldson broke out by .004 on a 6.90 dial in. Grant Howell ran right n his dial in for the second round in a row, and took out Bob Marshall, and Rob Charlton, the quick car in the bottom half of the ladder got the odd car bye. In the second half of the unfortunate incident with Mike Bedsworth, Mike defeated too quick Brian Kikel and when he got on the brakes in the shut down area and pulled the chute the cars went hard left and scraped the wall. Unfortunately the damage was too great to finish the race.
Above, the car looks just fine here just as he pulled the chutes. Mike stated he hit the brake pedal (like he does on every run), after the chutes were pulled and then the car swerved hard to the left and all he could do was try and keep it from hitting too hard. At 150 mph plus, I would say he did a great job of preventing more serious damage. The marks you can see before the concrete barrier and after
The elite eight................... (which wound up to be 7 due to Bedsworth's unfortunate accident, photos above). Tyson Wells had a .029 package to defeat TLD as Davies was uncharacteristically late (.125 light) putting Wells into the semi finals. Terry Spargo got his second gift in a row, this time the giver was Grant Howell who got shut off for a fluid leak at the starting line. Robert Boyd kept his rookie winning streak alive against Rob Charlton. A solid .019 light was more than enough. He had a .043 package. Kevin Lance got the freebie against Bedsworth and just took the green.
Final four..................Terry "The Bullet" Spargo took on weekend BBQ sponsor the Lance Racing 55 Chevy driven by Kevin Lance. Both drivers showed their fatigue in this round as both had less than stellar rts. Spargo's Cavalier was on a string all weekend running mid 6.50's and he continued that consistency in the semis with a 6.56 on a 6.55 dial. Lance went under his 7.70 dial in by .028. Tyson Wells continued his winning ways on this tough weekend as he went .025 at the tree, but really dodged a bullet as he went under his # (8.665 on a 8.68 dial) , Robert Boyd who was real late at the tree, went under .001 more than Wells, He had to be happy though with a semi final finish in his first ever DS event.
Final Round............In case you did not notice, the final round was the #1 qualifier against the 29 (slowest) car in the field, a true "David vs Goliath" match up. 900 horse Vs 2000, rookie vs seasoned veteran, what other clichés you can come up with, they all fit. Remember what happened to Goliath? The same happened here, but unfortunately they did not determine it on the race track, as Spargo had a couple back fires and he chose not to try and run the car, a good call in the end as he found a couple lifters and springs out of alignment, so if he had of run the car, he would likely suffered extensive damage.
The Spargo team was still ecstatic with their weekend. Going five rounds with the quickest car by a bunch and having to leave second on every lap, says a lot for both the driver and the team in their preparation.
To say Tyson Wells is happy is an understatement to say the least. The slowest car that made the field, and easily the most unique, and here they are, at the mid way point of the season challenging for the series' top spot. Weekend wrap up Kudos to all the teams this weekend and especially to the winners. Extra special thanks to the Lance and the Springer teams for their contribution to the BBQ. and a big thank you to RH Race Cars for their support of the sereis. To my wife, brother, sister in law, niece, daughter and nephew and my extended race family thanks for all your help this weekend.
Having the eight and ninth different finalists out of ten different possibilities, means the series is so close. There were a number of changes at and near the top though as Kevin Lance moves into 1st place, Dave Warren drops down to a second place tie with Rob Charlton, Tyson Wells is 4th. All four within 10 points, and Terry Spargo sites 5th 20 points further back. The next event on the schedule is in two weeks at Mission Raceway. The event sponsor for that race is CHARLTON AUTOMOTIVE. What a weekend it was for sure, and based on the car count and the number of new members, I think it is safe to say we should have a car count well over 20 cars July 11-12 Other photo highlights
June 25, 2009 Congrat's to Sean and Errin Heron (Sean is crew chief for Layne Wooley), as Errin gives birth to their first child, a son, Liam. Both wife and son are doing great. June 22, 2009 This coming weekend's event at Mission Raceway will be one of the biggest of the year. Our series title sponsor is also the presenting sponsor this weekend. RH Race Cars took on the whole enchilada. To help make this weekend's event even more memorable, Lance Racing and Springer Racing are helping to put on the BBQ, and boy it will be huge, a "Seafood Feast" and a "Pig Roast" are on the menu, with Sockeye Salmon, Halibut, Crab, Prawns and Oysters. To top it off, Jack Springer and his team are bringing in a Bratwurst stuffed Pig Roast as well, This could be "THE BBQ" of the decade at MRP. We will have Roasted Potatoes and baked veggies to go with it, as well as salads, buns and beverages. Bring your appetites for sure. The cost will be determined that weekend, likely between 10-15 per person. An absolute screaming deal. All the proceeds after the misc costs, will go back to the assoc. so this could be a huge boost for the season ending points fund. If you want to reserve your teams tickets send me off an email this week to confirm the # of tickets you want. There could be as many as 100 attending (maybe more). It will be awesome!!!! I guess we should not forget about the race as well. Usually one of the biggest of the year, the points are now more important than ever, and we have only had one driver in two final rounds, so the season is still wide open. If you are not sure whether or not to attend this
event, you better not even consider staying away, as it will be THE
June 18, 2009
Sorry for the slight delay in posting the full results. My daughters wedding is this week, combine that with all the results from last weekend and I was literally overrun. It was a very good weekend at the 'Plex for race #4 presented by Pro Stock Performance.
Even though we were rudely interrupted by a damn forest fire and water bombers, the show was still as good as it gets.
Qualifying was dominated again by a very fast six second car, but the name was not Spargo. It was Stone. Kerry Stone ran his first event with the new Camaro, and to say the least it was spectacular. He ripped off a number of six second laps including a couple 6.85's at over 205. He lead qualifying by over a half second when the three qualifiers ended (much like Terry Spargo has done at Mission this year).. Only three session due to the fire and thunder shower.
Layne Wooley had his best qualifying finish as he ended up #2 with a solid 7.61/179 mph. Grant Howell was #3 with a 7.71 Here is the order (ET's from memory, may be off by a couple huns)
1. Kerry Stone 6.85
Kerry Stone had a first round bye, but he did not lay low, as he repeated his qualifying best with another 6.85. Wooley got a single as well, as Grant Howell had mechanical issues and could not make first round.
Dallas Wagner found a bunch of power from last year as he would likely be sub 7.50's as sea level. He defeated Kevin Lance in round one. Phil Davis ripped off a great .014 light and took out Darryl Stone. Rob Charlton defeated point leader Dave Warren with a better package on both ends of the track. Zak Clarke defeated the "Young Gun"Jordie Lazic driving his 5 speed. It was less than .03 at the stripe. Terry Langdon Davies went red but it did not matter as Ken Kruger was way red!!! Randy Arlitt defeated the 'Bug Guy" Tyson Wells , as Arlitt ran right on his 8.87 dial in.
In Round two, Wooley had a great.024 light and held off a fast approaching Kerry Stone. Stone went in the 6.8's again but the turbo Camaro was late at the tree. Zak Clarke defeated rival Rob Charlton when Charlton spun by .03 at the starting line. Phil Davis had another strong (.015) light, and took a .015 stripe, and TLD defeated Arlitt by a slim .02 to advance to the semi finals.
The semis were both close affairs, and it was Davis continuing his run of better rts, as he went .029 to Wooley's .043. That was basically the margin of victory as well, and both drivers were half a tenth of their dial ins. Zak Clarke reached his second final in a row, as he took out Langdon Davies. Clarke had .026 at the tree, and just held off the .129 package by Davies. Clarke's package was a tightening up at the stripe .107
It should have been a great final as the two best leavers in eliminations faced off. Whether or not Phil was too distracted by just reaching the final, after the new car issues he has had over the last half dozen races, he was real late in the final. He had to chase down Clarke who had a .25 starting line handicap. But giving him .14 at the tree was just too much to overcome, and Clarke got the victory and a leap into the top ten.
Talking to Phil's lovely wife Pat during the event, they were just ecstatic to keep on going rounds, on the weekend. They are really looking forward to heading down to Mission for the next couple events. The next event is in two weeks at MRP, for the huge Door car spectacular, with Pro Mods, this series and CPSA. Don't forget the Lance Racing team is sponsoring a huge Sea Food feast on the Saturday night, with all the proceeds going to the Doorslammer points fund.
Other photos highlights
June 16, 2009 Race #4 presented by Zakariah , two finals in a row, is on a roll, and is to say the least very confident.
Hot, Hot, Hot!!!!!!
......................In all faucets of the race, ......................the temp on track and in the sky, Zak Clarke , the mountians to the east, and the subsequent unscheduled airshow, Kerry Stone's new ride and performance, the party at the Bonaparte, Phil Davis, Roy Lazic's new 'Stude to name a few. The jist is, the race was geat. The staff @ the 'Plex and the Langley Loafers had to be estatic with the car count (250 cars 150 show n shine), not delays of note on either day, and Sunday was completed by 4.00pm, simply one of those weekends where everything went right. Kudos to all!!!
Full results Wednesday
June 14, 2009 So much to talk about after this past weekend's Doorslammer event at the Eagle Motorplex. To say the action was hot is an understatement, as the temps were hot at the track on the track and around the track, go to the zone for a small sample. Zak Clarke was in his second final in a row, and this time it is a win and a huge move in the standings. He defeats an estatic Phil Davis in his awesome Willys in the final. After a year and a half of struggling with his new car, things fell into place for the Davis family. All the teams better look out for Clarke though, as he has the look right now, and he could go on a roll. He goes from 19th to the top ten. Full results and photos on Monday and Tuesday. Thanks go out to the Langley Loafers, the Eagle Motorplex and to event sponsor Pro Stock Performance June 13, 2009 Day one at the "Plex and a solid field (17) Doorslammers are ready to hit the track Acouple more driver's pages are pdated. June 12, 2009 This weekend we're at the Eagle Motorplex for the
With great weather and the nostalgia theme to this weekends event, you should make the trek to the 'Plex. It is the Langley Loafers event and cars from 1970 and earlier will race and any show quality cars will be part of the show n shine. Points after race #3 are here. June 8, 2009
'Good Karma' plays a roll in the first ever win for Todd Jacques in the Canada West Doorslammers Assoc. Event presented by EllisDon (or should we also sayTodd Jacques) Just before the event this past weekend was set to begin, we got a call that a last minute sponsor had stepped up to the plate as presenting sponsor. Member Todd Jacques, secured the EllisDon sponsorship for the doorslammers, what we did not realize was it was actually a sponsorship for his race team. Knowing we were short a sponsor for the weekend, he gave it up for the assoc so we had full payout and the event prize money did not have to come out of the points fund. A very kind gesture, that is the end would come back in spades to Todd Jacques. Here is the Sunday story. Sunday Final qualifier
18 cars were in the field after Saturday, with Randy Arlitt still outside, (Randy's new name has to be 'Last Lap" Arlitt) , as he has been outside the field until the last qualifier at a number of events. Mike Bedsworth showed up Sunday morning, and will have one chance to make the field. Cool conditions with great track conditions greeted the teams at 10:45 am for the final session. Noticeably absent in the final round was Ken Kruger who had been suffering from oil issues all weekend. A couple drips that could not be sourced to make the necessary repairs, so he opted to end his weekend, before a potential problem could arise. In the final session, Spargo again tried to go quicker than he has ever gone before , but he shook and spun on the launch an he gave up have to be satisfied with an awful 6.54/211 (oh to be that awful). He would remain #1 and get the Ken Kruger low qualifier trophy for the third straight race. Coming in at #2 was Greg Anderson who also failed to improve. #2 was Brian Kikel who was on a 7.30 pass in the last qualifier, but the throttle cable came off at half track and he had to coast through. His 7.45 stood for #3. #4 was Layne Wooley who went 7.51 on Saturday, went 7.53 on Sunday so he sat #4. Grant Howell improved by a tenth as his new Convertor did its job to the tune of a 7.53. "I actually had to drive the coupe on that last run it was a monster", stated #5 Howell. #6 was Glen Norman who ran solid 7.7's (7.72 best) . Eight cars ran in the 7.70-7.80 zone to round out the lucky 13. Mike Bedsworth in his only shot could not run his usual number as a slowing 7.88 was the number that put him in the field. A bad plug was sourced to the problem. Troy Pike could not hit the 7's as his 8.01 was good enough for # 14. Rounding out the field to no surprise was "Last Lap" Arlitt, as Randy made the field with a hun. too much 8.694 good enough for #20.
Final qualifying
1. Terry Spargo 6.542/211
Eliminations, Rounds one: Terry Spargo had his first round one opponent of the year, as previous events he had the odd car round one bye due to being #1 qualifier. He got to face Campbell Rivers' Kevin Lance who was a it off on his game this weekend in earlier runs, but they felt after the morning session they had the car sorted out. He go lucky in round one as he was a bit late on the tree, but Spargo went under his .56 dial in by .001 giving the Lance team the win. Greg Anderson defeated race #2 winner Dave Warren running right on his 7.27 dial in. Brian Kikel got a single as his competitor Rob Charlton, Broke his bullet Saturday and could not make the call Sunday. Layne Wooley facedGlen Norman and the usually strong leaver got left on by .03 and Norman was off to round two. Grant Howell took on Dave Richardson, but his convertor that gave him a great final qualifying run, could not hold as he crept through the beams. Richardson was off to round two. Todd Jacques got a break in round one, when Kruger who had earlier issues could not make round one. Zak Clarke defeated Jordie the 'Stick Kid" Lazic as both drivers ran right on their numbers. DS rookie (first season, second event) Troy Pike defeated another rookie, Chad Abougoush, as Chad was a bit tardy on the tree. Terry Landgon Davies Broke out handing the win to Tyson Wells in the battle of the bubble roof cars. And in the final race, Last Lap was edged by fender racer Mike Bedsworth who dialed way off his usual et, as he was not convinced the spark plug was the only issue. A good driving job by Bedsworth , as he had to fender race for the last 600 feet as he caught Arlitt so quick. I think he had fixed the problem. Round two pairing are are..... Lance vs Anderson, Kikel vs Norman, Richardson vs Jacques, Clarke vs Bedsworth and Pike vs Wells.
In what could be called a couple upsets by the pundits in round two, Dave Richardson gave Todd Jacques a freebie as he went uncharactoristically red , Kevin Lance took out #2 qualiier Greg Anderson and then got a bye into the semi final, Brian Kikel defeated Glen Norman, Tyson Wells who had a scary moment in his round one win at the top end, when a small fire broke out under the car, got repairs done and then took out Troy Pike in round two. Zak Clarke defeated Mike Bedsworth . Round three..... Clarke vs Wells, Jacques vs Kikel and Lance has a bye.
Todd Jacques ran right on his 8.51 dial in and took out the quicker Brian Kikel. Zak Clarke nailed the tree and defeated a right on Tyson Wells. Lance had the bye run.
Round four..... Clarke gets the single in the semis and will take on the winner of Lance and Jacques. Jacques not being the glass half full racer this weekend, was starting to get a little antsy after his third round win as he never brought enough nitrous along for the weekend, as in his realistic mind he never though he would go this far in eliminations, especially taking on the likes of Dave Richardson and Brian Kikel, but he won those rounds and if he was to win his semi final match up against Kevin Lance, he would not have enough nitrous to run the final round. I told him a couple ideas. #1.
He is allowed to dial 2/10's slower than his best qualifying run, but in reality the car would only run around a 8.90 without nitrous. Secondly, he could go up to the tower and see in any racer in the pits and help him out. Low and behold a bike racers came to his aid. He would wind up needing the nitrous, since he took out Kevin Lance, with a better rt and a 8.59 on his 8.57 dial in. Clarke took the green and shut off, as the final would be run within 15 minutes of the semi final. Final round..... Another big hitter for the sophomore DS driver as Jacques had to face one of the toughest drivers in the class, Zak Clarke. Clarke had been sharp on the tree and ran within a couple huns of his dial on every run so far. The odds were certainly in Clarke favor, but remember the Karma deal I spoke about earlier.....well..... At the green both drivers left within a couple thou of each other, Clarke dialed a 7.89 and Jacques dialed a 8.59, It was very close but Clarke did spin a little at the tree, and he could not recover, Jacques on the other hand was on a string and he took the stripe running right on his 8.59 dial in. The guy who gave up some of his sponsorship money wound up getting it back by way of the event win. A real good ending to a great weekend. The win catapulted him all the way up to the second spot in the standings. Next weekend, the teams are at the Eagle Motorplex, for the fourth event of the season. It is the Langley Loafers race at the 'Plex, and it will be a great weekend. If you don't have plans head north for what will be a fantastic weekend at the desert track.
June 7, 2009 Saturday qualifying The third race in the ten race RH Race Cars CWDS got underway Saturday at Mission Raceway. The EllisDon sponsred third race is one of three events in the next month, and it could very well determine the front runners for the 2009 championship. One thing we do know for sure, is Terry Spargo will likely earn the most bonus points for the season, as he continues to roll as the #1 qualifier with his Sonny Leonard powered Cavalier. His only full lap provided his South Hill Electric team with a solid and career best 6.54/211 mph blast that included a .976 60 foot time. He got a little bit greedy in the final session trying to perhaps run a 6.40. He brought the stall up another 200-300 rpm's but it could not hold on the starting line, and he shook the tires. My guess is his 6.54 will hold. No other six second cars are running this weekend. #2 is Greg Anderson and he appears to have softened up his efforts. Tire shake has been his issue all year long, as he tries to run low 7.teens. He went a best of 7.26 (with no shake to speak of). The rest of the seven second cars are all bunched in the 7.50 -7.90 range, with no less than ten bunched tightly. Terry Langdon Davies, Todd Jacques, Tyson Wells, Troy Pike, Jordie Lazic and new comer Cody Abougoush in his beautiful 68 Cuda round out the eight second cars. Randy Arlitt, is on the outside right now as he is running his 555 Reher Morrison for the last time before installing a new 1000 hp bullet, ensuring he will be solidly in the field at every event. Qualifiers Terry Spargo
June 4, 2009 The Doorslammers will be BBQ'ing this weekend, so all those from out of town, don't pack a big cooler for Saturday night. Yummy steaks and all the rest of the good stuff. The rest of the driver page updates will be done over the next few weeks. It is a very busy schedule for the next few weeks, as we are travelling to Ashcroft in a 10 days, the race this weekend, the webmaster's daughter is getting married in two weeks, and then the big door car event at MRP (Pro Mods CWDS, Pro Street) is the last weekend of June. Then another road trip, this time to Edmonton the following weekend. You get the picture, busy, wild, hectic, but also very exciting..... Stay tuned! June 3, 2009 A few more team updates (including new photos) Craig Donaldson, Jordie Lazic, Dave Warren, Sipocz Racing, Bob Marshall A number of team web sites have been added or updated. Todd Jacques, Jack Springer, Glen Norman, Ken Kruger, Randy Arlitt and Kevin Lance. More to come. Go to the driver's page and click on all the team's individual web pages. June 2, 2009 The Canada West Doorslammers are
proud to bring on board Thank you EllisDon for being a part of the Doorslammer family. This weekend's event starts a huge run of events after a few weeks off. The assoc races in three of the next four weekends. Mission this weekend, Ashcroft the weekend after and then one of the biggest races of the year, the Hge Doorcar weekend at MRP, with Pro Mods, Pro Street and the CWDS Assoc. Will someone emerge as the frontrunner to the championship for the 2009 season. Two races so far and four different finalists. are we going to see ten differnet winners this year, I doubt it, but back and forth battles all year long will make the season on of the most exciting yet. Thanks again to EllisDon. May 27, 2009 Will have a few photos up from the Lucas race of Doorslammer competitors this coming weekend. Also will have drivers pages updated with new teams and updated info from teams who sent me stuff...........This will be done in the next week. MAY 13, 2009 A photo gallery with captions from race #2 is posted. May 11, 2009 Photos by Dean and Shelby
A long time between wins for this weekend's champion as Dave Warren got the six year monkey off his back, with the win over Glen "Bigfoot" Norman. It was not the type of final either would like but as Warren said a win is a win. After a relatively slow start to eliminations with a long break between first and second rounds, the final three rounds of eliminations were run in just over 40 minutes. With so little time to cool down the drive train, Norman's Corvette was shut off at the starting line with a fluid leak, that was deemed to be overheated trans fluid. Warren got the single and even he got loose at the 200 foot mark (not sure if it was fluid uder the tires or he just got out of the groove).
With the win, Dave Warren took the points lead over Rob Charlton, the driver who had a 9-0 round record, heading into eliminations. Here is the Sunday recap. Final qualifying.. The final session of qualifying took place around 11:00 am and the conditions were prime. No wind and cool conditions making it very possible for most teams to improve their times and the ones just outside the field with a good chance to make the 8.70 minimum. A total of 21 cars hoped to be in the field. Five cars were still outside the field and they included Tyson Wells, Jack Springer, Randy Arlitt, Terry Spargo and Troy Pike. Spargo did not make a run Saturday as he had transmission issues and the team thrashed until late in the evening and then early Sunday morning.... the good news is the team got the repairs done and they were ready. Right off the bat you could tell it would be a great final session as a number of cars improved from Saturday. Layne Wooley ran a career best 7.46 to complete his licensing and move up to the #6 spot. Bob Marshall went 7.09 after a complete engine change overnight. Craig Donaldson ran a career best 6.87/200 to solidify his #1 position. Spargo would have to make a solid lap and not pedal the car to take over the #1 spot. Ken Kruger ran a career best 7.90 but he knows there is more in his car. Troy Pike made a solid lap in his debut with the 'Slammers with a 8.23 but he knows there is more in his awesome Street Legal Chevy II. Springer, Wells and Arlitt all made the field by a whisker with Wells and Springer running right on the 8.70 minimum. It all came down to Terry Spargo's effort to not only get down the track and run better than 6.87 and would the transmission issues be alleviated. Burnout looked and sounded strong, he staged and took off on what appeared to be a solid pass from my end and I was at the end of the track taking parachute shots. Chutes came out and he went past me very quickly at least a second ahead of the 7.80-7.80 car of Dave Warren's. I had to wait for the crew to drive by on their tow vehicle as there are no speakers on the far end. When Jake and crew went by they looked happy and they shouted out a 6.84/204. Terry had done it for the second week in a row, taking over the #1 spot in the final qualifier. A side note to qualifying as all the team in attendance made the field making 21 cars for Sunday elims, unfortunately Terry Shuflita continued similar woes to last race, as he had valve train issues that included head damage so he was unable to run in elims. Terry Langdon Davies also have damage that would prevent him from running in elims, as he badly wounded his transmission and could not make repairs ( I think I might change my name from Terry as all three with that name had issues both this week and last week).
Final qualifying
1. Terry Spargo 6.84/203
Round one............
21 cars, 11 pairings with three byes due to the breakage and odd number of cars. Spargo got a bye, Todd Jacques got a single as TLD was a no show and Rob Charlton got the easy win as he had Shuflita as an opponent. Out of all the round one match-ups only the Mike Bedsworth and Greg Anderson pairing lived up to the billing. Two 7.20 cars, two good buddies and rt's within .011 of each other. At the stripe, it was that margin of victory as both drivers ran exactly the same difference off their dial-ins. Very Close!! (Launch and finish line below). Almost all the other pairings were also won on the starting line, but on different ends of the scale, either by red light a real late light. Tyson Wells went red for the first time ever in his Volks giving the win to Troy Pike as he ran his best lap of the weekend, a great 8.06 (a career best). Ken Kruger had a brain fade as he went on the convertor before he was staged and then the car creeped forward making him go in deep for an automatic red light and the win for Dave Richardson. Bob Marshall's light wasn't real bad a .109 (he is used to the 5/10th tree) but his opponent Glen Norman went .037 and took a .07 win. Marshall did run his fastest speed ever a great 194.76 that is only 1.5 mph slower than the national record in B/AA. Craig Donaldson picked the worse time to have his crappiest light of the weekend after .00 lights in qualifying with a stick no less. His went .101 to .009 for Layne Wooley and that was as they say .....all she wrote. Jack Springer had trans break issues and he was real late and Randy Arlitt got the easy win. In a bit of an upset, Kevin Lance went to round two for the second week in a row as his opponent 2008 champ Grant Howell could not fire his car after the burnout. Jordan Lazic should have had an easy win as he had .17 at the tree but he went too fast in his five speed. What a turn of events that turned out to be. Spargo, Jacques and Charlton all went to round two.
Round two..........Point leader Rob Charlton now was undefeated in his last ten rounds of racing but he had one of the top four in the class over the last five years Dave Richardson. He lost in round two against Richardson with an uncharacteristic .042 light by Charlton, compared to a .008 by Richardson. He was on the trailer. Jacques took the starting line advantage by .04 over Dave Warren but for the second race in a row for Warren, he got a break as the guy that left first could not run his number (Todd actually went too quick). Round three for Warren despite being the second off the line. Mike Bedsworth had .02 on the tree against Glen Norman but Norman ran right on his 7.64 number, while Bedsworth was .04 off giving Norman a half car length victory. Kevin Lance got the odd car bye run and a trip to the 1/4's. Randy Arlitt took on Troy Pike and Pike went a hair red (.019). Terry Spargo's luck ran out big time in round two as he not only went way red, he also suffered serious engine damage on the run giving the win to Wooley who went 7.57 on a 7.50 dial in.
Quarter finals.............. Glen Norman was deadly on the tree as he went .002 on the tree and took out Wooley who had his worst light of 2009 a .126. Both cars were close to their numbers and Norman was off to the semi finals. Dave Warren had a tick on the tree (.007) over Randy Arlitt (same match up as last weeks semi final) had Warren took a .05 stripe Dave Richardson was as usual right on the tree with a .007 light and over a tenth of a second advantage at the stripe over Kevin Lance.
Semi finals............Dave Warren would go to his first final in a while as he got the odd car bye. The other pairing saw Glen Norman take on Dave Richardson. Both had double"0" lights in the previous round so this won should be great. Off the tree Richardson had a huge advantage .095, and was well out in front at 1200 feet, he lifted and scrubbed 10 mph off his speed, but he still went under his 7.80 dial in by .012 giving the surprising win to Glen Norman. Richardson's crew chief Joe Mellof stated that the car spun on the starting line in the run before so they dialed slower in anticipation they would do the same in the next round. Dave did not spin and he would have been around a 7.76 if he did not lift. I am guessing Glen will take the win regardless of the reason. So would I!!
Final round...........Let me give notice that the third round through the final the cars were really hot lapped due to the smaller than expect car counts in the bracket classes, so the teams did not get a chance to really cool their rides. That would play into the final outcome, as both wanted more time to cool, but the advantage was Warren's as his single the round before allowed him to idle down the track. That advantage would pay dividends as Norman was shut off after the burnout as he had trans fluid leaking out of the overflow tube due to the high temperature. Glen was very happy that the leak was noticed, as that could have been catastrophic if he would have staged the car and took off only to have fluid get under the tires.
Warren would have like to have won the race on the track, but a win is a win, and he took over the point lead. Charlton is second and Randy Arlitt is third. Complete points are here. The next race is in three weeks at Mission and then they race at the 'Plex the week after and then another race in June at possibly the biggest race of the year, the Pro Mod event the end of June.
May 9, 2009
Race #2, and with an 11th hour step up to the plate by Lance Racing as well as a number of teams became the event sponsor. Close to 20 cars are on hand and this weekend looks very serious. One of the top running comp cars in Division six is out not only testing for the Divisional in two weeks but also to compete with the DS'ers this weekend. Bob Marshall from TCS is out and his new car (with less than 10 runs on it) is spectacular. Bob had a few concerns about his new bullet and unfortunately his concerns became factual as he wounded the new Martino bullet on his second lap. At the end of the day, he was installing his proven Schmidt 488 between the frame rails. If the track is tight Sunday morning He could rip off a 6 second lap.
His first run Saturday was a 7.14@191. The owner of his 2005 car Craig Donaldson is #1 after three rounds with a strong 6.97@196 and he laid down a great .011 light to go along with it. Greg Anderson is #3 with a 7.21 and Mike Bedsworth proved he could not stay away as he went 7.25. Layne Wooley is #5 with a 7.56 and Grant Howell is right beside Layne with a 7.57. Ken Kruger is sorting out his new bullet and he he wheel stood his way to a 8.11 best. He is looking for a seven second lap.
Still just outside the 8.70 minimum is last weeks r/u Randy Arlitt, as he could only nail down a 8.74. Tyson Wells is also just outside in his "Vee-Dub" with a oh so close 8.72. Terry Langdon Davies made two strong in field 8.20's after struggling in race 1.
The wheelie bars are still on Todd Jacques 'Stang, and he is also in the 8.20 zone. Jordy Lazic is out with family car #2 (the Fire Chicken) and he is in with the stick car with a 8.66. A couple others are not yet in and they include CPSA runner Troy Pike. Full results Sunday night. Jack Springer in the full size Chevy pick-up won the RJ Enterprises burnuot contest.
May 7, 2009
Does this look like a wanted guy? What me worry! Race #2 is up this weekend, and all I can say it watch out Rob Charlton! You are the man that is being hunted! A win to end the 2008 season and a win to start the 2009 season gives him a 9-0 won/loss undefeated record in his last 9 rounds of racing. Who will be the next winner, will there be a new winner this weekend or is Rob Charlton out to make a bigger statement. With great weather forecast for this weekend and only two weeks before the Lucas Oil event at MRP, there should be a few more drivers out for race #2. With proven awesome track condition on the new surface at Mission Raceway. Drivers like previous winners Grant Howell, Terry Spargo, Terry Shuflita, Brian Kikel and Layne Wooley as well as many others will be out to prove they too are contenders for the 2009 series title. Three runs of qualifying Saturday at noon, 2 and 4 and then a final qualifier Sunday morning will set what should be a very tough field. The RJ Enterprises Burnout contest will be run in the final qualifier Saturday. The doorslammers would like to thank their series title sponsor RH Race Cars as well as all the race sponsors for their support. April 30, 2009 Photo page from race 1 is here. April 30, 2009 Another weekend photo gallery is here April 29, 2009 Weekend #1 event notebook..... My guess is a number of teams who did not compete this weekend due to concerns about the track surface are probably kicking themselves as the new back half surface as well as the starting line (after one or two rounds of sportsman qualifying Saturday morning) were both excellent for the opening weekend. Terry Spargo was the only driver who have starting line issues , but the 2000 hp Cavalier has so much torque that even last year he has issues at times in perfect track conditions. His new 707 has more horsepower but quite a bit less torque making Spargo smiling as he feels that bullet will be a 6.60 or 6.50 performer in most conditions....Terry Shuflita got lucky after his second qualifier as his Firebird slowed on the top half and when he checked under the hood he found lifter and push rod issues that could have been catastrophic. They weren't, and he made the necessary repairs and went to round two Sunday......Tyson Wells is a happy rookie as he went to round two at his first race with the DS'ers, and ran career best #'s with his big block 'Bug". Ya that's right Volkswagon. He is also entered for the Pinks all out at Pacific Raceway in August. Love the teams name... "Far from Huggin Falling". Tyson is a West Coast Faller......Rob Charlton is on the top of the "Most Targeted List", as he is 9-0 in round wins, taking the cash at the last two events in the series....The air was so good his normal 7.70-7.80 truck went 7.65 and even lifted the from end on a couple launches.......Runner-up Randy Arlitt, was lucky to make the final round or even make first round as he only made the field by .005 in the second qualifier Saturday. He struggled with timing and electronic issues throughout Saturday, and on Sunday he only ran the 8.70 minimum # or better twice in elimination's. Event sponsor Ken Kruger had his new All Aluminum 632 between the frame rails and is looking to run 7.60-7.80 this season. After getting his timing issues sorted out the cars ran an easy 7.92. Then he lost his trans brake so he had to foot brake it is round one. He did remarkedly well, and it was close against first time DS driver Dean Bettenson. Bettenson had a great time at his first race. His Camaro is very nice looking, but due to travel issues and work as well as having a son that races Motorcross, he may only make it out to one or two races. The same goes for Darryn O'Connor who races up in Fort St. John during the Summer months.... Filed under the SUPER, GREAT and AWESOME category, Harpers Peformance in Campbell River is the new sponsor of the Port Aberni race in August. Eric and Brian Harper tune a number of Vancouver Island racers, and they are a big help to the "Lance Racing" team. Kevin Lance went to round two and his teammate Randy Arlitt (both running 55 Chevy's) was the runner-up. Todd Jacques will likely have the wheelie bars on his Mustang for the rest of the year as his two monster wheel stands almost kept him out of the field.....Probably forgot a few things but sorry I am getting old....Oh ya, thanks to all who attended the BBQ, and thanks to Ken Kruger for his contribution to it. Weekend #1 photo page is here. April 26, 2009 Sunday evening update. The new targeted driver is Rob Charlton as he is 9-0 in the last two races, the last of last year and the first of this year. Rob Charlton defeated first time finalist Randy Arlitt to go 9-0 in the last two races
"Eliminations" Kruger Racing sponsored Race #1 Great weather greeted the teams on both days but Sunday was a gem. Corrected air right around sea level, and many cars ran career bests even with a new racing surface from 660 on.
15 cars made the cut and Terry Spargo had the round one bye and he used to to his advantage getting his first full pull of the weekend, and a career best 6.702/206 blast. The run was straight as an arrow. #2 Greg Andersen took on Kevin Lance and had the race in the bag, until his car got loose around 900 feet, he pedaled it once and then got off the gas. Greg looked over his shoulder and did not see Lance, so he did not get back on the loud pedal and right at the stripe, Lance went by him for a .02 win. Greg was kicking himself after for sure.
Terry Shuflita took out Brian Kikel when Kikel's ride stumbled just past half track (suspected Fuel pump issue). The the final pairing in the fast half, last year's runner-up Rob Charlton defeated last year's champion Grant Howell on a hole shot. Grant had struggled a bit throughout the weekend with convertor issues and only made two decent laps before elimination's. Charlton was on a string all weekend, having great rts and running within .05 on all four qualifying attempts. Continuing in round one, Dave Warren defeated Layne Wooley when Wooley went .006 red. Tyson Wells got his first ever round win in his first ever race with the DS'ers as he took out Todd the "Wheelstander" Jacques on a hole shot in his wheelstander VW. Ken Kruger lost his Trans Brake so was forced to foot brake his 110 hp Firebird in elimination's. Not an easy task getting a good light or strong run, but he did a great job running within .13 of his best qualifying effort, but went too quick by .07 (a 8.12 dial), He handed the win to new comer Darryn O'Connor. The final pairing in round one saw Randy Arlitt defeat Dean Bettenson in a very close round one pairing.
1/4 finals................In the quarters, Spargo took on Lance and Spargo got a holeshot and very strong launch in the 813 inch Cavalier, and he caught Lance by 100 feet. cruising to a 6.75/193 win. Rob Charlton defeated Terry Shuflita as Shuflita had starting line issues and Charlton was deadly as usual. Randy Arlitt defeated Tyson Wells as he had the better rt and ran close to his 8.69 dial. O'Connor was up against Dave Warren and it was Warren getting the win and heading off to the semi finals.
Final four...................................In a huge semi final matchup, Rod Charlton was looking to move his round win record to a very impressive 8-0 in the last two races. Spargo just wanted to have his third consistent run in a row. Charlton got his wish and Spargo did not get his, as he went hard right just off the starting line and the race was basically over. Charlton was on his game and he got the easy win and a shot to go undefeated in back to back races. Who would his opponent be..............It would be the #15 qualifier Randy Arlitt. Arlitt defeated Dave Warren running right on his 7.69 dial in.
The Final was a true David and Goliath matchup and
Charlton was looking to increase undefeated streak and Arlitt was
in his first ever final round. Rod is going to have to be on his game for the first number of races as he will miss at least one or possibly two events at the end of the year due to a business related holiday the end of September. Thanks go out to Ken Kruger the weekend event sponsor, out series sponsor RH Race Cars and ..........this just in new event sponsor for the Port Alberni race, Harper's Performance from Campbell River BC. "Qualifying" A great opening weekend is in the books for the RH Race Cars Canada West Doorslammers Race #1 presented by Ken Kruger Racing. 15 cars made the tough field with an 8.70 minimum. Terry Spargo came close to getting the starting line sorted out but he still pedaled for a 1/4 second or slow but it was just enough to give him the #1 spot with a 7.13@ 204 mph just edging out Greg Anderson's 7.16 best. Todd Jacques got his wheel standing issues sorted out and went 8.39. TLD was the only driver who's struggles continued on Sunday, as he failed to make the 8.70 minimum. Here is final qualifying: 1. Terry Spargo 7.13/204 Full results Monday including photos. Sunday Morning 8:00am..............Day one of race one in the RH Race Cars Canada West Doorslammer series got underway Saturday and 18 cars were in attendance. Maple Ridge's Jack Springer in a full size Chevy Pickup was out licencing and he made four runs until Transmission issues sidelined him. Tyson Wells in the awesome biege VW made the field in hs first ever DS effort. He went 8.69. Greg Anderson leads with a 7.16 with one session left this morning. 14 cars are in the field so far, as mechanical issues sidelined Springer and Craig Donaldson (rear end). Todd Jacques in the small block Mustang wheel stood his way on all three of his attempts and will make a last ditch effort with his wheelie bars install Sunday Morning. The same goes for Terry Langdon Davies who also had wheel stand issues. Terry Spargo will make a dentist appointment Monday, after possibly the worst tire shake I have ever seen from a convertor car. He is in with a pedaling 7.32 @ 198 mph. Full results and photos Sunday night. The top five from memeory are. 1. Greg Anderson, 2. Terry Spargo, 3. Brian Kikel, 4. Grant Howell, 5. April 20, 2009 This weekend opens up the season for the 'Slammers. The weather forecast looks very promising. And this weekend's sponsor "Ken Kruger Racing"
says, lets have a season opening get together BBQ. So unless the weather changes drastically, we will BBQ Saturday right after the final qualifier. So don't bring a wack of food in your Motorhome or camper, let the 'Slammers cook team' do it up for you. I've talked to a number of teams in the last week or so and it looks to be a good opening weekend for car count. The island is well represented by 2008 champion Grant Howell, the Lance team is psyched to cross the strait to name a few from the Island. Terry Spargo wants to get his monster motored Cavalier (814 cu in) in the 6.60's or better. The Interior will see a number or participants including event sponsor Ken Kruger (does he have his new bigger bullet between the frame rails)? Should be at least 16 cars especially with the forecast. Got a picture sent to me of Lloyd Flatum's new ride, and yes it is a Pick-up. Very Nice!!!!
It is the ex Gary Chomiski Pro Stock truck. It will have a 565 cu in big block between the frame rails. He was hoping to have it out at the start of the year, but likely it will be the second or third race. See you this weekend. Will update later this week as we get more driver confirmations. E-mail me to confirm your participation this weekend. April, 2009 "Huge news to start the season" We are just a few weeks away from race one..... .....at Mission Raceway. While well are proud to announce the new series sponsor RH Race Cars and other new ones, we are also, with the struggling economy short on having events sponsors for four events. Go to the schedule page for the events available for sponsorship and for details on the sponsored events. If you have a new car have changes (paint/engine) to your existing ride, or are looking to become the newest member of the series contact us. February 17, 2009 What a way to start the upcoming season. A new series title sponsor and new race track on the schedule and new event (race ) sponsors are just some of the news to start the upcoming season. Firstly, I want to thank RJ Enterprises for their commitment the last three years, Ray and Jan have been huge supporters of the series and we are happy to announce they will be back as the "Smoke em if you got em" Burnout contest sponsor. Now for the new series Sponsor. Ryan and the entire staff at RH Race Cars have been involved with the series for the last three years, and when Ray and Jan announced they had to step back, RH stepped up to the plate without hesitation. They have sponsored the Pro Mod weekend race for the last couple years and now this web site, the trophies as well as all the major coverage of the series will be presented by RH Race Cars. They are one of THE PREMIER race car builders in Western Canada, as well as custom restos, front halfs, back halfs chassis kits and everything in between. Check out their web site from just some of the work they have completed and are working on. Another new sponsor for the 2009 season is Ken Kruger Racing out of Prince George . The 2009 schedule looks a little bit different as well as similar to previous years. Mission Raceway is the prominent race track, as Wally and the staff accommodate the CWDS association year after year. Seattle was dropped (due to no two day events available) and Spokane added for 2009. 2009 RACE SCHEDULE Race# 1 April 25-26 Mission Raceway Race# 2 May 9-10 Mission Raceway Race# 3 June 6-7 Mission Raceway Race# 4 June 13-14 Ashcroft Motorplex Race# 5 June 27-28 Mission Raceway Race# 6 July 11-12 Mission Raceway Race# 7 August 8-9 ** Port Alberni (non points) Race# 8 August 29-30 Mission Raceway Race# 9 September 12-13 Spokane Raceway Race# 10 September 26-27 Mission Raceway Lots more to talk about in the next couple weeks as we confirm all 2009 sponsors announce new teams and new cars. stay tuned!
January 25, 2009 Here is a highlight gallery from 2008, more photos in the gallery to come. Stay tuned for the 2009 schedule and many more announcements including new sponsors.
2007 results are here 2006 results are here 2005 home page archives are here. 2005 results are here 2004 results are here. other 2004 archives are here |
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