2008 Results

A Respectable Showing for the AA/Supercharged Group

A total of 5 AA/Supercharged race cars attended the 2008 California Hot Rod Reunion. Scott White led the way in qualifying by running a strong 6.83 second pass at 205MPH. This run came in the first round of qualifying and the White team had to wait and see if it held, as he experienced down-track handling problems on the other two qualifying attempts. His number did hold and he was part of the quickest field in history. The Sierra Pipe 38' Chevy was next in qualifying performance, with a 6.85 second effort to hold the first alternate spot. We were inserted for John Peterson and improved to a 6.78 in the first round. Gary Reinero ran a 7.01 second pass in qualifying and went to the final in the B program. The good news for Gary came in the semi-final round, when ran a career best 6.80 second pass at over 203 MPH. It was good to see him return to his old form. Mike Molea ran a solid 7.05 second pass in qualifying, but experienced major engine damage to end his weekend. He should come back strong as ever in the 2009 season. Brett Harris made his annual journey down from Canada for the Hot Rod Reunion. Traditionally, he ran the A-Gas class, but chose to run AA/Gas this year. Brett also experienced engine damage, but was able to make repairs and ran a best of 7.39. More to come from the 2008 California Hot Rod Reunion.

Stuck on 200

The Sierra Pipe 38' Chevy had a problem that was not solved at Bakersfield. No matter what change we made, it ran between 200 and 201 MPH. Each run we hoped that the old girl would return to her normal self and each time the same thing. The final result was a first round loss to Mike Leonard. We ran a respectable 6.78 second pass, but once again 200MPH. The representatives from the AA/Supercharged group all made strong runs this weekend and I will provide additional details on their efforts later in the week. Complete race results are shown below.

Round 1:

Mike Leonard, Plesanton CA, '69 Chevy, Right lane, (0.076) 6.655 206.18 def. Howard Anderson, Auburn CA, '38 Chevy, (0.077) 6.787 200.93

Sean Renteria, Hollister CA, '65 Valiant, Right lane, (0.050) 6.699 210.03 def. Steve Woods, Danville CA, '63 Corvette, (0.058) 8.798 102.19

Rich Roberts, Atwater CA, '34 Willys, Right lane, (0.058) 13.042 69.89 def. Chris Abbey, Clovis CA, '63 Vette, NT-No Show

Jirka Kaplan, Calgery AB, '63 Vette, Right lane, (0.023) 6.390 216.50 def. Scott White, Seaside OR, '41 Willys, (0.061) 7.618 182.81

Round 2:

M Leonard, Right lane, (0.110) 6.694 202.79 def. S Renteria, (0.024) 6.874 198.85

J Kaplan, Right lane, (0.100) 6.412 215.87 def. R Roberts, (0.001) 6.760 204.03

Round 3:

J Kaplan, Right lane, (0.151) 6.624 207.18 def. M Leonard, (0.086) 6.727 203.98

Following 3 qualifying runs at the 2008 California Hot Rod Reunion, we witnessed the quickest AA/Gas Supercharged field in history. Unfortunately the Sierra Pipe 38' Chevy was not part of the quick 8. We believed that we diagnosed the blower boost issue, by resolving a leak between the blower and manifold. The second qualifying run resulted in a weak 6.99 second pass at 200MPH, with a lack of horsepower from both burned push rods and low blower boost. Our only option was to install our spare blower for the final qualifying run and leave a known combination in tact. The car ran much better, but was still down on horsepower, combined with tire spin through 2nd and 3rd gear. The final result was a 6.85 second pass at a slow 200MPH. Scott White was able to stand on his previous 6.83 second pass to hold the bump spot in the quickest field in history. We do have good news. The #7 qualifier John Peterson will not make the call for 1st round on Sunday. As a result, we will be matched with Mike Leonard for the first round of eliminations. Hopefully we can take advantage of our second chance and race strong on Sunday. We will see....... Complete qualifying results below.

1 6180 Jirka Kaplan, Calgery AB, '63 Vette                  6.420 213.27 213.27
2 780 Mike Leonard, Plesanton CA, '69 Chevy           6.666 207.23 207.23
3 7965 Sean Renteria, Hollister CA, '65 Valiant          6.699 206.94 209.01
4 7595 Chris Abbey, Clovis CA, '63 Vette                   6.700 206.61 206.61
5 7235 Rich Roberts, Atwater CA, '34 Willys               6.728 202.24 202.24
6 1190 Steve Woods, Danville CA, '63 Corvette          6.774 203.02 203.02
7 430 John Peterson, Homewood CA, '70 Plymouth  6.805 185.75 201.16
8 627 Scott White, Seaside OR, '41 Willys                   6.832 205.10 205.10

       ------------ Not Qualified ------------

9 707 Howard Anderson, Auburn CA, '38 Chevy           6.858 200.31 200.44
10 7647 Robert Moore, El Cajon , '60 Impala                    6.877 201.52 201.52
11 7408 Gary Reinero, Merced CA, '48 Austin                  7.017 198.45 198.45
12 778 TK Krupa, Leona Valley CA, '40 Willys                  7.019 197.80 197.80
13 6768 Mike Molea, Grants Pass OR, '33 Willys              7.055 193.00 193.00
14 7053 Mark Mahood, Yorba Linda CA, '69 Camaro       7.155 193.71 193.71
15 727H Scott Loomis, Ojai CA, '53 Studebaker               7.166 191.77 191.77
16 6837 Brent Harris, Edmonton AB, '33 Olds                   7.391 183.93 186.02
17 7545 Cecil Matthews, Redwood Valley CA, '67 Mustang 7.630 180.61 180.61

2008 California Hot Rod Reunion Friday Qualifying Results

Conditions appeared to be excellent for the first round of qualifying at Bakersfield. 17 cars are attempting to qualify for the 8 car AA/Gas field. Based on the quantity and quality of cars attending this event, it may take a 6.7 second pass to qualify and race on Sunday. With good air and track conditions we set the car exactly the same as the 6.66 second pass in Mission. The Sierra Pipe 38' Chevy was first out and matched with Scott White. The result was a 6.92 second pass at 200.44 MPH. Evaluation of the run placed the blame on the lack of performance on the supercharger. We were down a full 3 pounds of boost. The plan tomorrow will be to put on our spare supercharger and leave the combination the same. After one round of qualifying, 3 out of 5 AA/Supercharged cars are qualified fir the tough 8 car field. With 2 runs scheduled for tomorrow, things are sure to change. Complete qualifying results are shown below.

1 780 Mike Leonard, Plesanton CA, '69 Chevy           6.666 207.23 207.23
2 7965 Sean Renteria, Hollister CA, '65 Valiant          6.699 206.94 206.94
3 627 Scott White, Seaside OR, '41 Willys                  6.832 205.10 205.10
4 707 Howard Anderson, Auburn CA, '38 Chevy        6.926 200.44 200.44
5 6180 Jirka Kaplan, Calgery AB, '63 Vette                  6.989 158.42 158.42
6 6768 Mike Molea, Grants Pass OR, '33 Willys          7.055 193.00 193.00
7 7053 Mark Mahood, Yorba Linda CA, '69 Camaro    7.155 193.71 193.71
8 727 Dale Boomgaarden, Gilroy CA, '68 Plymouth   7.166 191.77 191.77

       ------------ Not Qualified ------------

9 430 John Peterson, Homewood CA, '70 Plymouth        7.187 176.29 176.29
10 7408 Gary Reinero, Merced CA, '48 Austin                      7.223 195.73 195.73
11 7595 Chris Abbey, Clovis CA, '63 Vette                           7.414 141.08 141.08
12 6837 Brent Harris, Edmonton AB, '33 Olds                     7.528 186.02 186.02
13 7545 Cecil Matthews, Redwood Valley CA, '67 Mustang 7.877 172.81 172.81
14 7647 Robert Moore, El Cajon , '60 Impala                      8.393 112.68 112.68
15 1190 Steve Woods, Danville CA, '63 Corvette                8.904 106.45 106.45
16 7235 Rich Roberts, Atwater CA, '34 Willys                      14.085   66.41   66.41

Final AA/Supercharged Point Standings

It was a solid year for AA/Supercharged racing. We had great participation from all the racers, with full fields at each and every event and a total of 12 cars participating in the series this year. Thanks to all the track operators and crews for treating us so well. It seems like every race included a free BBQ and live music for all of the racers and crews. I will save all of the detailed season review stuff for the off season. The final points are shown below.

1. Howard Anderson* 4611

2. Gary Reinero 4611

3. Mitch Chamberlin 3861

4. Scott White 3621

5. Mike Molea 3181

6. Ron Nahas 3091

7. Dave Inglis 1681

8. Bill Fitting 1640

9. Dave Thompson 1400

10. Scott Wyke 740

11. Dana Wilt 630

12. Brent Harris 620

*Secured the championship when Gary Reinero broke at the final event.

Sierra Pipe Championship Weekend Summary

Looking back at the weekend at Medford, the championship result did not match the events of the weekend.

Qualifying - Based on track conditions encountered during our last trip to Medford, combined with the hot weather forecast, we opted for a extremely soft setup for the first round of qualifying. The Champion Raceway crew did such a good job of prepping the track, we slipped the clutch so bad, it was embarrassing and the result was a 7.31 second pass at 192MPH. On the second qualifying pass, we made a huge change and it turned out to be too much as we shook our way to a 7.17 second pass and Howard had to lift it was so bad. We backed up some for the final qualifying pass, but it still shook at mid-track. We still improved to a 7.01 at 198.55MPH. We now had something to work with on race day.

Race Day - With temperatures again predicted to be in the 90s, we felt we had a combination that could go down the track three times smoothly. Everything went to plan first round as we ran a strong 6.92 second pass at 208.75MPH.......Wow. This set the stage for the championship match-up with series points leader and multi-time AA/Supercharged champion Gary Reinero. Unfortunately the race did not live up to the billing, as Gary jumped forward during the final staging process and turned on the red light, giving Howard the win. As was the case Saturday afternoon, the Sierra Pipe 38' Chevy shook all the way through 3rd gear and 4th gear, causing Howard to lift again. The result was a 7.08 second pass at 194MPH. We now had to face Scott White, who was having a perfect weekend, qualifying #1 with a 6.90 second pass at over 201MPH. He improved to a 6.89 second pass first round and held lane choice for the final. We felt if we could go down the tricky left lane smoothly, we could give Scott a run for the money. Scott and the White team would have none of that, as the blasted a perfect 6.81 second run, to dispel any thoughts we had of winning the race and taking the championship. Congratulations to the White team, it does not get any better than that type of run in a final round.

The Championship - For the Sierra Pipe team and Gary Reinero, the day was not over. At the conclusion of eliminations, the championship points were tied. This had never happened in AA/Supercharged racing and no tie-breaker rule existed. The only fair thing to do, was race for the championship. To make lane choice fair, Gary Reinero ran the same left lane, following the final round of the race to establish lane choice for the championship race. Our tire shaking 8.18 second pass in the final was easy pickings for Gary, as he ran a smooth 7.17 second pass to secure lane choice. Unfortunately, smoke came from the Brad Anderson power plant during Gary's run. This smoke sealed the championship for the Sierra Pipe team. The engine damage did not allow for Gary to make repairs for the final match-up. Howard took the green light to claim the 2008 AA/Supercharged championship.

Big Day at Medford

Qualifying at Medford was dramatic. In the first round, the Sierra Pipe 38' Chevy was set to run about a 7.10, based on previous data from the race earlier this year. It turns out the Champion Raceway staff had prepared the track so well, we slipped the clutch so bad, the result was a 7.31 at 192MPH. In the same round of qualifying, Scott White hit the combination perfect for the conditions and ran a great 6.90 at 201 MPH.

The second round brought 94° temperatures and a hot race track. We piled on the clutch and shook our way to a 7.17 second pass. Things became dramatic as Gary Reinero matched with Mitch Chamberlin, with precious qualifying points on the line. Mitch was not qualified at this point and they ran side-by-side smoothly down the track. As they crossed the finish line, no time came up for either lane. This left Gary still sitting in the #2 qualifying position and Mitch not qualified. Going into the final qualifying session, both Mitch and Gary had the option to make a fourth qualifying pass if necessary.

In the final session, we made the proper adjustments and ran a solid 7.01 pass at 198MPH. Gary improved to a 7.13, with Mitch running a 7.23 in the heat of the day. Following this session, Howard sat in 2nd place, with Gary in 4th and Mitch in 5th. In this case, Gary would get the #8 qualifier 1st round and Mitch would be matched with #1 qualifier Scott White. If Gary wins first round, Mitch would be eliminated from the championship. Mitch took the option to run a 4th pass to try and drop Gary to the #5 spot. It did not work out as Mitch was not able to better Gary's 7.13 pass.

To make things more dramatic as Gary got help from the Northwest Hitter "Bucky Austin", following the 3rd round of qualifying. With Bucky's help, Gary came out for a final effort. Unfortunately it yeilded a 7.17 pass. Now the dust finally settled. Here is the final qualifying order.

1. Scott White 6.902 201.58MPH

2. Howard Anderson 7.011 198.55MPH

3. Mike Molea 7.112 191.00MPH

4. Gary Reinero 7.133 192.66MPH

5. Mitch Chamberlin 7.246 190.08MPH

6. Bernie Plourd 7.315 185.95MPH

7. Ron Nahas 7.356 188.41MPH

8. Dave Inglis 7.512 175.73MPH

9. Dave Thompson 7.537 185.08MPH

10. Scott Wyke 7.939 171.97MPH

11. Bill Fitting 8.468 161.00MPH

This was another big turnout of 11 AA/Supercharged cars for the final event of the season. As usual, qualifying was followed by a delicious BBQ supplied by Champion Raceway, with a live band for Jim Taylor's Birthday. Happy Birthday Jim. No idea what tomorrow will bring, but it should be exciting.

Woodburn Eliminations

THE RACE IS OVER BUT NO WINNER

Not a good day for the Sierra Pipe team. The weather and track conditions looked good on Sunday, but this must have been a false impression. We set the car up much softer than the final round at Mission, but we still blew the tires off immediately. This spelled a first round defeat again.

As the race progressed, the final round would match Gary Reinero with Mitch Chamberlin. This is when things got strange. Mitch blew the engine in a semi-final victory and was not able to make the final. Gary would have a single for the victory, ................but he was not able to stage the car in the final. By NHRA rules, you must start and stage the car to take a round victory. This strange set of circumstances left us with two runner ups and no winner.

Wait until you see how this effected the championship points and the possibilities going into the final race at Medford in two weeks.

Woodburn Qualifying Results

Saturday qualifying brought a different set of conditions from Mission last week. The first round of qualifying resulted in Gary Reinero sitting on top with a 6.96 second pass at 192.80 MPH. The Sierra Pipe team sat in second with a troubled 7.17 second run. After proper adjustments, the second qualifying round produced better results. When the dust settled, Scott White sat on top of the heap, with a great 6.78 second pass, with the Sierra Pipe 38' Chevy still sitting second at 6.84 seconds.

Special recognition goes out to Mitch Chamberlin, Dana Wilt and Bill Fitting, for getting things together for the race this weekend. Mitch Chamberlin and team spent Tuesday and Wednesday with Brad Hadman. With help from the Bill Fitting team they were able to get the damaged race car chassis back in shape for Woodburn. A total of 11 AA/Supercharged cars provided a great turnout for back-to-back race weekends.

Complete qualifying results are shown below.

1. Scott White 6.788 203.57MPH

2. Howard Anderson 6.849 203.94MPH

3. Gary Reinero 6.961 192.80MPH

4. Mitch Chamberlin 7.079 194.72MPH

5. Dave Thompson 7.333 181.34MPH

6. Dave Inglis 7.366 189.39MPH

7. Mike Molea 7.421 187.73MPH

8. Bill Fitting 7.573 176.47MPH

Not Qualified

9. Dana Wilt 7.818 131.52MPH

10. Ron Nahas 8.201 124.72MPH

11. Scott Wyke

Mission Accomplished

Complete Qualifying Results Below

Wow, what a great weekend.

The Laundry List Includes:

1. Qualified #1 - 6.736 @ 206.18 MPH

2. Track ET Record - 6.665 Seconds

3. AA/Supercharged Speed Record - 207.32 MPH

4. Won the Race - 6.737 @ 207.32 MPH

5. Weekend Worst Reaction Time .083

All with a 38' Chevy Body, 4 Speed Trans and no Ignition Assistance.

Mission 08' Final Qualifying Results

1. Howard Anderson 6.736 206.18 MPH

2. Scott White 6.832 205.76 MPH

3. Mitch Chamberlin ` 6.933 199.60 MPH

4. Ron Nahas 7.013 191.61 MPH

5. Mike Molea 7.030 193.42 MPH

6. Gary Reinero 7.039 191.85 MPH

7. Brent Harris 7.212 192.18 MPH

8. William Fitting 7.267 182.88 MPH

9. Dana Wilt

A Mechanical Review of the Woodburn Weekend

Saturday finally went to plan. With only two qualifying runs available, we set the combination soft for the first pass. The clutch slipped the entire pass and the cylinder temperatures were cool at the finish line, resulting in a 6.80 at 202.75MPH. Pretty much what we expected. For the second pass, we leaned the fuel system, added both static and counterweight to the clutch. Normally this would be a crazy move, but we had nothing to lose at this point. The second pass resulted in a track record 6.71 second pass. Evaluation of the computer data determined the car was on the edge early in the run and the cylinder temperatures were still cool. Our normal cylinder leak check following the run found a failed piston. Quick repairs were done and we were ready for Sunday.

By qualifying #1, the amateur racing ladder matched us with the 2007 AA/Supercharged champion in the first round. We were planning on him running a mid 6.8 second pass or better and had to tune appropriately. We removed 1/2 turn of static clutch pressure and leaned the fuel system a little more. If the wheel speed was in our target range early, the 60' time would improve and it would result in a run in the 6.6 second range. Sunday brought cooler temperatures and the best track conditions that I have ever seen at Woodburn. The combination of the great track conditions and less clutch static pressure, resulted in low wheel speed early. When the clutch counter weight came in, the car shook violently. Howard had to peddle the car and was not able to run the champ down. If we were able to properly race the #8 qualifier, the result would have been an easy win. Sour grapes for me.

Lots more to come as we prepare for the annual trip to Canada......................

Woodburn #2 Qualifying Results

Finally things went well for the Sierra Pipe team in qualifying. Following the first pass, we sat on top with a 6.80 pass at 202.75 MPH. With a solid pass under our belt, we tried to lay down a 6.6 second pass in the second and final round of qualifying. We came close with a new track record of 6.71 seconds at 204.87 MPH. We will have to wait and see what race day holds in store.

1. Howard Anderson             6.718   204.87
2. Scott White                        6.831   205.38
3. Ron Nahas                          7.079   189.87
4. Mike Molea                          7.136 187.73
5. Mitch Chamberlin               7.292 195.10
6. Gary Reinero                       7.321 190.27
7. Dave Inglis                          7.391 186.37
8. Scott Wyke                          8.632 125.94
9. Dave Thompson                  9.129 98.08

Medford AA/Supercharged Event Cancelled

The event will not be made up and qualifying points will be awarded to the teams

With all of the rain that occurred the week prior to the event, the track conditions finally became unraceable for the powerful AA/Supercharged cars. Heavy rain late Saturday afternoon and evening created the track problems. Jim Taylor and the Champion Raceway crew worked all day Sunday to try and prepare the track for racing, but is was not to be. Gary Reinero was our test pilot and tried to make a pass late Sunday afternoon. His car only went a couple of feet, before smoking the tires. At that point we decided to cancel the racing portion of the event.

As a tribute to the fans and thanks to Jim Taylor and the Champion Raceway crew, the qualified AA/Supercharged cars made single exhibition passes. We all detuned our cars as much as possible, in an effort to make a smooth pass. Unfortunately nobody made it down the track under power. More updates to come later in the week.

Saturday qualifying at Medford brought difficult conditions in more ways than one. The track conditions were difficult to deal with and the weather did not help either. Virtually no cars could make it down the track under power in the first qualifying session. When the dust settled, the Sierra Pipe 38' Chevy was on top with a tire shaking 7.13 at 195.73 MPH. A distant second was Scott White with a 7.44 at 182.33 MPH. The second qualifying session brought the threat of rain and before the session was complete, the rains came. Four cars including the Sierra Pipe team sat when the rains came. We will complete qualifying at 10:00 AM, with the remaining four cars. The four cars include Howard Anderson, Mitch Chamberlin, Gary Reinero and Mike Molea. A new day and a new set of track conditions will make for exciting racing tomorrow.

The racer turnout and the hospitality at Champion Raceway are top notch. For this race we have a total of 10 AA/Supercharged race teams as compared to 7 for the NHRA event at Bakersfield. The Champion Raceway crew is great and we enjoyed a great BBQ for the racers, following the conclusion of the days activities. Thanks again to Jim Taylor and everyone involved. The weather forecast is good for tomorrow. Look for a race wrap on Monday and pictures to follow.

Woodburn Elimination Results
Thanks Rob Frazier for Round by Round Results

1st Round

Mike Molea defeated Scott White
.032                Reaction Time       .106
7.087               Elapsed Time       7.204
177.20                   Speed            191.08
Mike ruptured a oil line and Scott Slipped the Clutch

Howard Anderson defeated Dave Thompson
.212                Reaction Time       .075
7.078               Elapsed Time       7.783
199.42                  Speed            179.35
Howard Slipped the clutch big time

Gary Reinero defeated Ron Nahas
.052                Reaction Time       .388
7.107               Elapsed Time       8.874
184.57                   Speed            104.67
Gary kicked the rods out.

Mitch Chamberlin defeated Bill Fitting
.073                Reaction Time       .102
7.067               Elapsed Time       7.385
195.31                  Speed            185.64

Semi-Finals

Howard Anderson defeated Mike Molea
.116                Reaction Time       -.180
7.006               Elapsed Time       7.175
201.70                  Speed            188.71
It must have been Mad Mad Mike, as he turned on the red bulb. Howard slipped the clutch in low and shook hard in 2nd.

Mitch Chamberlin raced Scott White
.078               Reaction Time       .095
6.971               Elapsed Time       6.902
198.76                   Speed            197.15
Mitch was declared the winner of the round when Gary Reinero broke. Scott Raced Mitch for the fans.

Finals

Howard Anderson defeated Mitch Chamberlin
.084                Reaction Time       .083
6.911              Elapsed Time       6.997
203.84                   Speed            197.64
Howard still shook in 2nd, but took the win. Mitch kicked a rod out.

Woodburn Qualifying Results
Without the qualifying list available, I will try and provide the results to the best that I can recall. On the first run, the Sierra Pipe 38' Chevy left extremely soft and slipped the clutch through the entire run. The engine went to 9000 rpms and stayed at that level. The result was a weak 7.03 at 197 MPH. The second run was actually worse with a 7.13 ET. Major Changes will be made for race day, with cooler conditions expected. Here is the qualifying order.

1. Scott White - 6.84 202MPH

2. Gary Reinero - 6.90 189MPH
3. Howard Anderson - 7.03 197MPH
4. Mitch Chamberlin - 7.17 195MPH
5. Mike Molea
6. Ron Nahas
7. Dave Thompson
8. Bill Fitting

March Meet Mechanical Update and Elimination Statistics
Following the disassembly of our engine, we found evidence of a small piece of metal that became temporally lodged under the intake valve and the result was a supercharger backfire. The origin of the foreign material is yet to be discovered. It is now time to tear the entire engine down, inspect each component and install a new set of connecting rods. Our focus will now shift to the AA/Supercharged season, which begins at Woodburn the second week in May.

I have the summary of March Meet AA/Gas Supercharged eliminations below.

Round 1:

Mike Leonard, Plesanton CA, '69 Chevy, Right lane, (0.089) 6.663 208.09 def. John Peterson, Homewood CA, '70 Plymouth, (0.066) 6.964
199.07

Chris Abbey, Clovis CA, '63 Vette, Left lane, (0.138) 6.578 211.01 def.
Ron Nahas, Reno NV, '41 Willys, (0.064) 6.948 196.93

Steve Woods, Danville CA, '63 Corvette, Right lane, (0.096) 7.250 145.91 def. Cecil Matthews, Redwood Valley CA, '67 Mustang, (0.229) 8.207 170.51

Rich Roberts, Atwater CA, '34 Willys, Left lane, (0.060) 6.728 203.06 def. Howard Anderson, Auburn CA, '38 Chevy, (0.034) 7.566
143.83

Semi-Final Round:

S Woods, Right lane, (0.061) 6.659 207.51 def.
C Abbey, (0.136) 6.673 208.86

M Leonard, Left lane, (0.121) 6.692 207.08 def.
R Roberts, (0.069) 6.748 207.66

Final Round:

S Woods, Right lane, (0.092) 7.780 124.41 def.
M Leonard, (-0.306 foul) 10.050 72.29

Low ET: Chris Abbey 6.578 seconds
Top Speed: Chris Abbey 211.01 MPH

March Meet Qualifying Final Results
A better day for the Sierra Pipe team. We used a combination that was safe enough to run the return road, in an effort to make sure we qualified for the 50th March Meet. Fortunately everything worked as predicted and the car went straight down the track, slipping the clutch the whole way. The result was a 6.77 at over 204MPH. We now have something to work with on race day. Unable to connect to the Internet at the motel and I have to do short updates over breakfast. Complete race coverage coming tomorrow. Final qualifying standings shown below.
1 780 Mike Leonard, Plesanton CA, '69 Chevy           6.682 207.18 210.18
2 7595 Chris Abbey, Clovis CA, '63 Vette                     6.705 179.78 179.78
3 1190 Steve Woods, Danville CA, '63 Corvette          6.725 206.18 206.18
4 707 Howard Anderson, Auburn CA, '38 Chevy        6.775 204.68 204.68
5 7235 Rich Roberts, Atwater CA, '34 Willys               6.792 201.79 201.88
6 7545 Cecil Matthews, Redwood      , '67 Mustang 6.935 202.56 202.56
7 7014 Ron Nahas, Reno NV, '41 Willys                        7.030 193.38 193.38
8 430 John Peterson, Homewood CA, '70 Plymouth  7.080 195.52 195.52

       ------------ Not Qualified ------------

9 7408 Gary Reinero, Merced CA, '48 Austin             7.128 195.10 195.10
10 7238 Efren Vazquez, Huntington, '68 Camaro      7.365 188.63 188.63
11 7965 Sean Renteria, Hollister CA, '65 Valiant        7.816 179.35 179.35

Based on the huge number of race cars attending the open test at Bakersfield, most of the day consisted of waiting to make a run. The consensus among the race teams was the track conditions were considered marginal. This was confirmed when the Sierra Pipe 38’ Chevy finally came to the line at 2:30PM and not one alcohol or fuel car had made it down the track under power. With this in mind, we made sure to have a conservative clutch and fuel system combination. This paid off, when we went straight down the middle of the lane, smooth as silk, with the clutch slipping all the way. The result was a 6.71 second pass at 206.42 MPH. The soft leave and other
incremental times are shown below.
60’ - 1.087 330’ - 2.869, 1/8 Mile 4.353 @ 165.44MPH ¼ Mile 6.717 @ 206.42MPH
It sure felt good to get a full pass under our belt. For the next pass, we tightened up the clutch a little, left the fuel system alone, since we were in test mode. The waiting continued and the sun was setting fast, as the track became cold. The clutch change worked and the car left better. Half way through second gear, the car moved out of the groove and became ill-handling, hugging the centerline all the way. At 5.1 seconds, the transmission failed. Howard’s quick reaction and the rev limiter, saved the engine from destruction. With the ugly nature of the run, the numbers indicate we were on pace to run a 6.70 or 6.69 seconds. Check the incremental numbers.
60’ - 1.057 330’ - 2.847 1/8 Mile - 4.344 @ 163.69 ¼ Mile 6.923 @ 166.48MPH
Today, we unloaded the car, removed the transmission and disassembled the engine. It appears that a o-ring failure caused the transmission problem. We will go through the entire engine, repair the transmission and be ready for the March Meet. With better track conditions expected, the current combination should result in a mid 6.6 second pass right off the trailer. More updates to come.