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Wolf Racing
"Taking Life 13 12 10 8 Seconds At A Time!"


2008 Racing Season Updates

June 27, 2008

School's out for summer, but our team was out at the track doing what we do best. Sit and bake in the sun, while taking in the smell of VHT and burnt rubber. Today was the last race for our two grade eight drivers, so it was decided by the majority of the other drivers and pit crew that they could automatically drive our two fastest cars, "Jessie" and "Molly", in the elimination rounds. As with all races, the driver with the fastest reaction time got their choice of car. Graeme had the fastest R/T, so he drove "Molly", while Rick drove "Jessie". As for the rest of our drivers, they all got to drive at least twice today. Not bad considering the number of drivers we had at the track today.

In the elimination rounds, Graeme M. in Molly, went up against Devin D. from Mouat. Devin was eliminated due to a close red light, allowing Graeme to go on to the next round. In the other pairing, Rick C. driving "Jessie", went up against Rae-Anne M. in "Chilli". Rick C. eeked out a win and went on to face Graeme in the final round. Two grade 8 students on their last day at the track under our school's banner, going head to head for first place - couldn't have written a better script! There were no losers in this one, as both drivers did a fantastic job. Both boys will be sorely missed on our team, as they were an inspiration to the younger drivers. Both of them took the time to show the younger team members "the ropes". They join a list of great drivers that have gone through our drag race programme. Former students like Samantah Pain, Dan Chalmers, Levi Tremblay, and Kyle McCarthy.

In the final elimination round, the drivers got to choose their own dial in times. It certainly takes the pressure off of us adults, that's for sure. If you look at the results of that last elimination round, their dial in times were pretty darn close.

With the final two race dates of the season being in September, the dragsters will now be stored for two months As of now, our school is ahead in team points. For more info on how our drivers and cars are doing so far this season, please visit the BCSSMA (British Columbia Secondary School Motorsports Association) web site.


Time Lane School Car Driver R/T 60' 330' 1/8 MPH Dial
Elimination
10:37 Left W. J. Mouat
451 Kyle M.
0.232 2.184 6.276
9.925 65.97

10:37 Right
CDGMS (Molly) 482C Rick C.
0.289 1.839 5.434 8.680 73.76

10:38 Left CDGMS (Chilli)
482B Simon T.
0.313 2.806 8.485 13.771 44.93

10:38 Right CDGMS (Jessie)
482A Michael P.
0.269 2.167 6.454 10.455 59.21

11:03 Left W. J. Mouat 451 Kyle M.
0.013 2.151 6.207 9.840 66.21

11:03 Right CDGMS (Molly) 482C Rick C. 0.153 1.826 5.405 8.647 73.83

11:05 Left CDGMS (Jessie) 482A Michael P.
0.407
2.134
6.255
10.091
62.07


11:05 Right CDGMS (Chilli) 482B Simon T.
0.928 2.916 8.488 13.673 45.85

11:46 Left CDGMS (Jessie) 482A Rae-Anne M.
0.229 2.149 6.361 10.270 60.90

11:46 Right W. J. Mouat 451 Devin D.
0.305 2.090 6.071 9.663 66.58

11:47 Left CDGMS (Chilli) 482B Ben P. 0.340 2.742 8.371 13.548 46.18

11:47 Right CDGMS (Molly) 482C Graeme M. 0.275 1.940 5.685 9.058 71.22

1:27 Left CDGMS (Jessie) 482A Nick V.
9.025 N/A N/A N/A N/A

1:27 Right CDGMS (Chilli) 482B Sam W. 0.290 2.787 8.393 13.518 46.55

1:29 Left CDGMS (Molly) 482C Graeme M.
0.224 1.838 5.414 8.653 74.09

1:29 Right
W. J. Mouat 451 Kyle M.
0.078
2.158
6.177
9.809
66.11


1:56
Left
No Data*
-
Devin D. 0.056
2.111
6.062
-
-


1:56 Right
CDGMS (Molly) 482C
Graeme M.
-0.427
2.621
6.369
9.742
71.30


1:58
Left
CDGMS (Chilli) 482B Sam W.
1.129
2.692
8.138
13.157
47.39


1:58 Right
CDGMS (Jessie) 482A Nick V.
1.094
2.249
6.478
10.418
60.43


2:40
Left
W. J. Mouat 451 Devin D.
-0.039
2.237
7.053
11.371
58.83
9.60
R1 Eliminated
2:40 Right
CDGMS (Molly) 482C Graeme M.
0.045
1.961
5.727
9.123
70.78
9.03
R1Win
2:41
Left
CDGMS (Chilli) 482B Rae-Anne M.
0.627
2.747
8.255
13.336
46.63
13.00
R1 Eliminated
2:41 Right
CDGMS (Jessie) 482A Rick C. 0.210
2.116
6.255
10.133
61.09
9.75
R1 Win
4:09
Left
CDGMS (Jessie) 482A Rick C.
0.165
2.115
6.272
10.173
60.79
10.10
R2 Win
4:09 Right
CDGMS (Molly) 482C Graeme M.
-0.077
1.946
5.723
9.127
70.50
9.06
R2 Eliminated

* no data for car number, ET, and MPH on time slip (reason unknown).

June 13, 2008

After four weeks of no racing, our students were itching to drive. A light drizzle in the morning and forecast of possible rain in the afternoon had most of us worried, but as it turned out, it stayed dry with the sun breaking through in late afternoon. For the first time this season, we took along all three dragsters. Our friends from Mouat had their new junior dragster fixed and ready to run. To our surprise, their dragster ran in the high 9's. Well, at least it was a surprise to us. We were led to believe their car was to run in the 12's.  In any case,  Molly, our flagship car, performed well again. We ran into some problems with the roller chain stretching, but after a quick removal of a few links, we were ready for the elimination rounds. In the first round of eliminations, we had Chilli go up against Jessie, while Molly went up against Mouat's dragster. Jessie, our sponsor's car was eliminated and Chilli went onto the next round. In the other pairing, Mouat's dragster got eliminated by Molly, which led to the final pairings where Molly went up against Chili. Chili, driven by Ben P. went on to win first place. Congratulations, Ben - nice trophy, BTW.

Mr. Glum and the MMH class joined us at the track today. We fired up the BBQ and had burgers and smokies. It's always great when the MMH class comes out to MRP to cheer us on. Food always tastes great with good company. Thanks, Mr. Glum for getting the BBQ up and running!


Alternating colours are used in the table below to make it easier to keep track of pairings.
Time Lane School Car Driver R/T 60' 330' 1/8 MPH Dial
Elimination
11:11 Left W. J. Mouat
451 Kyle M. 0.109 2.253 6.378
10.056 65.46

11:11 Right
CDGMS (Molly) 482C Rae-Anne M.
0.203 1.976 5.658 8.978 72.17

11:11 Left CDGMS (Jessie)
482A Michael P.
0.184 2.245 6.422 10.295 48.01

11:11 Right CDGMS (Chilli)
482B Ben P. 0.495 2.707 8.123 13.178 46.90

12:25 Left CDGMS (Chilli) 482B Simon T.
0.606 3.051 8.849 14.210 44.32

12:25 Right CDGMS (Molly) 482C Rick C. 0.414 1.890 5.493 8.751 73.32

12:27 Left W. J. Mouat 451 Kyle M.
autostart overridden due to starting problems - no results


12:27 Right CDGMS (Jessie) 482A Nick V. 0.114 2.317 6.585 10.563 59.60

1:29 Left W. J. Mouat 451 Devin D. 0.477 2.246 6.360 10.010 65.96

1:29 Right CDGMS (Molly) 482A Graeme M.
0.352 1.972 5.752 9.154 70.65

1:30 Left CDGMS (Chilli) 482B Rick C. 0.922 2.621 7.937 12.946 47.35

1:30 Right CDGMS (Jessie) 482A Sam W.
0.205 2.214 6.507 10.463 60.24

2:19 Left CDGMS (Chilli) 482B Brittney H.
1.030 2.679 8.036 13.021 47.65

2:19 Right CDGMS (Jessie) 482A Michael P. 0.144 2.142 6.313 10.185 61.41

2:20 Left W. J. Mouat 451 Devin D.
0.664 2.137 6.137 9.724 67.04

2:20 Right
CDGMS (Molly) 482C
Rae-Anne M.
0.075
1.921
5.598
8.913
72.32


3:00
Left
W. J. Mouat 451
Kyle M. 0.275
2.207
6.239
9.858
66.36


3:00 Right
CDGMS (Molly) 482C
Rae-Anne M. 0.082
1.900
5.560
8.871
72.28


3:01
Left
CDGMS (Chilli) 482B Ben P.
1.293
2.729
8.128
13.147
47.09


3:01 Right
CDGMS (Jessie) 482A Nick V.
0.450
2.191
6.455
10.421
59.66


3:28
Left
W. J. Mouat 451 Kyle M.
-0.264
2.180
6.211
9.848
65.84
9.80
R1 Eliminated
3:28 Right
CDGMS (Molly) 482C Rae-Anne M. LB3A
2.404
6.124
9.445
72.51
8.85
R1Win
3:29
Left
CDGMS (Chilli) 482B Ben P. 0.106
2.731
8.125
13.600
39.35
13.14
R1 Win
3:29 Right
CDGMS (Jessie) 482A Nick V. 0.636
2.180
6.841
11.750
45.87
10.40
R1 Eliminated
4:17
Left
CDGMS (Chilli) 482B Ben P.
0.406
2.702
8.100
13.556
41.31
13.14
R2 Win
4:17 Right
CDGMS (Molly) 482C Rae-Anne M. LB3A
7.129
10.801
14.122
72.02
8.85
R2 Eliminated
4:17
Left
CDGMS (Jessie) 482A Michael P.
0.311
2.101
6.240
10.113
61.24


4:17 Right
W. J. Mouat 451
Devin D. 0.405
2.099
6.045
9.626
66.71






May 16, 2008

It has been quite some time since we updated this web page. Weather has been terrible this season. Our first two race dates for the season, April 4th and 18th, were rained out. The weather on May 2nd, our third race date, was also predicted to be bad. So certain was the bad weather that the BCSSMA executive canceled racing the day before. Despite the cancelation, we decide to take our chances and headed out to Mission Raceway Park. The race gods kept the dark clouds in check and we had a full day of racing without a drop of rain. It started to rain as soon as we got back to school at the end of the day. Thank you, race gods. Results from that day to be posted later when we find them....... ooops.

Today, May 16th, the weather reports called for sunny skies with temperatures in the Valley to hit well over the 30 degrees Celsius mark. Sure enough, it was sunny and hot, hot, hot! The track was pretty full today with all kinds of test and tune cars along with a full compliment of high school cars and even a few juniors. Today, we faced off against Mouat Secondary's new junior as well as a junior that represented A. D. Rundle Middle School of Chilliwack.

We had a great day at the track. "Molly", our black dragster with the newly purchased JR Racing, stage 5 motor and new Shockwave clutch, did very, very well. On one of the runs, it ran through the 1/8 mile in 8.702 seconds with a trap speed of 73.72 miles per hour! Two weeks ago, the dragster went a surprising 8.98 seconds in the eighth. We were told by JR Racing, the place where we purchased our refurbished motor from, that the motor would take our car with its combined weight of vehicle and driver into the mid 9's. Well, it's always a big bonus when the car goes half a second faster than it's supposed to. On that day, our last run resulted in the sprocket hub breaking off from the axle. It actually split open and warped to the point it spun and caused all kinds of damage to the axle and sprocket. It was a case of too much power for an old and tired vehicle. We immediately ordered a new axle, an upgraded heavy duty hub, and a new set of sprockets. This, of course, led to the improved times we saw today. Too good are the times, in fact, that we will have to investigate to see if the gear ratio is wrong for the motor. If so, we may have to change the gear ratio and slow the car down to ensure the motor is not being overworked. After all, we are a public school with little funding. Longevity of the equipment is so important. You break stuff when you go too fast.

So far this year, we have had five new drivers trained. All have done very well on their first runs at the track. A very promising group of drivers, indeed. At this time, we would like to take the opportunity to thank all the parents who come out and support the team. Mr. McCarthy, our mechanic, Mr. Wilson for building us the tow dolly and getting us a second support vehicle, Mr. Cartright, who comes out each time to help set up at the track, Grandpa Dugdale, our counselor, who's there each time to help stage the cars. It's always the people behind the scenes who make a difference. We get compliments at the track for how organized we are and how professional looking we are and it's all because of the help these guys give. Everything from loading and unloading equipment, and fixing up the cars, to helping out at practices in the school's parking lot. To Rad Torque Systems / New World Technologies, our main sponsors, thanks for all the help you have provided us. It's amazing how much work and sweat goes into the end result which, ironically, lasts for only a few short seconds.

Our next track date is June 13th. Hopefully, we will have our third dragster, Chilli, up and running by then.

May 16, 2008 Race Results.

At 11:25, Jessie, our sponsor's car, lined up with Mouat's brand new dragster.
At 2:03, Molly, our dragster with the new motor went up against Mouat.
At 2:06, Jessie went up against the dragster from R. D. Rundle.
At 10:59, Molly broke the all time CDGMS record with a pass of 8.702 seconds in the eighth mile with a trap speed of 73.72 Miles Per Hour.

In all fairness, the Mouat car had clutch problems today and was not running right. In three weeks time, it'll all be fixed and we will look forward to a rematch.
R. D. Rundle Middle School had problems on their inaugural run and were finished for the day. We hope to see them again in three weeks.


Please note that on some runs, the cars were not paired up. Alternating colours are used in the table below to make it easier to keep track of pairings.
Time Lane School Car Driver R/T 60' 330' 1/8 MPH
10:42 Left CDGMS (Molly)
482C Kevin Y. 0.027 1.869
8.745 73.46
10:59 Left CDGMS (Molly) 482C Kevin Y. -0.256 1.851 5.448 8.702 73.72
11:25 Left W. J. Mouat 451 Kyle M. 1.091 3.985 10.036 15.123 48.01
11:25 Right CDGMS (Jessie)
482A Ben P. 0.222 2.170 6.578 10.684 57.99
12:20 Left CDGMS (Jessie) 482A Ben P. 0.358 2.228 6.597 10.679 58.15
12:20 Right CDGMS (Molly) 482C Kevin Y. 0.134 1.839 5.464 8.753 72.86
1:05 Right CDGMS (Molly) 482C Kevin Y. 0.166 1.854 5.492 8.793 72.59
2:03 Left W. J. Mouat 451 Kyle M. 0.723 5.117 12.345 18.301 40.89
2:03 Right CDGMS (Molly) 482C Kevin Y. 0.176 1.879 5.575 8.967 70.1
2:06 Left A. D. Rundle 483 ??? -0.038 8.290 17.144 26.149 24.23
2:06 Right CDGMS (Jessie) 482A Rick C. 0.713 2.180 6.583 10.738 56.76
2:56 Left CDGMS (Jessie) 482A Kevin Y. 0.888 2.249 6.670 10.848 56.89
2:56 Right CDGMS (Molly) 482C Rick C. 0.39 1.853 5.465 8.735 73.13
3:35 Left CDGMS (Jessie)* 482A Ben P. N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
3:35 Right CDGMS (Molly) 482C Rick C. 0.310 1.825 5.44 8.724 73.00




February 18, 2008


Our PAC (Parent Advisory Council) approved the spending of funds to purchase a motor and clutch for one of our dragsters. We are looking forward to working on the dragsters and breaking our speed records from previous seasons. By April 4th, our first race date, we are hoping to field three junior dragsters.

New 2008 race schedule is up on our web site.
 

2007 Racing Season Updates



September 30, 2007 (September 28th race day)

The last event of the season and it looked like the weather was not going to cooperate. Forecast called for rain all day long. The BCSSMA executive were so convinced of the forecast that they canceled the event. Mission Raceway Park was still open, so we went as usual. The morning was cold and miserable, but dry. Dark clouds gathered overhead and it looked really bad at times. However, the skies did clear up after a few drips and toward the end of the day, it was bright and sunny. The track surface wasn't in the greatest of condition, but we did get a few runs in. Although there were less cars at Mission than usual, we didn't get as many runs as we normally would due to numerous break downs, a late start, and a large number of drivers licensing. We usually get to Mission at around 10 am, but this time, we were early by almost an hour. We were itching to run, but didn't get started till after 11 am! We usually call it quits at around 3:30, but we stayed a little longer to get in our 6th run. No complaints, though. It could have rained on the last event of the season.

We took along two dragsters this time around. Chili could not be resurrected in time. The brake problem Molly experienced last race day was due to the brake bleeders coming loose on their own. Something we thought we had fixed, but on run three, they came loose again which almost caused a problem at the turn off lane. All three dragsters will be thoroughly checked over in the off season and they will be back faster and better than ever in April. Rumour has it that we will have some tough competition next season as Robert Bateman Secondary is looking to get into junior dragsters. Mouat Secondary has shown some interest in juniors, as well.

Congratulations to our two new drivers, Rae Anne M. and Graeme M. First time driving down the track and they did an outstanding job. Having to wait for over a year to be able to drive is tough at times, but it paid off. Great runs, guys. The team is very proud of you.


11:13
Car Lane Driver R/T 60 ft 330 ft 1/8 ET 1/8 MPH
Jessie right
Julie S.
0.578
2.186
6.472
10.398
60.66

11:14
Car Lane Driver R/T 60 ft 330 ft 1/8 ET 1/8 MPH
Moly left
Graeme M.
0.111
2.430
7.426
12.253
46.03

11:38
Car Lane Driver R/T 60 ft 330 ft 1/8 ET 1/8 MPH
Moly left
Graeme M. -0.033 2.415
7.426
12.098
51.46
Jessie right
Julie S.
0.225
2.179
6.475
10.402
60.81

12:31
Car Lane Driver R/T 60 ft 330 ft 1/8 ET 1/8 MPH
Moly left
Rae Anne M.
0.912
2.616
7.559
12.250
50.59
Jessie right
Jessica L.
0.222
2.175
6.433
10.352
60.47

1:50
Car Lane Driver R/T 60 ft 330 ft 1/8 ET 1/8 MPH
Moly left
Graeme M.
0.509
2.485
7.553
12.281
50.42
Jessie right
Jessica L. 0.281
2.178
6.433
10.349
60.65

2:26
Car Lane Driver R/T 60 ft 330 ft 1/8 ET 1/8 MPH
Moly left
Rae Anne M. 0.575
2.333
7.334
12.292
47.62
Jessie right
Rick C.
0.175 2.051
6.160
9.991
61.80

4;15
Car Lane Driver R/T 60 ft 330 ft 1/8 ET 1/8 MPH
Moly left
Rae Anne M. 0.572
2.413
7.365
12.034
51.05
Jessie left
Rick C.
0.334
2.096
6.215
10.050
61.77




September 17, 2007
(September 14th race day)

We finally did it! One of our dragsters finally got into the 9's. We took two dragsters to the track on Friday, but only ran one. Molly's brakes were not working well, so it was decided that we stay safe and not run it at all. We got 9 runs in and overall it was a very successful day. One of the other highlights of the day was watching Mr. Lilly, our mild-mannered librarian, drive our sponsor's 7 second dragster down the track. Because it was Mr. Lilly's first time ever on the track, he had to go through a certification process. His first three runs had to be slower than 10 seconds in the 1/4 mile. It was unbelievable to see him do a perfect burnout on his first attempt. Mr. Lilly got two runs in and will have to do one more before he is allowed to do a few medium speed runs. After that, he will be able to go full tilt. Mr. Lilly was so excited after the two successful runs that it was hard to tell if the wrinkles on his face were from being so happy or if they were from pulling over 3 G's at the starting line. For those of you who have not been in a dragster capable of going well over 200 miles an hour, the inertia is unbelievable. Another highlight of the day was watching our good friend Leo (one of the employees and head mechanic of our sponsor) recorded a personal best ET in his amazingly fast dragster. Can you believe it? 5.7 seconds in the quarter mile. Enough to make your head spin for quite some time. Both of his runs on Friday were in the 5 second range. Needless to say, the track was in excellent shape. Our next race date is September 28th. We are hoping to have all three of our dragsters operational by then. Our friends from Mouat did very well and won first place in the high school division. A couple of our former racers are now on Team Mouat.

Time Slips

You will notice by the reaction times in the second and third runs that we had a difficult time staging the dragster. Since we were the only junior dragster team at the race track we decided to change lanes. Sure enough, moving over to the right lane solved the problem. For next race day we will make adjustments to ensure the dragster interupts the laser beams properly.

Car Lane Time
Driver R/T 60 ft 330 ft 1/8 ET 1/8 MPH
Jessie left
10:44
Rick C.
0.165
2.417
6.593
10.396
62.99
Jessie left
11:12
Rick C. -0.037
1.865 5.986 9.749 63.40
Jessie left
11:58
Jessica L. LB3A
9.345
13.584
17.465
61.55
Jessie right
12:09
Jessica L. 0.122 2.152 6.369 10.249 61.42
Jessie right
12:35
Jessica L.
0.127
2.145
6.390
10.327
60.37
Jessie right 1:13
Julie S.
0.519
2.172
6.471
10.439
59.96
Jessie right 1:53
Julie S. 0.461
2.189
6.505
10.497
59.60
Jessie right 2:36
Julie S. 0.511
2.194
6.455
10.403
60.16
Jessie right 3:37
Rick C. 0.464
2.047
6.123
9.922
62.46
 
Pics


All suited up!                     Remember what I said.......                                  At one with the machine...... 


Where's the parachute button again?                     Who let the genie out of the green bottle?                              Leo's 5 second monster.

Back To The Top

June 29, 2007

The best way to deal with misfortune is to get back up and come back better and stronger than ever. As of one week ago, our race program came to, what seemed to be, an abrupt end. With no funds left, we had zero cars that were in any running shape for the final race date of the school year at Mission Raceway Park. A die hard racer at the track in Ashcroft came up to us after seeing the blown motor on "Jessie" and said something to us that gave us great inspiration. He said, "Something good will come out of this. It always does." He was right. One of our parents at the school, Mr. McGuire, generously donated enough money to the team so we could get back up and running - unbelievable, and at the time we most need it. On top of this, the competitor we faced during the second round of eliminations at Ashcroft happened to have a spare motor that was in great shape. We jumped all over it (and through about a thousand hoops - red tape) and by the night before the races, we got 'er done. The motor we acquired was a 9.8 second motor that came with a Shockwave clutch. For those who have no idea what that is, let's just say it is a way better clutch than anything we have ever had in any of our cars. When the car and trailer showed up at school Friday morning, we just couldn't wait. We pulled her off the trailer and took her for a spin in the school's parking lot. The students couldn't believe how well the clutch engaged. We were even able to spin the tires on dry pavement. Oops, we kind of took the paint off the basketball court (hopefully the principal won't find out, lol).

The weatherman had been calling for rain and sure enough there were plenty of black clouds in the sky. We were determined to let our grade eights, who would be leaving our school, get one last kick at the can. Two of them were not at Ashcroft, so they were praying that things would go well for the last racing event of the school year. Today was not a school day for our team as the last day of school was yeasterday. The students knew that only the grade eights would be allowed to race, yet most of the team came out to help and watch the grade eights drive for the last time. The sponsor teachers were very impressed by this - we must be doing something right.

Did all our hard work and effort pay off? Oh yeah, says the grade eights. How good is the new clutch? How about a 0.002 second reaction time by Robert? That is about as close as it gets to perfection. He nailed it! He won a trophy for best reaction time in the high school division. Not a bad way to end his driving days with Wolves Racing. The new clutch is pretty responsive and allows us to do some nasty burnouts. Before this, we would be too embarrassed to even try a burn out. Now we can do 15 foot burnouts. Wow, something good did come out of this...........

Car Time Driver Lane Dial R/T 60 330 1/8 MPH
Jessie 10:35 Kevin Y. Left
N/A 3.059 7.282 11.257 59.29
Jessie 10:48 Kevin Y. Left
0.700
2.226 6.419 10.399 59.77
Jessie 11:21 Kyle M. Left
0.190 2.183 6.462 10.409 60.47
Jessie 11:34 Kyle M. Right

0.282 2.179 6.459 10.412 60.24
Competitor
11:34 Unknown Left
-0.274 2.377 6.965 11.319 49.24
Jessie 12:00 Robert S. Left
0.206
2.141
6.363 10.282
60.66
Jessie 1:04 Robert S. Left
0.002 2.172 6.427 10.349 60.97

The first two runs, with Kevin behind the wheel, were with a 14 tooth gear on the clutch side. The person who we had bought the motor from told us that it didn't sound like the motor was revving high enough on the two runs he saw and heard. He suggested we use an 11 tooth gear, which he happened to have with him. After the two runs Kevin made, the car came into the pit area where the pit crew changed the oil and adjusted the gas and brake pedals to fit the taller drivers. At that time, Mr. McCarthy promptly exchanged the 14 tooth gear for the 11 tooth and this definitely improved our ET and MPH. The chart doesn't reflect this as much, but one has to remember that Kyle and Robert are much taller and heavier than Kevin - somewhere in the neighbourhood of 50 or so pounds of difference. With Kevin in the car, we should easily be in the 9's and be going 63 to 65 miles per hour. In fact, Kevin was in the car suited up and at the staging lanes for our seventh run when it started to pour. Our hopes of getting a car into the 9's will just have to wait.

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June 28, 2007

Our little trip to Eagle Motorplex in Ashcroft was quite interesting. We've been trying to go to Ashcroft for nearly five years. It finally came together for us and it was one trip most of us will not forget any time soon. Going to a different track and seeing so many junior dragsters at the event was a real treat. There were, by our estimate, close to twenty "junior diggers" there, but only sixteen or so were racing. On Saturday, our cars ran well with Jessie making it past the first round of eliminations. During the second round of eliminations, "Jessie", driven by Robert, had a terrible start. It was sputtering and cutting out as if the motor was running out of fuel. We were facing a faster car at the time, so we got the green light first. Because of the poor start, we "rattled" the competitor and the driver did not have a great run. We were told, right after the race, by the other team that we had won the race and that we would move on to the next round. The other team knows how consistent our cars are, so it was assumed that we had won. As it turned out, our ET (Elapsed Time) was way off our dial-in time - much worse than our competitor. Once we got "Jessie" back, we started to look for the problem. We later found out that the wire to the shut off switch on the steering wheel was grounding out. What a way to lose in the elimination rounds. On Sunday, we switched drivers and were looking forward to another great day of racing. It sprinkled a bit in the morning, but the rain drops basically dried up as soon as it hit the track. Everybody was excited. "Jessie", our fastest car was going to be driven by our lightest driver, Rick, so we were excited about getting faster times - perhaps into the 9's? It all came to an abrupt end when we blew both motors. The engine block on Jessie's motor had a huge hole in it. We were done for the rest of the day and most likely, the rest of the season. "Moly", our other car was also not running well and it had to be brought back limping. Overall, we had a great two (three days for some of us) days of racing and camping in Ashcroft/Cache Creek. Most of us stayed in the same campgrounds and the best part of this trip was the "getting to know each other." It was a great experience for the parents to see what sort of things the students do at the track.