This past Friday night was our season opener and it went really well. After a long season last year of not getting one feature win we were definitely due. The night started out a little slow, with us putting up the fourth fastest time in practice but we knew we were headed in the right direction. With it being the first local race of the season we all had to qualify in. We ended up qualifying in the second spot with a 14.667, and the top qualifier was Glen Hertzke with a time of 14.664, only three one thousands of a second better than us. In the first heat race after the field was inverted from qualifying we started on the back row, but didn’t stay for long. After three quick laps Trent had made his way through the whole field but still had “The Gentleman” Jim Gaunt left to get by. Going into turn one Trent was on the inside and Jim was on the outside. Jim was leading going down the straightaway but Trent tried to dive under and outbrake Jim but got to deep and slid up into Jim’s right rear sending him into a spin and causing a caution. With damage to the right front we had to come to the pits and unfortunately we had bent some steering components and finished 10th in the heat race. With not a lot of time till the next heat race we had to work quickly to make the repairs needed to get it out. For the second heat race we started on the pole and led the race from start to finish with not much pressure from anyone. For the feature race we had to start at the back of the pack again but with 40 laps there was lots of racing time. The pace started off fast and guys were jockeying for positions with lots of side by side racing. From lap 5 on their were different battles going on all over the place, and by lap 20 we found ourselves in third trying to overtake Dave Bone in the 38 car. It was a great battle but managed to get by him with about ten laps to go. With Greg Vangool in first he was the last one on the march to the front, in less then two laps we reeled him in and took the lead. The last few laps were a little scary as we knew that our brakes were getting warm but we were able to hold on for the win. At the end of the night we are sitting one point out of first in the standings behind Jim Gaunt. Our next race will be on Friday June 11th.
This past Saturday we had the new #70 Chevrolet Impala SS out for the first time on the track and we were very happy with it. It was the first practice for the Super Late Model division and there was only about half of the local teams out for this first practice. We unloaded the car and it wasn’t fast right off the start but we were close. Throughout the three hour practice we kept making different adjustments and the car kept getting quicker. We were very pleased with where we had got the car to as we where only 4 100’s of a second off the fast time of the day set by Glen Hertzke in the #14 car. Once the practice was over we participated in the Good Year tire test that was taking place. Also doing the tire test was the #14 car of Glen Hertzke and the #77 car of Greg Vangool. It was a simulation of running a full 150 lap race to see what the tires would be like at the end of all those laps. The tire test went really well and put any concerns that the Good Year tires were not capable of running this year. Our next time out to the track will be this coming Tuesday for another practice session before our first race May 21st.
The first race is only a few weeks away and we are itching to get out on the track. The car is already to go for our first pre season test and we are looking forward to seeing what the new car can do. It will be the first time out to the track 2010 #70 LA Weight Loss Chevrolet Impala SS.
This season will be a lot different for Thunderbolt Racing than last year. Last year we had both a Super Late Model as well as a Super Truck that we raced a total of 14 events throughout the season. To most people finishing 2nd in the truck series and 3rd in the local Super Late Model series wouldn't be too bad, but we weren't happy at all. After the 2009 season we cleaned shop, took back the Super Truck to Wainright then continued down the highway to Edmonton and did a trade for a next to new chassis. So for the 2010 season we are going to focus 100% on racing Super Late Models. The season kicks off on Friday May 21st, and we are looking to be back in championship form right out of the gate. There will be a new format to winning the local championship this year at ACMS. Instead of it being based on seven local points’ races it will now consist of four local point’s races and four 150 lap special event races. As well as running for a local championship we will also be contending for the Dakota Dunes Western Canadian SLM Championship Series. This will consist of four 150 lap races here in Saskatoon, with the season opener on June 26th. There will also be one 150 lap race at Kings Park Speedway in Regina on August 28th. In this series we will be competing against the local drivers from ACMS as well as the top late model drivers from all across Western Canada. This will be the premiere Super Late Model series in Western Canada. We are hoping the races will bring in upwards of 25 or more drivers to compete from across Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C. |
Matthew Stauffer
I am in my fourth year with Thunderbolt racing. Archives
April 2011
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