Our second race night of the season got off to a rough start as we were postponed from our originally scheduled Friday night race due to rain. So we got rescheduled to Saturday night, and the weather held together for a great night of racing. We unloaded the car and we picked up right where we left off from the first race. The #70 LA Weight Loss Impala SS was fastest in the first practice and 2nd in the second practice. We knew we had a good car we just had to do a little tweaking to make it a bit faster. While we were deciding what adjustments to make we noticed that we were a little shy on cars in the last practice, we were missing three cars. Dave Bone in the 38 car had blown his motor; Doug Bienna in the 09 car was also having motor issues and didn’t make it to the track. As well Howard Crossman in the 56 car was planning to race for the first time of the year and was unable to make as he had prior commitments. In the first heat race we worked our way to the front and even with tough pressure from the 77 car of Greg Vangool, we held on for the win. In the second heat race the car was working good but while in second place we couldn’t quite make it past the 14 car of Glen Hertzke, and in the process of working on the 14 car the 77 made it past us and we held on for third place. In the feature as based on points we started at the back as we had been all night, the first lap the cars didn’t change position very much but coming out of turn four on lap 2 a couple cars started to get into each other and the next thing you know guys were spinning all over the place. Thankfully there was a small hole between the 14 car and the wall and Trent managed to squeeze the car through without any damage. Once the cars had lined up again we had gained a few spots due to the caution and were sitting in a good spot. By lap 5 we had made it to third place and were hunting down the 55 car of Jim Gaunt. After a great battle we made it past him with only Vangool left in front of us. After a few cautions that tightened the field up we didn’t quite have an enough to for the 77 car, and we held on for a second place finish. After the race in post race tech we were deemed to be to low on our side skirts and were disqualified from the feature, losing the eighteen points that we had just got for second place. We are currently in the process of appealing the decision and should have an answer by Wednesday the 23rd. We are hoping the decision gets over turned and we would have a 5 point lead on a three way tie for second place. If it doesn’t get overturned we will be sitting in 4th place with a thirteen point deficit to make up, as there will be a three way tie for first.
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The season is now underway and our second race is this Friday night. We were very happy with the performance of the new 2010 LA Weight Loss Centers Impala SS in its first race. We didn't know what to expect with it being a new car, but we weren't disappointed. This will be our last Friday night style race till late August, because our next three races will be in the Dakota Dunes Western Canadian SLM Championship Series.
Last race we had ten local teams racing, the rumor mill has said that Howard Crossman will have his car ready to go, to bring the total up to eleven cars. As well I wouldn't be surprised to see some cars from Alberta make the trip down to shake there cars down before the first Dakota Dunes race on June 26th. The gates open at 6:00pm and the racing starts at 7:00pm. 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. Starting this Thursday April 29th will be another chance for people to see the new #70 Chevrolet Impala SS. We will have the car on display out at the Man Show at Credit Union Centre. The show runs Thursday from 4pm to 10pm, Friday 4pm to 10pm and on Saturday from 1pm to 9pm. Come to the show and check it out, there is always lots of good stuff to see out there.
The season is less than a month away and we are almost ready to hit the track. Everyone at Thunderbolt Racing put in a lot of effort in to get the car in show condition for the press conference out at Dakota Dunes Casino. The press conference was on Wednesday April 14th and went really well. Tons of media were on hand for the press release of the new series "Dakota Dunes Western Canadian Super Late Model Championship Series". We were able to have the car on display right in the lobby of the casino. After the press conference there was a corporate partner and fan appreciation banquet that included some speakers from NASCAR Canada as well as NASCAR in Daytona Beach Florida. After the evening the casino was so happy with #70 Chevrolet Impala SS they asked if we could keep it on display for a while to help promote the series. The car should be back in the shop later this week so we can do some of the finishing touches done to it before we get out on the track for some preseason testing.
I finally have some new to report now. Over the last few months there has been a lot of talk of the future of Super Late Model racing in Western Canada, which direction is it going? To give you a brief overview of what’s been going on for the last 4 years in 2006 Craig Ball took over the old Western Racing League and turned it into the Newalta Late Model Challenge Series. The new series started off slow but really started picking up some steam in it second year in 07. By the halfway mark the series drew a record breaking 43 Super Late Models to the Border Challenge at Race city Speedway in Calgary. 2007 was extremely successful with over 30 race cars showing up for all the events. In the offseason between 07 and 08 the series steered in a new direction hoping that bringing in the name recognition of well known sanctioning body would escalate the series that much more. So for the 2008 season it turned into the Macs Arca West Series. Instead of the series growing more and more it went in the opposite direction, slowly having declining car counts over the last two seasons. The reason for the decline in car counts was that a lot of the drivers were not happy with how Arca West was being run and drivers were boycotting races. So here in Saskatoon the a group of guys involved in the Super Late Model division got together and put together a proposal for a four race mini series here in Saskatoon at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway, called the Dakota Dunes Western Canadian Super Late Model Championship Series. As well as this mini series Brian Levant out of Calgary is starting up a new touring series with the ASA (American Speed Association) banner to it. They will be apart of the four race mini series here in Saskatoon and have other races in Vernon, Medicine Hat and other possible tracks to be announced at a later date. Everyone at Thunderbolt Racing is pumped about this new direction that we are heading in and can’t wait for the season to start now.
It's mid December and there isn't much new report for now. The team has been slowly working on the car so far, but with the Christmas season it's been pretty slow going. Once we turn the corner in the New Year we will have to kick it into high gear to be ready for some of car shows prior to the season starting in May. In late November all the Super Late Model drivers from ACMS got together for the annual tech meeting to go over the current rules and procedures. On the rule side there weren’t any drastic changes, just a few updates. As for procedure and race format, it looks like things will be changing for 2010 season. Nothing is concrete right now, but it will definitely add some excitement to the racing in the SLM division for next year. Check back in the months to come for changes taking place. From everyone at Thunderbolt Racing have a Merry Christmas and a great holiday season.
We are now into what seems like forever the "Off Season". This year was definitely not a usual season for most local racing teams. This year Thunderbolt Racing ran in four different divisions. Nine Super Late Model races, four Super Truck races, one Cascar Western Elite Race as well as the Ultimate Enduro. On top of all the racing involved at the track Trent was the president of the SSCRA and has been voted back by the members to another two year term as President for the 2010/2011 seasons. The team finished 3rd overall in the Super Late Model division standings and 2nd in the Super Truck division standings. We had an average qualifying position of 5.3, an average heat race finish of 3.3 and in the feature races we had an average of 5.8. Now that the season is over we need to figure out what stuff we need to work on to come out stronger than ever in the 2010 season.
In 2010 we have decided not to run the Super Truck series, and concentrate fully on the Late Model program. This past season there was two new Late Model teams that entered into the division the 69 team of PJ Kondra who won the rookie of the year and the 44 team of Trevor Hannay. The 88 team of Jason Gervais and the 94 team of Ernie Richard out of Sherwood Park Alberta ran a part time schedule in 2009. Jason with the help of Jim Gaunt's team ran three races this past year and are looking to be running full time in 2010. Ernie would also like to come back and run a part time schedule again for next year. We are hoping that the division will continue to grow more for next year. Throughout the offseason I won't be writing to many blogs, but the website will be updated with pictures and new information as often as I can. If you have any comments or suggestions feel free to let me know on how to improve the website Thanks to everyone that has been following my blog this year. |
Matthew Stauffer
I am in my fourth year with Thunderbolt racing. Archives
April 2011
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