Sorry about the lack of communication but I have only just reconnected to the internet. Your car looks great, I'll have to head up to the Winters to catch up. If you need anything at all or if I can help out in any way just let me know as I'm just sitting out for the moment. However, Brad and I have been working on a top secret race car. I've included a shot taken at a recent test session just up the road from my house, with Brad driving.

You will be pleased to know that the damage we suffered at the Adelaide alky meeting wasn't too bad. It lost two rods, bent a pushrod, holed the block and put a repairable ding in the sump. Not bad, eh? I'm pretty sure a rod bolt broke or pulled a thread as we changed all the bearings before we went out, all the bolts were done up and it didn't spin any bearings. The centre main was blackened but a .009" bend will do that! The funniest thing is that after three years and all that has happened we still have no cracks other than small heat ones in the crank. Go Pro Crank!

I will speak to you in more detail later as I've been pretty busy lately. Good luck with everything and see ya soon. PS: The enclosed photo is of Brad's old Datsun 1200. About eight years ago we loaded up the boot with about 400 lbs. of old blocks and cranks, took off up the road (literally) and had some fun. Needless to say, it didn't go quick but it was spectacular. Nothing much has changed in all that time for us has it?

We just couldn't resist... still in millscale and primer, we took the internet's fastest website out for a spin... updates and changes will happen right before your very eyes... we're going up ten, ten and ten till she's in the show. Enjoy, Ski.

Nitronic Research - Issue 16

Darren here again to annoy you. I was just reading about you having to put a computer together down here. I have an old 486/33, not that it is real fast, but if you need one to get by you can have the use of it if you need it. Won't waste anymore of your time right now, just thought I would tell you about the 'puter.

In the US when I saw lots of "wooly worms" in the fall it meant we were going to have a cold winter. I have been seeing a lot of them in the last few weeks.... Yesterday Coolongatta had 7C (45F) overnight; the coldest ever April temperature by 12 degrees! It looks like we may have a cold one. Bring a Canadian tune up with you when you come. This morning it was cold: 14C (57F) with 37% humidty and 1010 millibar barometric pressure, that corrected to 115 feet altitude. Let's race!!

I reckon the Winternationals will see a lot of horsepower. But I'm also reckoning that no one will put it to the ground unless the ground gets better. We will have to talk about that when you get here. By my count just eight days now.

Sorry to hear that it didn't leave until late. If you need a hand on this end don't be afraid to call. If I can help, I will be more than happy to oblige.

Bob - thanks for the note! I've been following your saga on Northern Thunder, and I join Brian Barling in extending my best wishes to you in running the "new" car - hope you kick some butt Down Under! We'll be watching!

We're looking forward to next weekend at Mission - Top Comp had a great debut at Boise - I'm sure it will be HUGE up here! Will let you know how we do. Have a great trip, and keep it between the eucalyptus trees!

Hi Bob: Your car has been booked to collect from the Qantas Domestic Terminal on the 7th of May. It has been booked as pay all charges direct to Hertz. Accomodation has been booked at FOCUS (Holiday Inns & Apartments), 114 Esplanade, Surfers Paradise. They have been advised that you will not have a voucher for presentation at the desk. We have billed the charges to your AMEX card today for payment for the accomodation. Trust this is all in order.

Thank you very much!!! Yes, we had Pete (Kaiser, Jr.) in the car and he was awesome; his knowledge of race cars was a HUGE help. We are planning on testing/upgrading as soon as possible. Probably two weeks or so since the crew chief wants to do a tear down on the engine and go through it all before we go out again. Gary Ormsby and Edgecombe missed the last qualifying session due to a broken wing. The car shook kinda hard and messed up the wing pretty good so they had to sit out the last session. Anyways, that boat should be heading out soon and you soon after. Keep in touch and I will get you the news as I make it up....

Well, we got ourselves through our first weekend as a race team. We attended the Division Seven FMDRS meet at Bakersfield, but since we got behind, time-wise, I didn't test in the car at all. So we decided to bring in Pete Kaiser (Jr.) to handle the driving for the weekend. We still came up with some problems at the track but we got through it with a lot of help from other race teams. Once we finally got to make our run we came up with a 6.29 at 204, by no means are these numbers awe-inspiring, but for the first pass ever we have no complaints.

I came away from this weekend with two things: (1) we have a potentially very good combination and car, and (2) the race teams who are involved in FMD racing really are a great bunch. We had help from the teams of Mark Woods, Larry Miersch, Santos, Mark Foster, Edgecombe, Ed Vickroy, Minor Brothers and I am sure I've left some out... I can't thank these people enough for making us feel like we belong in this great group of racers.

I hope all is well with the Thunder and I'll keep you up to date as more happens. We Did It !!!!

I was just reading in "Sports Business Journal" where ESPN is looking at buying Canada's TSN Sports Channel. There's hope that they may start using it to broadcast things that TSN doesn't currently have... such as ESPN and ESPN2 drag racing coverage. Good luck with the car and the shipment.

Hi Bob, here's the answers to your questions. Performance testing will not be dropped at all. Our definition of "performance testing" is an experienced driver, in a new car or one with substantial changes in potential ET. You won't have a problem unless it doesn't handle (correctly).

Entries (to the Winternationals) haven't been sent out. Entries close in early June. Entry fee is $135 (driver, car and four crew). You can send yours via our secure server when you are ready.

Bob, ANDRA recognizes NHRA and IHRA licenses, but you should advise the head office of your intentions. You've probably done this, but I thought it might be one less hassle on the day. Looking forward to seeing you again. By the way, Victor (Bray) is bringing Bill Pratt (Drag Racing List) over for the event. Nice to be able to put a face to the words.

I've always wondered what the red light on the rear of some of the Top Fueller's is for? Could someone please tell me?

Hi Robert. First of all, congratulations on getting the car on it's way and thanks for a great website. I've been a regular visitor for about six months now and the site is a wealth of information. Reading your thoughts of late on the fuel classes, and those of Warren Johnson, certainly got me thinking. Everyone seems to agree the problems are the cost of the sport (limiting competitors and sponsors) and the number of oildowns (limiting crowds and TV time, and therefore sponsors). There has also been a lot of talk over the last couple of years about the fuel cars being "too fast".

Perhaps the answer to all three problems is as simple as this - limit all fuel cars to basically one engine per weekend. ie: one block, set of heads, pistons, rods, crank and blower. While most will probably dismiss this off the cuff, think about if for a while and it starts to make sense. I believe the impact would be as follows:

1.  The cars would slow down as a result of a more conservative tune-up, to say 4.90's at 300 mph in Top Fuel
2.  Costs to be competitive would be greatly reduced
3.  More competitors would be attracted, as the focus moves back to tuning and driving from spending
4.  More sponsors could be attracted due to the lower costs
5.  The majority of oil-downs from the "rotate the earth" mentality would disappear
6.  Both the live and televised spectacle would be more consistent, attracting more viewers and hence sponsors
7.  More crowds, More sponsors, More competitors......

Combine this with your desire for lowering the Top Alcohol performances to 5.70's and you have a nice performance spread. Top Fuel: 4.90 at 300; Top Alcohol: 5.70 at 240; Top Doorslammer: 6.30 at 225; Pro Stock: 6.80 at 200; and Pro Stock Truck: 7.50 at 180. Sounds like a nice progression path for the aspiring pro racer, who can jump out of one of the sportsman ranks into Pro Stock Truck and then work his/her way through the ranks.

Obviously there are a lot more knowledgable people out there than me that could massage this "rough stone" into a jewel, but I think the basic concept has some merit. What do you think?

PS: Hope to see you at the Winternationals at Willowbank. Living in Sydney I'm starved of action and can't wait for June 11 to get here!

In an effort to reduce the costs of running a race car, what do you think about doing something like some of the sanctioning bodies (other than drag racing) have done by supplying pre-set rpm limiters. Everybody would pick up their rev limiter at the race and bolt it on the car and turn it in after the race. One manufacturer could make them all and calibrate them all. Some teams will have the ability to test the device (I would) to ensure that it would go to the rpm limit it is set for.

Set the rpm limits, set the blower overdrive (reasonably) and now you have a combination that will consume parts at a "normal" pace. Just limiting the overdrive on the blowers only causes the enterprising racer to devise a high rpm combination to make better use of the increased boost at the higher rpm's. (There is something to be said for the old rootes blowers. They were their own "limiters" !)

Give Norm (Drazy at PSI) a call and chat with him and see what he thinks. Get his email address for me so I can pester him as well as everyone else.

Hey Mr. Northern Thunder Wilson, how are you doing? Your 'Gallery' is growing and the pics are great! Are you still up North, or downunder, in your land of OZ? Are you going to run your digger at Mission Raceway this season? Later!

Well it has been a while, but I've had a glimpse or two at your website within the last week or so. I'm now up to date as of April 13th. The new car in the photos looks good.

I have been invited to judge the Brisbane HotRod show on the 30th of April to May 2nd. After that I may get to Willowbank; if not I will be at the Winternationals. Do you think you'll be able to come to Sydney this trip?

My wife and I had six weeks holiday in Tasmania over Christmas. My nephew that lives in Ipswich was transferred to Sacramento in December and will remain there for the next three years. We hope to get over there and visit them and take in some drags and hotrod shows.

Bob, if you want anything from Sydney while you are here, I would be happy to help in any way. Did you have any luck getting sponsorship to pay race entry fees, freight, etc?

Great pictures, both of the car and the view. I thought I would send you a couple, as the views are similar, except mine is on the river. I also included a picture of who I sleep with at night when Carol isn't around. Good luck on both trips. The car's and yours.

Hi Bob.... just think, 22 days of graveyard shifts and then vacation. 16 days of rest and relaxation until you can get to the car, and then your "real" vacation starts...... Good Luck!

Glad to hear that (Bob) Molinari got you taken care of. One thing I can say is although Crower stuff is pricey, Bob is great and the service you get from him is awesome. I mean, I see him at so many races, including the divisionals.

As far as next year, things are still being mulled over by the geniuses in charge. Honestly the tide actually seems favourable of late. I was told there are well over 100, closer to the 200 range, of responses that they got on this and only 2 were in agreement with the changes. I have also heard that the blown guys are not real happy with the new rules as well. For example, the Santos-O'Bannon team purchased all the parts to build three small motors, like 430-440 cubes, and of course all that stuff will be no good next year for them as well.

I am just hoping that somehow logic and good sense may actually win out. I hope they see that the cars are fairly close to even now, minus the fact that the blown cars gotta zing it pretty good to run these numbers. Also that the car counts are low enough (already), so why cut out five-plus cars per event simply because NHRA isn't smart enough to figure out the formula for slowing them down. Smaller fuel pumps and different gear ratios will solve all the woes.

Enough soap box for now. All the best and I will let you know how we do this coming weekend as we are set to test the car this Saturday and Sunday.

I got your phone message so I thought I had better give you a follow-up. I have said before that you are welcome to use the open trailer (it may be enclosed when you get here) but as I stated in my e-mail the other day you can use my Chap if I am not using it at the time for the Drag Race School. The DRS car can go on the open trailer at events where we have all the cars there as the DRS car needs little support equipment. I currently use the Chap just because I have it and it provides a "billboard". So don't worry about the details like transportation.

Lets get the car here and get it together and go racing. I have the spot for your "box" all picked out and it is just outside the north door (sunny side here) and on the east end of the north side. You will have your own 240V, single and three phase, 120V single phase power points, 120 psi air and a water tap. Once your box is down in place I will order some gravel and spread it around to tidy the spot up a bit. How do you say "Welcome" any more than that!

Nathan (Peirano) leased the car last week end and did well he is now staging correctly and sawing the tree down. The car ran the best of 8.55 at 155 (not bad for stock truck cylinder heads and a 3.70 diff gear). Nathan won the first round and lost the second because the car spun the tires bad on the start line. Too bad, as he wasted a great .411 light. Willowbank had the fuel cars there and the Top Doorslammers and a LOT of oil on the track. I know several cars that spun the tires ON the starting line and lost in the left lane after we did. I felt bad for Nathan as he was doing very good.

As a DYO car vs. a TAD car you don't get to walk right to the starting line because of the cycle of the rounds. The car before you is leaving the starting line and you are starting your burnout and most of the time we don't even go past the starting line on our burnout in the DRS car. As you know, Nathan has the car leased for the rest of the Willowbank races. He may lease it some more for some test and tunes but I now have the car leased for the next three street meets to another student. The second DRS car is off the jig, fully welded and diff plates fitted now we have to detail the chassis with tabs, etc. The third DRS car is on the jig and the front half is done, now we have to build the back half, which we are doing today.

Today I am doing tin on a car that I hope to have out by the weekend. Now somewhere I have to work in the four fuel systems I have laying here to do. This does not include the six fuel pumps I have to check, the Harbinger report I have to finish, the parts orders I have to ship, the phones to answer, the walk-ins to talk to and get the DRS ready for the street meet in two weeks.

WDRC is being reworked so it "flows" a little better, I think I got excited and released the info a little early, no matter, good ideas always need massaging and critical viewing to knock out the dents. I would love to chat more and I know we will when you get here and that is not very far away now so I will close and get back to work.

Great looking car... Glad to see you got her boxed up and on the way. You must be feeling some relief and a bit of tension, something like when we got it shipped, but what about all the details left to be handled here at home, plus once you physically get Down Under. Take my word for it my good man, it will all come together and work out great. I say this because after all the grief my team has been though we spent this past wekend working on the car and a lot of people came and assisted us and we are so close to home that I can taste it. Hard work will always prevail and you have worked hard. I will get you some new pics of our toy soon.

Been having fun on our front with the computer trying to call it a day and the inconvenience of not being able to get on the net while it was at the shop for nearly a week. Nearly turned into something like the dry horrors or possibly even a junkie going cold turkey.... ha ha. Just thought I would drop you a quick line to say hello and wish you all the best. Hope you know somebody in the shipping business to help you get that funny looking boat on the water too... Okay, if you need anything I can be of help with, don't be afraid to drop me a line and if I can I will be more than happy to lend a helping hand. Alright I'll stop taking up your precious time now and let you do something productive. All the best and stay in touch.

Good to hear everything is finally coming together. Yes, I want to see pictures. Guess it would be too much to ask for pictures of what's left of the 392 stuff coming out of the container before it is loaded on the ship? Talk to you later.

How have you been? Hope all your plans are going according to plan. Here's an update on us: We now have 99% of the parts we need to finish the conversion over to fuel on the Fiat. We even have 90 gallons of Nitro to start playing with. Finally found a clutch, met a few more people with the same enthusiasm level as me, have brought an ex-fuel racer on board who has brought with him enough spare parts that we can replace anything we want, and so on. Should be making test runs about late June.

I notice your site has a  marketing   section; well done and thanks for posting all of that information in one spot. Here's my question; I am getting close to having a corporate involvement for a small series, now as far as the legalities go, am I better off getting lawyers to draw up the appropriate paperwork for the commitment, or is there something else that you would suggest? Any input would be appreciated.

Frank Jonkman,  Raising Hell '48 Fiat

As Commissioner of the Internet Sports Awards (ISA), I want to congratulate you on your website being honored as a 1999 ISA All Pro Site for the sport of auto racing. Our ISA website judging committee has selected only the very best auto racing sites to receive this coveted award. Every year, we review the top sites in each of the major sports and honor the very best based on content excellence. Your auto racing website will also be eligible for the 1999 Internet Auto Racing Awards. Details for adding the 1999 ISA All Pro Site Award icon to your site are contained later in this email letter. Congratulations again and good luck in the 1999 Internet Auto Racing Awards.

With Friendship,
John Mackey
Commissioner - Internet Sports Awards
NFL Hall of Fame - Baltimore Colts Tight End

Bob keep plugging away. Some of our US friends are starting a boycott for one day. Their gas prices went up 10 cents a gallon (or 2.5 cents a litre or thereabouts). In Ontario, it goes up 5 - 10 cents a litre every other weekend. It went from 44 to 58.9 in the last three weeks. We are now paying the same price for gas as we did when oil was $28 a barrel. It is now around $18. We Canadians are too complacent. Let's give the oil companies a one-day backlog. If we don't buy on April 30th maybe they will get the message and we can at least feel better for doing something to fight back. Pass it on.

I wish you and your crew the best of luck. Don't pick up any bad habits down there. I know you will have fun and I'm sure you will go rounds.

Car ready to go in the "box"? The blower manifold looks like a piece of art. Looks like it cost about the same too!

You know the other day I said that I thought that TAFC would be the vehicle that would eventually contest a World Championship. This was a long held belief by a lot of people based on the fact that you cannot fit one TAD in a 20' container, but you can fit a TAFC and in a 40' you can get two TAFC's. Well now since we have learned a bit about packing with the stackable shipping containers, I propose that you can get four TAD's into a 40' container. Now which car looks like the most efficient car to be the one contested as a World Championship car?

Remove the rear wheels and install the KEN LOWE solid aluminium 2" wide wheel that is 34" in diameter and how narrow is the rear of the car? The next wide item is the headers, so remove them and now what is the widest part of the car? The front wheels are and on our car it's only 900 mm (36") wide at its widest point. Roll the car into the stackable shipping container from one end, set it up on some wood blocks in six places in the SSC (stackable shipping container) and use some wood clamps to bolt the car to the SSC in six places. Make a shelf unit to go above the car in the front and use this spot to put the headers and tools and a few spare parts.

The SSC would be 8 metres (26' 8") long (let's talk about this) and that leaves 3.5+ metres left over in the 40' container in which each team can have its own SSB (stackable storage box) 1100 mm x 1100 mm x 3.5+ metres long (44" x 44" x 11' 8"). Here you put your rear wheels and tires, spare engine and car parts and some tools.

Now I feel this is an idea that people can get behind.

Hello Bob. I really enjoy your site. My wife, Karen, and I have started a website called  Northwest Drag Racing . It's made up of shots taken at Woodburn Dragstrip. Would you mind putting it on your links page? (I'll put yours on our link page of course). Please check it out.

What winter storms? I thought you guys were into spring. It's fall here and I've been thinking about not turning the air conditioning on.

The two Castrol series tapes are sitting here on my desk because:
   A:   I've been absolutely flat out with work.
   B:   It doesn't take long to stick two tapes in a bag and post it so I've been slack.
   C:   I deleted your e-mail which had your postal address. Stupid, eh? Zap me back your address and I guarantee they'll go in the next post.

By the way my son, Rod, did Ken's (Drag Race School) course the week before last. He rang me after the first day to say he'd just found out how much he didn't know. On day three he ran 9.1 at 140 mph, the car's quickest with mufflers and low rpm chip. I still can't get the smile off his face. I fear I've passed on an addiction. Talk to you later.

Well it looks like things are really starting to get under way so I thought I'd drop a line and wish you the best of luck in your venture to our Great Southern Land. I'm sure that myself and a lot of other drag racers are keen to see some 'un-hemi action' stir up the local boys.

Things are looking good in the North West (Mt. Isa - Queensland) as work is going well, the weather has been absolutely barmy, the ol' yella ute finally gets a birthday in the next few weeks and the Winternats corporate club and plane tickets have been booked well in advance (even had the time off approved).

I really hope that you can find some sponsorship for your trip as well, because I'm sure that you'll find it hard to go home (as has another American visitor now residing on the coast). Best of luck for a trouble free trip to yourself and the crew.

See ya' mate.

PS: Only 64 more sleeps until the big three days.

Bob, just wanted to drop you a line wishing you and your team all the very best when you head down under. Hope to hear of your progress and hope for good things for you!

PS: Keep the shiny on your new ride.

Hey Bob, I hope everything goes well. Do you feel better now it's all underway? By the way, you might want to talk to Shack about teaming your pipes up with his injector hat..... mmm, interesting mental picture.

Hey Bob, what are you going to do with yourself for 31 days between when the dragster leaves and you climb on the plane. I guess you can sit back, play with your computer and then throw a few socks and shirts in an overnight bag in May!! Whatdya mean by laying on the floor laughing? Good luck mate.

Sorry to take so long getting back to you. I moved from Silverdale to Port Orchard last week and have been internet-free for quite a while. We got the tape and Jerry (Valentine) has watched it. I plan to watch it this week. Thanks for sending it our way. Take care and I'll write more later.

On the correct side of the globe, tomorrow's the big day. Hey, it's not worth panicking now. Anything left will have to be hand luggage. GOOD LUCK! Send me a reply when things settle down.

A short note before I forget... good luck down under! We greeted April with the ever popular snow storm here, which is cause for this "serious" request. If I hurry, can I sail with the car, can I... huh? FYI and/or approval, I've recently added a link to Northern Thunder on my "work in progress - amateur effort". I'll remove it in the event it doesn't suit. Again, good luck!

What's with the really long header pipes on your engine in the photos?

Easter Weekend here. It's different here than North America. It is a big holdiay weekend; barby's and such are the requirement. You know if you don't attend at least two barby's this weekend you are a social outcast. Tonight we had smoked salmon and prawn at Kathy and Phillip's over on Reserve Road. Tomorrow night the barby is at Warren and Katherine Sichter's house. It is so much different here than back in the US. This is very social by comparison here. I know you don't understand because I didn't before I lived here. You guys will learn once you come here, no one in their right mind wants to leave, I know I don't.

Thinking about you and the countdown and what the next six months holds. I can hear in your "voice" the tension of the closing doors; not to worry, everything will be OK. Easy for me to say, eh?

Grant Harvey dropped off a semi-finished chassis that I built three years ago and he purchased eighteen months ago and now wants me to finish the car. He read the WDRC (World Drag Racing Championship) info and said "I'll have one of these". Initial response is good... I have e-mailed the info to Europe and the UK. Waiting for a reply.

As you know, we had one student at the Drag Race School that hit the transbrake button three times in low gear on one run and I was terrified that the trans would break before we got the TV segment done or the school finished or the test 'n' tune done, but it didn't quit. We got the trans out and Warren took it home for a checkout; the output shaft was twisted 12 splines and ready to snap! Unreal! Boy, am I glad she held together. Tuesday after the Easter weekend I have to go on a search for a new output shaft as we have a race this coming weekend at the Nightfires. Nathan (Peirano) is driving so I expect a good round or two.

Good luck, don't worry about keeping me informed as I know you are EXTREMELY busy so I'll leave you to it.