Apologies for not getting back to you with this information any earlier. We just got back from Santa Pod (England) yesterday. Except for tons of rain, it was an enlightening experience. Thanks to all the racers who were refreshingly open to new products and ideas, delivered by a foreigner! And to all of you who think racing in Europe is a haphazard cluster of ragtag hotrods, think again. The turnout is impressive, and the crowds are amazing: they love the sport so much they are willing to camp in cold mud for three days, and then (the best part) they cheer mightily for the blown alcohol teams. Read it and weep.

The question you'd like the answer to is why did PSI drop the appeal (to NHRA) to get the "C" blower reinstated. To summarize the reasons given in our letter to the NHRA:

1.  The appeals process has been interfered with by people who have an economic reason to give "information" to the NHRA.

2.  The outcome of the appeal had already been determined and even published; as such, the process had the potential to be something of a sham.

3.  As non-participants by the Rulebook definition, we lack legal status and therefore protection in the process.

We also told the NHRA that we were prepared with ample documentation to support a reinstatement request, should a participant wish to begin the appeals process. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen.

By the way, the statement has been made that Norm (Drazy) had something to do with getting the 2000 rules freeze put into place. That couldn't be further from the truth. Please do not confuse Norm Drazy with Norm Grimes, who has no affiliation with PSI, other than as a customer.

Janis set to see if he can "Cut The Mustard"

Mike Janis and his recently acquired sponsor Weber's brand mustard, plan to make their 2000 IHRA season debut this coming weekend at the inaugural Mopar Parts Canadian Nationals in Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada. Janis will not only be making his Pro Mod debut for 2000, he will also be debuting a new Jan-Cen prepared supercharged powerplant.

During the off season, Janis and his team made the switch from nitrous to supercharged alcohol. Janis is a big proponent of both forms of supercharging, but felt it was time to make the switch. "It's obvious that the supercharged guys are making more power, not to say a nitrous car can't or win any races, because they have. It just started to get real hard to run quick and not hurt parts on the nitrous setup."

Janis knows that he might have to take a step back to go forward, but he is confident that the switch was right for him and his team at this time. "It will take some time to get used to driving with the blower motor, but I feel we will be more competitive with this new setup."

Janis missed the first two national events of 2000, but feels the wait will be worth it. "We haven't had as much time for testing as we would have liked, but I have raced at Grand Bend in the past and I am comfortable with the track. I hope to have the new setup dialed in before Saturday night's "Night of Fire" qualifying. I just want to be able to make my sponsors happy to be on my team."

Janis, who hails from Lancaster, New York, is the president of Jan-Cen Automotive in Elma, New York. Jan-Cen specializes in building race engines and also sells and maintains a full line of Arctic Cat snowmobiles. You can reach Jan-Cen at Jancen.com.

Hi, how are you going? Last time I spoke to you, I asked you about a rear bearing kit for a 727 trans. I have heard that a place called PRO-FORMANCE Transmissions, owned by Frank Lupo, might have this part. I was wondering if there was any way you could chase up this information for me. I have a phone number here that is toll free (1-302-454-9203).

I gather that you would be able to ring this number toll free; unfortunately I don't think that I would be able to. It would be greatly appreciated if you could maybe get a price for me. Look forward to hearing from you again.

Hi Bob. It's been a while since I've heard from you. Are you sure you have a pulse?? (Hang on a mo, while I check.... yep, I'm still ticking.... sort of a like a bomb on a timer) I noticed that your web site has been updated a couple of days ago so someone must be in Canada, (besides the polar bears) or can the bears type now?

What is happening? Are you coming for the Winternationals? Are you ready to sell me your engine for a really cheap price? Are you coming back ever? Are you scared of all us FAST Aussies? Does the thought of blue skies and sunshine sound bad? Are there women in Canada? OR do they look like guys? Do I need to remind you what Australian women look like? Email me soon.

Hi Bob, how are you? Well I hope. When are you coming back to Brisbane and how is your fuel car going? I keep updated with your site regularly and find it very interesting. I was talking to Tracey (Lowe) the other day and I am going to catch up with them at the Winternationals. It's the best meeting to go to all year. Look forward to hearing from you.

We now have a video page. We have some intersting videos here, but will have more after the Winternationals on June 13. Check them out at: Ken Lowe Race Cars.

... What will this mean for drag racing? I have posted a little commentary along with the CBS.MW press release on The Digs website. You can check it out by visiting: Bench Racing, or by clicking on the appropriate link on The Digs homepage.

Holy sheet Bob! You're alive! Thank god! Glad to see you still have your sense of humour. I just couldn't resist.

Top Fuel is suffering from declining sponsorships. If you count the cars that ARE there, only half or so could be considered tour regulars, and the "little guy" will probably continue to disappear in the face of fines and points penalties for oildowns. The alcohol cars are also fading fast. As for attendance, yeah, there was a LOT of bare aluminum showing in those grandstands! Dallas, while a big market, probably can't support two races each year, especially when one is held in the sweltering heat of late spring.

Also, I think fans (including myself) are becoming increasingly disenchanted with watching the same guys race each other time after time, with mostly predictable results (I will admit that Funny Car is better this year). Add in the fact that there's NO general admission seating at many events anymore (including Dallas) and "Glendora, we have a problem!" The NHRA is in trouble, but like an alcoholic, they're in denial.

Drag racing will survive at the grass roots and divisional levels, but the National event shows are in jeopardy. I noticed a guy tossing frisbees for his dog to "entertain" the "crowd" at one point. Yup, that'll get your cardio up.

By the way, I was interested to note today that Speednet doesn't even appear to have a drag racing discussion forum anymore -- there just doesn't seem to be much interest in the "pros". What would we talk about? Did Tony Pederegon deliberately load it up to smoke the tires, so that his boss could gain some needed points, and tie Bob Glidden for 85 wins? Do we really care? I don't.

Hey Bob, hope you're well. There hasn't been an update for a week now. If you need any help, let us know. Dont' know what I can do from here, but you never know.

Thank you for your letter concerning our coverage of the near-tragic street race in Richmond (British Columbia). Our use of the term "drag race" was in no way meant to belittle or demean the sport of drag racing. I believe our audience, given the context in which the report was delivered, was left with a clear and unambiguous understanding of what occurred.

This story concerned a terrible accident. In the telling of it, we rely on the people in the community to convey their understanding of events. They include police officials, witnesses and many others both directly involved in the story or in the investigative phase. Everyone in the community was using the term "drag" as the common vernacular.

We have done many reports in the past involving professional drag racing. In fact, you may have been involved in the exercise we conducted recently when we agreed to have a drag racing car fired up in our parking lot. I'm told it went a long way to promote the sport in B.C., despite some angry reaction from our neighbours in Burnaby.

In the meantime, I have passed along your concerns to our reporters and producers.
Sincerely,
Steve Wyatt,
News Director, BCTV

If you don't already know, you do now. Check it out at the: The Grapevine.

Bob, here is the photo of Bobby in Ralph White's Top Fuel car. I give Cole Coonce and 'Ski at Nitronic first crack at my stuff, because they've been helping me out. When I get decent stuff, I'll make sure you get something. All I want is a credit if you show it, which you certainly have my permission to do. Thanks.

Just asking (yet again) about drag racing chat channels. Which ones are the best to hook up with?

I am SO late!!! We were scheduled to be on the road towards the Outer Banks of North Carolina at NOON, no later! But, as anyone who has written on a deadline knows, the best laid plans all go out the window when you can least afford it. I had seven new stories of the day to do, in order to meet my committment to you to do one every day. Of course, the computer acted up all night.

I love the stories and I think you will really enjoy them, but forgive me for not running them down for you here. You can read them one a day, or all at once, or pick and choose; it's up to you. Thanks again to all those who helped with photos and info for the big Dave Benjamin story (May 31). I really love it and it is photo intensive. Slow to load, but worth every minute. I got to get rolling. Have a fantastic Memorial Day, my U.S. pals, and everyone else, enjoy the weekend. See ya in a week.

May 31 -- Nasty through the years: The Life and Times of a True Nitro Pioneer; All his cars and innovations

May 30 -- World Drag Racing Championships: A concept discussion; A fascinating idea, well planned (by Ken Lowe)

May 29 -- The Atmosphere at Bakersfield 1962: What was it like at that magical dragster heaven

May 28 -- Regional Drag Racing Motors: George Bolthoff with the real deal on blown gas motors

May 27 -- The State of Funny Cars in the Australian West: Two nitro coupes against an entire half continent

May 26 -- Wild Willie and Mousie: Movin' those Scott fuel injectors; Mousie helps Mickey move some product

May 25 -- Tyranny: The Unjust and Cruel Exercise of Power; They are trying to kill off another dragstrip, folks

May 24 -- 1997 Hot Rod Reunion: The Big One that Got Away; Dave Tuttle describes his wild return, seven years after hanging up his firesuit

May 23 -- The Little Fueler vs. The Roller Starter: Fred Vosk with a whimsical tale of the first roller starter he and his fueler ever saw

May 22 -- Cold and Rain Squash Englishtown: The fields are set, but the racing won't happen until the weekend after Indy

May 21 -- Nasty Dave's Weekend in San Antonio: Funny Car innovator Dave Benjamin recalls a memorable AHRA Nationals

May 20 -- Jim Nicoll, Mad Dog and the Wet Chutes: Big Gene Townley with a great story about the stubbornness of drag racers

May 19 -- Swimming at The Pond in the Sixties: Top Gas racer Billy Scott with a funny story of going from the beach to the drags and back to the beach within four hours

May 18 -- 26th Annual U.S. Pro Stock Open results: Lewis Bloom and I announce this classic independent drag race again last night and it was great. I have provided full results with only a few hour delay

May 17 -- John Force - Victory by the Numbers: The loquacious one is just one victory away from tying Bob Glidden's once-insurmountable NHRA national event wins total

May 16 -- "The Father of The GTO" vs. "The Outlaw": New friend Tom Pitton contributes a terrific story out of the blue

May 15 -- Nitro Motor, Nostalgia Style: Jim Burke explains how to build a bulletproof fuel motor

May 14 -- Bill O'Neal goes from sand dragster to off-roader in one easy step

May 13 -- Side by Side at 300 MPH: Ron Dilley describes the first side by side 300 mph Top Fuel pass

May 12 -- More Memories of John Wenderski by Dave Wallace

May 11 -- Jim Dunn celebrates 50 years in drag racing at Englishtown

Drop us a line and let us know what's up.

Bob, I was one of the brave (stupid?) ones that attended the recent NHRA Matco race at Englishtown. Every area weatherman and the Weather Channel said "Don't go, you'll only get your heart broken or at least you will be forced to shell out $28 (for Friday's qualifying) and end up either freezing in the stands or sitting in your car with the heater on".

But my friends and I are a foolish lot and against better judgement, we trekked up the Jersey Turnpike, paid out $28 and lo and behold, we either froze in the stands or sat in the car with the heater on. We did however see an unbelievable Pro Stock qualifying show. Teams were blasting out personal bests left and right. The Ford of Robert Patrick ran his first 200, the Dodges were flying, it was unbelievable. Bob Benza ran in the 6.80's. And neither Warren or his son qualified (at least on Friday).

Now the Fuel cars were another story. The few that hooked up (and there were very few) ran decent times on the cold and damp surface. I did not catch wind of the "tire story" until I saw the qualifying highlights on ESPN2 and later when we returned for Sunday's "Finals". How a cold, damp track can have too much traction is against everything I have ever learned at a drag race. I have seen Fuel cars spin the tires on the top end at tracks such as Richmond and Atlanta when the track was hot and slick, but never have I seen what happened at E-Town this weekend.

I went back to the pits and looked at some of the team's slicks and the centers (or crown) of the slicks were pitted, with evidence of a lot of material being thrown off at some time during the run. Herbert's slicks were unusable after just one pass! They looked like a teenager's face after too many bags of french fires! Cory Mac said on TV he wished the Goodyear honchos were there, instead of at Indy (snore), so they could check out the problems the racers were experiencing. I have no idea if the teams will be using the same compounds in Dallas this weekend.

One other thing. The fields being set after two rather poor fuel sessions is a slap in the face to the racers and the fans. Even though Top Fuel only had 15 cars attempt to qualify, the position these cars qualify in may have a big impact down the road when 20 or 40 points can mean a World Championship or not. John Force was not happy with NHRA's ruling, especially with Tony not in the show. I would not be surprised if NHRA changed their minds (not the first time this year) and let the Pros have one more shot to get in the field.

I will email you later with more profound thoughts concerning Englishtown and the state of Drag Racing, but until then, adios....

Huge Audience for Konica Winternationals TV

The 33rd running of the Konica Winternationals will be featured on no less than three special one hour episodes of Willowbank Raceway's "Wreckers Hotline Drag Racing" television program.

Splitting the event over the three shows allows a far greater depth of coverage of the various categories of racing and maximizes the number of television viewers exposed to the event. Once again the programs will be broadcast both free to air throughout Queensland by the Seven Network and nationally on cable and satellite by Foxsports. Previous broadcasts of the Konica Winternationals have attracted up to 300,000 viewers for a single episode in Queensland alone. This year's schedule of six separate broadcasts will certainly take the Konica Winternationals to a huge audience.

The first of the programs will feature the explosive action of Gregory's Top Fuel eliminator and Morgan & Wacker Top Bike. Both the two and four wheel nitro burners provide some of the most dramatic pictures in all motorsport. The show will also include the cutthroat sportsman racing of VPW Mail Order Super Stock and the finals of Queensland Diesel Spares Junior Dragster, Redcliffe Dyno Super Street and Cragar Performance Super Sedan.

The following episode will cover the intriguing battle for the Australian Championship between Mark Brew and Gary Phillips in Supa Cheap Auto Top Alcohol along with Serco Pro Stock Motorcycle and the supercharged dragsters, sedans, altereds and funny cars of Wreckers Hotline Top Comp. Also included will be the finals of Ken Lowe's Drag Race School Modified Eliminator, Perfect Print Super Gas and Whales Motorcycle World Modified Bike.

The final show from the Konica Winternationals will be headlined by the two Group One tin top categories. With Dave Koop, Victor Bray and Robin Judd locked together at the top of the points table and any one of a half dozen other drivers capable of winning the event, Ice Break Top Doorslammer is certain to provide dramatic images. Add in the unbelievably close racing of Travelaire Tours Pro Stock and this episode will be a feast for the fans. The sedan action will be supported by VPW Mail Order Competition Eliminator and Morgan & Wacker Competition Bike.

All the footage of the three shows plus additional footage will also be compiled into a souvenir Konica Winternationals 2000 video expected to go on sale in mid-July.

TV Schedule:

Hey Bob, we had another one of those weekends. We found a possible crack in our primary block so we pulled it out Friday night. Then on our only full run in qualifying, we spun #3 rod bearing in the other motor! Just when you think you have it figured out, bang! something happens.

The cause of the spun bearing is unknown as of yet, but there's not much damage. I'm trying to put together some sponsorship and organize a display the weekend before the next Mission points meet. If I do, we will go to the race. I need to generate some revenue somehow. Talk to you soon.

I always have to just drop in to see what's up. I really enjoy some of your stuff. I don't always agree with you, but I always enjoy reading it.

Thought I would let you know what happened in Spokane this past weekend. We towed our rig down Friday morning, and spent most of Saturday getting the car ready. At the first race of the year, it always seems like it takes forever to prepare everything, even though you spend most of the winter working on it. Re-attaching and un-tangling newly washed parachutes, dead bulbs/batteries in the timing light, fuel system adjustments for a worn out fuel pump, etc., take longer than you think they will. You feel like a rookie again until you can get the car down the track once or twice.

We decided to make a short blast at 5:00 Saturday to check things out. Everything went pretty well; our tuneup was backed way off because there was just no race track (traction) yet. A couple of other alky cars went before us, blowing the tires off at the hit. Serge made a pretty good run though, shutting off at half track to a 6.80 at 160 mph (6.40's are pretty stout at this race track).

Orville (Moe) didn't book anyone to run against us, so we made a single in the first round. Didn't change a thing, but the stupid car blazed the tires for a hundred feet, then spun the rest of the way. Serge pedalled a few times and ran a 7.08 (yuk!) at 191. We raced Ron Richardson (Funny Car) on our last pass, and got into the sixes again with a 6.78 at 199. I had upped the barrel valve a bunch and fattened the rest of the motor so much that we could hardly breath on the starting line. The fuel acted as a rev limiter, as the motor wouldn't go over 7800 rpm. You do what you have to do.

We didn't break anything and the driver/crew got into the race mode again, so it was a successful weekend. We'll also have somewhat of a baseline for the (AHRA) World Finals in late July. Bob Hurley won the Funny Car deal, defeating Darrel Van Dyke (Rattler Funny Car) in the final. (I think they both ran in the 8's, as the final was after midnight and it was raining). John Evanchuk (Red Wolf Funny Car) ran some low 7's, but was impressed with the power the car made once it hooked up. He has a new ignition system (MSD) and a lot of other updated stuff, and can't wait to get it on a good race track.

You had asked about Ed's (Verenka) crash last year in Calgary. It was almost a carbon copy of Serge's (Edmonton Open) as the chutes didn't come out, he went into the dirt at high speed and rolled it. The damage looked to be mostly body, wing, wheels, etc., but I don't know that for sure. Ed seemed all right, and had planned to get it ready for 2000.

On Sunday morning, Bobby Lagana Sr. was in the cockpit of the Ralph White Top Fuel car, warming it up and getting familiar. The deal was that Bob was going to launch and click it off to get into the field and make it a full deal. About 11:40 AM, we heard the extra fuel qualifying session was cancelled. The field for the September rain date is now set.

Another rumour making the rounds was that Shelly Anderson's physical certification hasn't been updated. Never heard about the Mike Dunn deal. Actually, Bobby Lagana had been in staging, strapped in on Saturday night when NHRA decided that it wasn't safe for the cars due to the weather conditions.

I will have a pic of Bobby in the cockpit on Wednesday if you or anyone would like proof. Take care, Bob.

TFUK (launching it's new website on 27th May, 2000 incidentally), doesn't seem to have had too many problems with "family-friendly" search engines and the "fuk" part of the name. Also, all of those flashy new features which you are concerned about -- well:

So, as you can see, the portal to a new era of web design is here and TFUK is at the forefront of this. Remember the launch on 27th May 2000.

Hey, everyone. Just a short note to tell you that we have finally finished our seven month long project. So many people were involved in this project that it would take an extra email just to name them all. Our sincere thanks goes out to all of them.

As the new funny car got closer and closer to being finished, it seemed to take longer and longer to get things done, but yesterday we fired the car for the first time and made two runs at Edmonton's Budweiser Motorsports Park, to shake her down.

Did I mention how grateful we were to everyone involved? Man, am I pleased! Even our wonderful home track went overboard for us. Tell me how many times you have heard of a race track staying open one hour after the regular race was over, holding all of the staff and ambulance, so that two funny cars could make a second pass. The race ended at 4:00, but because our first run didn't come until 3:35, they held her open for us. Unbelievable!

Our new Ken Sitko-built Arctic Chassis funny car is a '57 Chev, but she drives like a Caddy. Our first run was pretty bad, with some major driver errors. All of the controls in the new car are different, notably the brake, which in the old car was a foot brake, and is now a hand brake.

I was kind of freaked when I reached my foot out to stop after the first burnout, and found no brake pedal. I reached for it several times backing up, staging and shutting down on the top end too. I guess you can't teach an old dog new tricks very easily. The enclosed body thing took a bit of getting used to as well. A dragster friend of mine calls funny cars "rolling coffins", and I was thinking about that as they lowered the body for the first time.

My dad, who rushed home from a family function in Calgary, did his usual incredible job on the motor, and she fired right up the first time, with that beautiful sounding lope that only an alky motor can make. He had the car set up really fat and lazy, and after an on-again -- off again mild pass, we knew the new girl was ready for a full pass.

Darrell Webb, also of Edmonton, was testing as well, and at 4:45 ran an 8.04 at 176 mph. We were next at 4:50. After a nice burnout, (during which I actually found the brake lever), we backed up and staged. We left off idle, and went straight as an arrow to an 8.06 at 172 mph run.

Considering that the car has a pulley the size of a bike wheel on the blower, and was so fat that the thing looked like it had a PSI on it when it was staging, and the fact that the dumb driver forgot to shift when the light came on, we are really pleased. It is notable, that under these conditions, our old car would have been like a wild bucking bronco. Not this new car.

Ken Sitko should think about building more of these things. Also notable are our new dual top fuel-style chutes, that just about flung me out the windshield when the hit. Overkill for sure, but reassuring, nonetheless. One thing I really don't miss about the altered, is the oil bath that I would have taken with the leaks that we had. Stayed nice and comfy in the coffin.

In closing, I would like to thank everyone involved in this buildup AGAIN. I am so proud of the work that everyone put into the car, and would hope that they in turn will be proud of what they have helped create. I will post some pictures on the website as soon as I get them back from the developer.

Things are pretty hectic around here at the moment; all the latest news is at www.laracing.co.uk. And there's a video clip of the 5.99 run from Santa Pod (that took some sorting out!).

Due to the available software I have, it's a bit laborious, but download the Zip file to your hard disk, UnZip it and click on the file to play -- it should work automatically -- but you must have Media Player installed (standard on Windows 98) -- or any other streaming video player software. If you have any problems, please let me know.

On May 13, the Lyle Greenberg Motorsports Federal-Mogul Funny Car team was one of the feature cars at the "Coors 32 Funny Car Night of Fire" at Firebird Raceway in Phoenix. The team's web site has now been updated with several stories about the event, including:

Go to: www.lylegreenberg.com, scroll down to "What's New" and click on the story headings.

The engagement of Steve (Conrod) Piesley to Katrina (Kate) O'Donnell on the 21st of May, 2000. True. Believe me, it's TRUE. I had several beers after the fact and it's still there. Yes, I have wilted under the pressure. But you get that.

Bloody hell, what was I thinking. One minute a thriving bachelor, the next minute getting married. It's a world gone mad. There WILL be a party, of some sort. Some trying to get me out of it, but to no avail. So I will be known as the last in the group to fall prey to the THUMB. Sorry guys. Now I know how some of you others feel.

Shoot. Now I've done it. Ah well, it had to be someone stupid enough to get involved with me. May as well be "Treens". So, there we go. Will advise when the commiserations for me will be and the tears of joy for Kate will be.

Hmm, so there we go. All done, nothing more to say. Bye. Email your thoughts - L.O.L. - to Steve. Keep them clean, please.

Sorry the following message is a little long-winded.... but it is how I feel when you read such b.s. as the column on Adam Petty's death. The man has no feelings towards the BIG PICTURE of motor racing.

I've just finished reading it from the "Press Clippings" section of your web site and had to respond to the remarks made by the journalist, Mr. John Gearan, from The Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

Clearly, this man has no idea of what makes up the psyche in American motorsport. He seems to have a warpath effect on every sport that he deems to be "too dangerous." I was quite amazed about his opening paragraph, having their grandson (Adam) depicted as a war hero given to them on a shield.

I am sure that the Petty family have enough thoughts to contend with, without having Mr. Gearan chastise them with more adverse feeling to Adam's death. In addition, as a cricket-playing nation that Australia is, there have been numerous injuries recorded in our summer pastime.

He also passes judgement that spectators are all thugs waiting for something (bad) to happen. That is far from the truth. Granted that there are some who want to see metal being twisted from the effects of a crash, but about 99% of the people who avidly follow motorsport around the world, DO NOT GO TO SEE PEOPLE BEING KILLED.

It seems that the media have two rules when it comes to motorsports people. The first rule is to get on the bandwagon, flag-waving and backslapping of these athletes and milk them for every bit of exposure that they or their news media can get out of them.

The second rule is to annihilate them when they have met with death. A perfect example is the Williams team of Formula One racing fame, with the death of Ayrton Senna. He was treated like a GOD in the press as the "greatest of his time." Then when the accident happened, there was an outcry of "What a waste of human life" by the very same people who wrote, took photos and interviewed him throughout his career.

I believe this guy has seen too much of the film "Gladiators", with his references to motor racing as "Bloodbaths." If this is all that reporters are interested in; the bad side of motor racing, then they must lead very shallow lives, waiting for the misfortunes of people to happen, and gaining notoriety in their columns on reporting such matters.

One thing can be gained from this. That Mr. Gearan will realize that there is more to motorsport than the media ghouls would have us believe.

It's sad to see people taken away from our sport, whom we all love and have a mutual respect for. Yes, motor racing is dangerous. And any sport which has a high risk level will have casualties. Every driver that puts on a driver's suit knows the risks taken. However, they should be allowed to compete in what they do without fear of retribution from a small minority of the media. There are great stories in the media about motor racing from around the world. But the only stories that appear in headlines are the BAD NEWS headlines.

Sorry for thinking this way, but racing has been getting the wrong end of the stick from the media lately, and I hope that people involved in the sport keep an open mind to criticism and not let it affect them.

And on a completely different, and much lighter, note we have the following recordings from the public address system at Heathrow airport in England.

Listen to the recordings below. Announcers were tricked into saying them under the pretence that they were foreign names. This is the story:

We'd go and sit on the balcony at Terminal 3, at Heathrow, directly under one of the speakers, as the roof is low. We put the tape machine in our bag with the microphone poking out of the top. We'd look for a flight that had arrived in the last forty minutes from somewhere you'd expect mental names, then write a letter saying "Could you go and pick up so and so from flight etc."

That way it looked like it had been arranged in advance as the flight arrival details were written on the note. We also wore an ID-style badge and carried a mobile phone so that we looked like taxi drivers. One of us would get the first one read out and then the other did the second one. We'd pretend to be unable to pronounce it and then hand them the bit of paper with the name written on it. Long winded, but well worth it.

Looks like	Reads like	Sounds like
Arheddis Varkenjaab and Aywellbe Fayed	I hate this f@#$ing job, and I will be fired
Arhevin Fayed and Bybeiev Rhibodie	I've just been fired, and bye-bye everybody
Aynayda Pizaqvick and Malexa Kriest	I need a p@#$ quick, and my legs are crossed
Awul Dasfilshabeda and Nowaynayda Zheet	Oo-ah, that's better and now I need a s@#$
Makolig Jezvahted and Levdaroum DeBahzted	My colleague just farted, and left the room, the bast@#$
Steelyagot Maowenbach and Tuka Pizinztee	Still, I got my own back and took a p$#@ in his tea

We got rumbled doing the "My colleague just, etc." They actually threatened to arrest us, as aparently they'd actually had complaints over the previous weeks! We were toying with the idea of doing it again just to see what they'd arrest us for, but we rang our friend Chris, and all he said was "go to Gatwick!" This is the reason the last one sounds so fuzzy, because Gatwick is a much noisier place and the ceilings are high and it was difficult to get near a speaker. The lengths we had to go to....

You asked (on the "What's New" page) "Is it just me, or have all the 'major' drag racing websites gotten very quiet this week?"

So, is www.eurodragster.com (14 stories so far this week) not a "major drag racing web site" then?

Yours, now wondering if it's all worth it. PS: I forgive you.... grin.

Hey there Bob, thanks for the email. Sorry I woke up! Thanks for the news on (Bob) Meyer. Funnily enough, he wrote me yesterday about his upcoming visit to the Main Event (at Santa Pod Raceway on May 26-29). I hadn't heard about (Les) Davenport coming, but I also hear that (Bob) Haffner is coming over next week. It's going to be a busy time interviewing them all for the race updates, isn't it?

Have a great weekend my friend; stay in touch and keep up the greeeeaaaat work; I love your site.

PS: It goes without saying that we're happy for you to use our race reports again this year since you are kind enough to credit us! The next raceday update is tomorrow, a closed session at Santa Pod.

Hi Bob. I'm heading for Sacramento in the morning for the Division Seven race. Here's my email address. Stay in touch and good luck with your racing operation! If there is anything I can do, let me know.

Last fall, when blown alcohol dragsters had to face either quitting, going to A/Fuel, or racing at a serious disadvantage, several of our customers approached Norm (Drazy) asking him if there wasn't something PSI could do to help. The "C" blower looked like it might offer something to dragsters, even though it hadn't worked for funny cars. Whether it would have an advantage or not was by no means clear -- certainly no "200 to 300 horsepower advantage" had ever been measured (and still has not).

So, how many should we make for the trial run? Our normal production run of 24 - 36 blowers was out of the question. If it didn't sell, we'd be in the hole to the tune of around $300,000. Releasing just two or three would subject us to even more criticism than we've received, if it did work. So we threw a dart at the wall, decided on a number, and went to work.

So, who got the "C"s? The first people that called! Far from an "A" list, they ranged from racers that were almost beginners to those whose success is well know. The thing that was so amazing was that the "C" helped them all, primarily because of the serendipitous timing of the Hoosier tire introduction. Norm also pounded into these customers the widely ignored importance of being at minimum weight.

As for advertising the introduction, please remember that, because of the political climate, PSI has never been free to claim a performance advantage. If we ever did, BOOM, down would come NHRA's gavel and there would be yet another rules change. Don't believe it? Check out our history on our website.

The really sad thing is that we were less than two weeks away from having enough product on the shelf so that anyone could just call us up and buy a "C", when NHRA banned it.

Bob - just finished reading your Mission coverage (and you thought YOU were late!), and just wanted to say "nice work!" I think you captured the flavour of the weekend very well -- as you said yourself, "glad" was how I felt about it -- glad for the racers that came a long way, glad for the spectators who shelled out up to $25 each for Saturday and Sunday, and glad for the track they they (hopefully) made some money after the disastrous events of 1999.

As for Top Comp - yeah, there's more than a few "cookie cutters" out there, but there's also more than a handful of really interesting cars. In fact, I think we have one of them, and we'll be back before you know it, starting this weekend with a little test-n-tune action, and maybe a shot at shaking up the troops in Super Pro for the first time in a long time.

Like it or not, those darn electronics are here to stay, and in fact, are what keep cars like ours (7.50 sportsman chassis tags) racing fast brackets. In my view, it's still fun to watch (but them I'm a twisted little man), especially when the "loud" cars stick it to the Super Comp "refugees". Hey, Marty Z. did it -- so can we!

Rumour has it that Division Seven will be picking up the class next year, so expect some serious competition to come north. The category DOES help fill the gap at the Federal-Mogul series races caused by the declining alky car and Comp eliminator counts, and gives us a place to play in front of a real crowd for once. See you at the next one?

To make public accusations and publish them without prior consent is, by the way, a legal matter. I would like the opportunity to set the record straight on a few points.

There are no lawsuits pending, or been filed. As a matter of fact, if you are talking about tape recording a telephone conversation, it is legal to do so in the state of Kansas, as long as one of the two parties is aware of the taping. (ONE of the two parties? Uh, correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the person DOING the taping know that it was happening?)

I was contacted by Norm (Drazy) on the matter of this new (PSI) blower. The "E" blower, was and still is an illegal blower. I asked Norm "What happens if we are caught using this blower before it is made legal?" He said, "It would have serious attention from NHRA." I asked if the blower was legal now. He said, "No, that's why I'm talking to you. We need to get more of them out there so when NHRA finds out about them, there will be too many of them out there already for them to do anything about it."

This, of course, would be at a cost to the racer(s) of $8800. Your old "D" blower would be nothing more than a mud racing blower. You then would be put on a list; only the fast guys would have them first, then they would trickle down to the lower class racer. The blower made 300 horsepower above the "D" model. That's a tenth to tenth and a half on the track. That's a fact.

We as racers decided in 1997 (excuse me Rob, but wasn't it NHRA that did the deciding for us?) to end the blower wars that PSI and Whipple were having. The racers and NHRA decided that there would be a freeze on the blowers. NHRA asked the blower manufacturers to give them drawings on ALL current, old, or pending blowers. The "E" model was not on that list.

I have a recorded telephone conversation to back all that I say. I know a lot of racers who would have had to quit this form of racing because somebody was trying to play God. I saved the racers a lot of money, not only in blower expense, but also in running cost. (by "tipping" NHRA to the existence of this "new" PSI blower?). Ten more pounds of boost will eat more parts! Ask Shelly Howard, Jay Meyers and Mark Hentges. I've seen their cranks.

I did not know about these web sites (that posted info or stories about this situation, or my involvement in same) or I would have been defending my actions better. If any of you have any questions, you can reach me at the email address above.

I hear you up in the palatial Northwest. They used to get one shot on a Thursday to get them their four qualifiers. It almost always rains at least one day at Englishtown and you're right, they get boned first. So much for the backbone of the sport. Thanks, Bob.

Bob.... did you know about this?

Also, I took a couple of pics at the Tom The Tire Guy show and shine last Sunday. Here they are:

From what we can tell, your sources are right on the mark. Great job of journalism -- better than National Dragster, et al.

A new virus - WOBBLER is on the loose. It will arrive in an e-mail titled "How To Give A Cat A Colonic". IBM and AOL have announced that it is very powerful, more so than Melissa. There is no remedy. It will eat the information on your hard drive, and also destroy Netscape Navigator and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Do not open anything with this title and please pass this message on to all your contacts and anyone who uses your e-mail facility. Not many people seem to know about this yet, so propagate it as quickly as possible. This information was announced yesterday morning by IBM.

Please share it with everyone in your address book so that the spreading of the virus may be stopped. This is a very dangerous virus and there is no remedy for it at this time. Please practice precautionary measures and forward this to all your on-line friends, ASAP. PLEASE PASS THE WORD!

TFUK (Top Fuel U.K.) will be re-launching with a new, easy-to-use, interactive web site with many new features on May 27, 2000.

•   Animated & interactive Flash 4 content
•   Over 150 images from our vast image archives featuring Top Fuel,
    Top Methanol, Funny Cars & Pro Modified
•   Video clips to watch online (through the power of streaming media)
    or to download for offline viewing
•   News reports updated regularly after all major events
•   UK race dates & venue listings
•   Raceway maps and information
•   Links to the best drag racing sites on the web
•   Check the weather online before going to an event at Santa Pod
    with our live uplink to the Met Office
•   Advanced controls with easy navigation
•   A fast reliable server
•   Featured sound tracks to listen to online

To keep up to date with all the events and happenings, join our newsletter feature (from May 27th). To join, simply reply to this e-mail and change the subject to "newsletter".

Remember, the new site goes online on May 27; see you then. For more info: visit Top Fuel UK. See you then!

Thanks for the plug on the Backfire! page, but the link for the "Racer's Diary" ends in htm, not html, like your link has and makes it a dead link. Same goes for the "Used Parts" list; htm, not html.

WHOA, this has many repercussions for people using the NHRA logo for any reason. They're kidding, aren't they? My thoughts on the matter:

  1.   If this organization, IDRA is a NON-PROFIT outfit and receives no commissions from the use of the game, what's their (NHRA's) problem? Any exposure would be an advantage to the NHRA. With many people unable to finance any sort of race program, this is the only avenue available for some people. If they are happy and enjoy the game, let them play the game to get a better understanding of the sport. Any legal proceedings will only harm their thinking of what drag racing's all about.

  2.   The NHRA can ill afford to lose the paying public, who spend good money to see their favourite drivers and teams. With the announcement of 2.8 bazillion dollars in TV coverage won by the NASCAR organization from NBC and FOX media companies (refer to What's New - May 10), drag racing needs every bit of "word of mouth" media attention it can get.

  3.   If this does go to court, how many other websites, magazine advertisments, etc., will fall under the hammer? Scary stuff.

  4.   I can see many drag racing industry related websites who link to NHRA, now may have to delete the site off their link pages. And what if a website, ie., Northern Thunder, uses the NHRA logo, symbol or it's actual name in any link to its site. Will it be an offence?

On a brighter note, a reminder that the Public Meeting for the Adrenalin Motorsports PowerCentre will be on the 16th of May at Deer Park, Melbourne. I hope to get there and hear what is happening. By all accounts, it is gaining a great deal of interest (with what I understand is very little opposition). There has been a new Speedway dirt track built on that side of town and I believe it's going very well. So I hope the enthusiasm will keep going for the new drag/speedway venture. All will be revealed....

If you are at all interested in what is happening with the PNWSCA, check out their new website. It is still evolving, but there's info you need to know if you are planning on attending the race next weekend in Woodburn.

Just checking out your site today; concerning your article on NASCAR's TV package. When has NHRA, or any Drag Racing for that matter, ever been on the same page as Oval Racing? Not in my lifetime!

I'm probably one of the most dedicated drag race fans ever. I attend between eight and ten national events annually. From my experience, drag racing just isn't television friendly. I've heard more comments than you could shake a stick at, concerning the NOISE appeal, if you will, of attending a race live, as opposed to watching one on TV.

I had a pretty good conversation with Don Schumacher last year, about drag racing now compared with when he raced. He says there's no comparison. He told me in his "Stardust" days, you were lucky if you saw two or three national events on TV per season. And as far as the crowds go, he told me that they are about double what they were twenty years ago.

NASCAR, since I can remember, has had huge crowds. I talk to friends of mine who have been to Talladega and it took them three to four hours just to get to the track! No thanks!

Why must every motorsport have to live up to NASCAR standards or be deemed a failure? As far as I'm concerned, comparing the NHRA to NASCAR makes about as much sense as comparing the NFL to the NBA. They are like night and day.

What goes 6's and costs 20% of a Top Alcohol Dragster or Funny Car to build and 5% of a TA/D or TA/FC to maintain? What is supercharged on methanol and altereds, dragsters and blown sedans all race against each other? What has no electronics or driving aids? What gets six TV shows a year, versus three for Top Fuel and two for Top Alcohol? If you were a sponsor I'd bet you'd put your money there, wouldn't you?

What I have described is Willowbank Raceway's Top Comp; a formula that works for the racers, spectators and the track management. I was thinking about this after I read your race reports from Mission, regarding their Top Comp attempt. Nice try (on NHRA's part), but with the electronics, it's not a level playing field. The electronics will still have a home: it's called Super Comp, which is a good class already.

Top Comp should be supercharged, with no electronics. This is not just my opinion, but a formula that already works and works very well. Sometimes it does not pay to reinvent the wheel (and this is one of those times - BW).

For your information, Super Comp was invented by NHRA Division Three director, Keith Ferrell, in 1980 and first contested at Stanton, Michingan. Keith invited us (Top Gas East) to come up and help promote the race. Seven cars showed up and we were the runnerup at the first race. Other Top Gas East racers were Antrobius & Britton, and Terry Price.

(In answer to your questions about "whatever happened to....") The last I heard, Ed Verenka was repairing the chassis from the rollover in Calgary last year, and I hear that he has an A/Fuel or Top Fuel chassis on the way. All of this is totally unsubstantiated, as I have not talked to Ed for quite a while. I think he would like to get his daughter into the alcohol car.

I also hear that (Dave) Szybunka is supposed to return some day with an A/Fuel car, but haven't seen anything yet. I'm not sure how much he has sold, but I think he still has some parts left.

We don't really have anything for sale right now; we're still building up our inventory. Oh sorry, we do have two complete B&J's that would work well with a 7.50 or Top Comp-type operation. We could even package the two together for a real decent price. I'll send you details when you have your For Sale section up and running.

..... you needed any further proof that the entire street machine thing was totally out of control.

No sweat on letting people know about the possibility of a Top Fuel race at Mission this summer. I just don't want to wear the goat horns if it doesn't pan out. I've been so busy lately that I haven't taken it any further than initial discussions with the track management.

We've got Spokane coming up this weekend and Indianapolis in three weeks. I'm trying to run with the ball while it's in my hand and any publicity is appreciated on anything I'm doing. I'll keep you posted.

PS: We'll be at Mission Saturday testing a new Top Alky Funny Car; how's the weather looking?

Here's that e-mail address you requested. By the way, I met you at Mission last week, I'm McGlone's bottom end guy. I check your site often and have for well over a year now; keep up the good work.

Most NHRA fans are aware that there is a PC game called NHRA Drag Racing Simulator, which has been on the market for a couple of years. It is an awesome game and is currently being updated by Moto1.net (the new owners of the game) to address a couple of glitches in the game, which should make the game that much better.

The original owners/developers of the game ran an "Offline League" to promote the game and then had numerous obstacles to overcome, so they basically walked away from supplying any type of "league" for the sim(ulator) pilots to run races.

After a few name and personnel changes, the IDRA (Internet Drag Racing Association) emerged as THE ONLY PLACE ONLINE to run sim races using this game. The IDRA is, was, and always will be, a FREE service supplied by guys who LOVE nitro drag racing. I want to be clear, that I AM IN NO WAY part of the current leadership of IDRA, but I am one that loves to race against other sim racers.

So here we have a group of 20 - 35 people who meet and gather frequently to race each other using the NHRA game. Now, after months of promoting and keeping NHRA Simulator Drag Racing alive, the IDRA is thanked (?) with the following:

UNBELIEVABLE!.... That the NHRA is so petty. NO ONE is making any money from any of this and yet the NHRA feels it is necessary to spend thousands of dollars on lawyers to come after the IDRA. I am an NHRA member, but doubt very seriously that I, or any of the other sim racers, (most of whom are NHRA members) will renew our membership, let alone spend the thousands it costs me each year to attend national events.

What a shame for them. I, for one, attend at least 2 - 4 national events per year. I can think of much better ways to spend that money, and most likely will! The IDRA would LOVE to see that money come their way. I seriously cannot believe that this happened. NHRA, you better take a good long look at what you are doing!

Happy to announce that we have finally confirmed our first race of the year for next weekend in Spokane. Serge Dion will be driving the Sitko Family Racing dragster and John Evanchuk will bring his Red Wolf funny car for a Saturday night Can/Am challenge. This is Orville's (Moe) annual "Lilac Festival" race and is always a lot of fun.

I'm sure we'll be racing into the wee hours and the track surface should be interesting. Last year at the World Finals, it was VERY marginal, even with a nice 78 degree (F) temperature. Both John and Serge were quite successful getting down the track at that race, but I'm sure the conditions will be even worse this time. I don't mind though, because I think we're up to the challenge. This is one place that you don't need the high dollar, high horsepower parts; just an imagination and a few smarts. We'll keep you posted.

The car went about 30 feet; it was on the (wheelie) bar hard at that point. The car broke and the car almost went over; we could see the hat and hood design from the starting line. It got about eight inches of air under both slicks and came down on the left rear first, then left front, hard, and then finally onto the right front. This is what broke the frame in six places.

This was the scariest thing I have seen in 25+ years of racing. We figure if it had been any further down track, it would have blown over. As it was, the car did a .960 60-foot and we weren't even trying for anything like that to start with. I did some engine combination changes this winter and want to sneak up on it slowly.

We sure are happy with the weekend results, even though we didn't go far (in eliminations). We're going to be testing on June 2nd at the High School race we have been invited to. I know the track will be good. I just hope the weather cooperates.

By the way, never got a chance to say how great the (web) site is. I read it every night I get a chance. Please stick with it. It would be a great loss if you quit doing it. Sorry I didn't get to chat much on the weekend. I saw you close by a number of times. See you at the track at the next divisional in June, if not sooner.

Hey Bob, I was wearing a shirt very similar to that of the BigBlackBlob. I also saw the funny car body picture last night on your site... am I famous now? Here are a couple of non-babe pics... I didn't take enough good pics!

G'Day. Do you have any knowledge of the Sammut racing calculator or sites with info on it? Thanks in advance.

Hi Bob! It's been a while since we updated you on our stories of the day. Here are short descriptions of our daily stories posted from April 22 to May 10, plus other notes from www.draglist.com.

May 10, 2000 -- Pat Foster recalls a match race at a DARK drag strip.

May 9, 2000 -- James Morgan describes Epping's opening show for 2000.

May 8, 2000 -- NHRA results from Atlanta.

May 7, 2000 -- Pat Foster with memories of Top Fuel racer John Wenderski.

May 6, 2000 -- New England photographer James Morgan remembering the great Boston Strangler alky funny car team.

May 5, 2000 -- New Aussie friend Rachel Ratliff wonders if pro drag racers are becoming too much like Formula One drivers.

May 4, 2000 -- Ralph "Gonzo" Crosby provides a hilarious installment of the Tommy Joe Cauldwell adventures.

May 3, 2000 -- Bruce Mullins describes his weekend at the NHRA Virginia Nationals in his own words.

May 2, 2000 -- Bill Ott provides his own take on Bruce Larson's USA-1 Dragfest.

May 1, 2000 -- The complete results of the NHRA race at Virginia this weekend. (Many thanks to all the people who wrote with words of support on my "pit notes." I appreciate it.)

April 30, 2000 -- Hey, I finally did a story by myself! Check out our adventures at Virginia Motorsports Park during qualifying at the NHRA moto1.net Nationals.

April 29, 2000 -- Funny Car racer Clare Sanders recalls "Fat Jack's Charm School."

April 28, 2000 -- Ron Dilley provides some early notes from the NHRA race in Richmond.

April 27, 2000 -- Ron Pellegrini recalls match racing in the wild south with TV Tommy Ivo's four-engine dragster.

April 26, 2000 -- Steve Klemetti details 15 years of top NHRA performers with a list of all the Number One qualifiers since 1985 and a list of the Number of round wins since 1985.

April 25, 2000 -- European editor Andy Marrs provides results from the Thunderball event at Santa Pod.

April 24, 2000 -- Jack Olcott of the Mid Atlantic Nostalgia Drag Racers Association describes how to promote nostalgia drag racing successfully.

April 23, 2000 -- James Morgan provides a moving story of New England Dragway's tribute to Jungle Jim Liberman in 1977.

April 22, 2000 -- Funny Car Q&A: David Ray answers the question "Were the late '60s versions of floppers more or less difficult to drive then the more 'refined' '70s - '80s versions?"

More News: Englishtown corporate suite seating available. We have access to 12 corporate suite tickets for Saturday and Sunday, May 20 and 21, at the NHRA MATCO Tools Spring Supernationals in Englishtown, New Jersey. If you can afford to fly first class, this is the way to go. Food, beer and soft drinks are covered. As a special treat, several top professional NHRA drivers will visit the suite to say hello and sign autographs. 12 tickets each day are all we have. Move fast! Email us at bilden@draglist.com for more information.

Two weeks until we open the draglist.com parts store! Don't tell me you didn't know what we were up to with that poll on the front page. We want to meet your needs -- especially our friends who don't have access to a local speed shop or auto parts store. We are going to build a complete inventory, but we are going to start small.

So tell us what you want us to carry first. Why does the world need another online parts store? We want to give you the convenience of online ordering with the low prices of a superstore from friends you know and trust. Drop me a line and let me know what we should stock first or just give me any other ideas about how to serve you better.

Oh another thing -- WE HAVE UPDATED LISTS -- Yes, we finally got the lists processed and up on the net. They are all fresh, except that this being drag racing, they are already obsolete! That's the nature of the beast, I guess. If you sent a recent update and it is not in the lists yet, you can be sure we are working on it. Don't be afraid to drop us another line, however, just to be safe.

We also have begun to offer Drag Racing Yesteryear Videos in ALL video formats, including PAL, PAL-M, and even SECAM. Our overseas friends should appreciate that. Check out the new tape format options on the R/R Video page.

Drop us a line and let us know what's up.

Just a quick note to let you know that the wheelie bar on Mike's car broke in the testing session several weeks back. The bar broke at the height adjustment bolt. I don't think anybody relayed the story properly. Reflecting back now, we realize that the bar was not built strong enough whenever Mike got on it. It's something everyone should check more closely and more often. I know we will.

Finally got around to scanning some of them... here's a few North American Drag Babe shots!

Nice slam on my stellar .829 reaction time. I guess I deserved it. I did have a couple in the .500's though. You didn't want to mention that did you? Or my .491 red light. I did run the quickest e.t. out of everyone by .13 second.

Anyway, thanks for the plug again on your site. The only error you made was that the mag was free on the weekend. WRONG! It was $2.00. All advertisers and NHRA officials and media types got free ones. I have to pay my debt off somehow.

PS: I kicked another local magazine publisher in his only run down the track.

I promised a race report from Saturday night and here it is: Saturday Night.

Keith Burgan's report from the NHRA Winston Advance Auto Parts Nationals in Commerce, Georgia, on May 7. You can get the results anywhere, but you get the story here.

Have you had a look at our Used Parts list?

If any of your friends would like to be on the mail list, just ask them to email me and I'll put them on the list.

G'Day Bob. Hope this email finds you well and awake. (Don't forget to take your "keeping up pills" when attending Jury Duty).

Just wanted to drop you a quick line that drag racers from Victoria put on a great display for the automotive buffs this weekend. It was the 24th Australian Automotive trade and SEMA performance and technology show at Jeff's Shed - The Exhibition Buildings - in Melbourne, Victoria.

With over a hundred displays showing their wares, many people were exposed to many different styles of drag cars on display. From the moment I left the underground car park and ventured up the stairwell and entered the foyer, I was greeted by two Group One cars.

One being Garry McGrath's Top Fuel car and the other Robert Ambruosi's Top Alcohol Funny Car. The interest from the general public was very pleasing. The guys on the "stand" were doing their best to answer questions from the gallery and I am sure they left either dumbfounded by the performance of the vehicles or satisfied their questions were answered.

Being my first Trade Show of its type that I've attended, there was lots to see and do. From automotive repair systems to aftermarket dress-up gear for the enthusiast. The majority of companies showing their products, used drag cars as a main source of marketing and advertising, either by posters, video footage or static display.

ANDRA had a stand there and was supported mainly by Robin Kirby's Top Fuel car, and there was interest from all sections of the public. Also there was the Di Filippo family's Top Fuel car displaying a range of exhaust systems. Sidchrome Tools had Tom Easton's Altered alky car. Tom was busy signing autographs for the masses.

Bruno Cugnetto had both of his Pro Stock cars in a dummy start line display, with a full Christmas tree. VDO also had a prominent stand showing their range of gauges, and of course, a drag car. There were many other companies using drag cars as part of their marketing arm to interest the spectators.

Drag racing cars made up for 80% of cars displayed at the show. (Sorry Bob, I have no photos to provide you with). There wasn't too many other types of cars on display. It's good to see drag racing getting the exposure that it requires. With the new venture, "Adrenalin Powersports", gaining momentum, shows like this can only improve the public image of drag racing in this country.

I'm sure this weekend will be well documented in various publications around the country and I hope they will take notice of the effort put forth by drag racing car owners and teams, to put on a great display at the weekend show.

Well, there you go. Looking forward to hearing about Mission Raceway's goings-on this weekend. Oh yeah, have they cleaned up that mess where the rig jack-knifed on the bridge? And . . . did you get a letter from your Mum for being late for work? LOL. Looking forward to seeing your response (as always).

Bummer (about the rain), hope you have better luck today. It's raining here right now, but we're hoping it clears for tonight's show at New England Dragway.

Thanks a bunch for the nice webpage. I'd love to be in Mission for the races (all four days), but can't. With your daily updates I can keep up with the races and the weather. My son and I will be headed that way tomorrow morning for the day, weather permitting. Here in Issaquah, Washington, (17 miles east of Seattle), it doesn't look very promising. Let's import some of the nice weather from Las Vegas, eh? Thanks again.

Here's an automated flame form that you might find useful. Just save it and then when it's warranted, paste it into an email message, tick the appropriate boxes and light it!

I am contacting various companies and motorsport teams and asking them if they can donate a baseball cap with their company or team logo on it to me so that I might be able to attain the world record for baseball cap collections.

I am contacting companies because I am on a tight budget and I will not be able to buy very many caps because the price keeps going up. I have had an enthusiastic reply from quite a few of the companies that I have contacted.

Thank you and I hope that you can help me.

(The prospect of a rainout) sounds pretty depressing. We actually have a test session scheduled next Friday in Calgary, so it's unlikely we could come anyways. I wish the circumstances were better around here, but they're not.

You know, if we had the opportunity to run just one paid race before the Mission deal, we would make the trip. There are just too many unknowns with the race car, and the account balance is starting out the year at zero.

G'Day, Bob. We've just posted the new points standings for the Drag Race School Modified Eliminator at Willowbank Raceway.

We are racing this Saturday night. Dave Coles is driving again and he swears he won't cut another .633 light... but you know how drivers tell stories. Stay tuned and we'll let you know how it turns out. I'll post the story on Sunday morning... if we win, I'll post it Saturday night! Wish us luck.

My motorhome will be connected to the trailer in Leo's pit area. See you this weekend.

Just talked to Don Anderson (Gary's dad) today. They were sorry to say they will not be attending the race this weekend, but are planning to attend the June race. Don's brother, from Vancouver, Washington, passed away last week.

Thanks for helping out with the address for Bob "Automan" Ottow. And I didn't know about the rules change, I'll have to check my rulebook. (I told Tanya about the rule addition to Top Fuel in Australia this year: All cars MUST be supercharged. With current U.S. injected nitro cars running almost as quick as OZ T/F cars, I guess they were getting nervous).

Sorry, I can't think of anyone to unload . . . I mean, sell your Racepak to. Maybe the Smithsonian. :-) Seriously, I'll let you know if I do.

Harold (Campbell, Tanya's brother) was supposed to be racing at Mackay on the Easter weekend, but his transmission went "walk-about" before the race. He's hoping that it turns up before the Winternationals.

PS: Keep up the great work at Northern Thunder.

For your information. Please circulate as you see fit.

Hello. I am twenty years old, 5' 7" tall, weigh 120 lbs., and was born on December 24, 1979. My eyes are brown, my hair is black and long. I send you my photo. I am the oldest daughter in my family. I have got a sister and a brother. She is nine. He is four.

I love my family, I like to read, and to listen to nice music. I like nature and forests. I will be glad to receive your letter. I'm searching for a partner. Would you want a future wife that loves life? Age of my future partner does not matter. I'm after love in my life. English is my second language, sorry if there are mistakes in my letter. Bye!

If you want to see a bigger photo of me, then please put Nadiya in the subject line and return the mail.

Bob, cheer up, you're bumming me out. Seriously though, I hope some good fortune heads your way soon. We put a little deal in the latest issue of Quicktimes on your site (hope it creates some more traffic) and we look forward to whatever ramblings you may have.... but for now, remember YOU CAN PICK YOUR FRIENDS, AND YOU CAN PICK YOUR NOSE, BUT YOU SHOULDN'T PICK YOUR FRIENDS NOSE. Later.

First there wasn't Juniors, then I was told there was, and finally, confirmed by Wally Duperon, here is the revised schedule. As a result, the bracket class will now get more hits and there is an extra run for Top Comp. A copy of this schedule will be handed to each entrant upon arrival at Mission Raceway.

Ever wished you could remember Norm's greetings on Cheers? Well, here they are:

News flash: Leo Grocock will be running the Northwest Drag Racing School Top Alcohol car at Mission's Federal-Mogul race this weekend. He's also got all the dates lined up for the school this year. Could you possibly place the ad for the school on the website?

The event page looks good. There has been one change since I spoke to you and it was a result of miscommunication. Junior Dragsters will not be a part of the program. I will send the completely updated schedule to you tonight; there are some other minor changes.

It's my opinion that there are more funny car racers than dragsters because funny car guys tend to be dumber, fatter and less caring about wasting money. Examples of fat: B.A., P.A., D.M. Examples of dumb: D.M. Examples of wasting money: all of us.

Just think of all the neat toys, houses, etc., we could have (instead). What a waste. We only live once though and this is how I like to keep my family and friends together.

I was just trying to get some info on a company named SANTEK; they make some really nice trailers, but I can't seem to find a website for them or anything else. If you could email me a phone number or address I would greatly appreciate it. Thanx.

Issue 15 Volume II has hit the net. Check out all your favorite drag racing action at www.competitionplus.com. Issue 15 is a special Pro Stock Truck issue.