March Attack
By Stephan Szantai
Photography: Stephan Szantai
Last March, California Dragway and Irwindale Speedway, Two Southern California Tracks, Welcomed a Pair of Events Quite Different From Each Other. Let's Find Out More...
In case you haven't noticed, VWTrends has been busy covering various Sport Compact NHRA and IDRC events, as Volkswagens have won their fair share of battles against Hondas and other small asphalt shakers. On March 13-14, California Dragway in Fontana played host to the first race of the 2004 NHRA season, and the VW clan created havoc once again!
Three Vee-Dubs entered the popular All Motor class. While Larry Kelley did not make the cut in the 16-car field, the VWT cover cars of Jack Sacchette and Scott Kelley qualified respectively number four and six. Jack's freshly repainted Beetle lost in the quarterfinals against Jeremy Lookofsky's Honda Civic... On a brighter note, Scott's chopped '69 Fastback defeated the Civic of Cloyse Holland III in the finals - 10.62/125mph vs. 10.76/123mph! That's great news, especially since nobody was even sure if aircooled Volkswagens would be able to compete in NHRA's All Motor after the 2003 season. A few more VWs participated in the bracket classes. "Muffler" Mike Shelden ('62 Ragtop) and Jim Gillum ('73 Ghia) reached and lost in the semifinals of the ET2 category.
A week later, it was Irwindale Speedway's turn to welcome a drag race; but unlike Fontana's extravaganza, only Volkswagens were invited to take part in this Drag Day. Its previous edition proved somewhat small due to the fires burning all over SoCal, as reported in our March 2004 issue; but thanks to a damp winter, we didn't have to worry about this situation during the second day of spring!
The grounds were separated into three distinctive areas: the racer's pit, a small swap meet, and the Car on Display coral, where VWs aren't judged like a typical car show. While most vehicles on hand had definite Cal Look attributes, one corner of this section gathered a nice selection of Hot Rod VWs that drew an impressive crowd. Most of the action took place on the 1/8-mile dragstrip however, thanks to eight bracket classes. At the end of the day, their respective winners went a few more rounds to decide on who would be the Top Eliminator. This time, Jorge DeLeon won that "super final" with his oh-so-slow Bus - it covered the short distance in 14.74 seconds at 45mph. Sometimes, winning isn't about going fast!
RACE RESULTS (IRWINDALE)
Quick 16: 1--Mike Lawless 7.80/71mph, 2--Troy Palmer
Jackpot: 1--Don Mehling 8.34/64mph, 2--Mike Engert
Trophy 1 (8.58 and quicker): 1--Todd Selland 7.41/88mph, 2--Anthony Amaro
Trophy 2 (8.59 - 9.99): 1--Lino Iniguez 8.67/71mph, 2--John Blunt
Trophy 3 (10.00 and slower): 1--Nathaniel Papaloanu 11.20/60mph, 2--Rikki Munoz
Watercooled: 1--Miles Marshall 7.16/89mph, 2--Kyle Heike
Bus Bracket: 1--Jorge DeLeon 14.89/43mph, 2--Brian Gomez
Der Renn Kaefer Cup: 1--Joe Maestas 94.00 points; 2--Robert Kong 85.92
Top Eliminator: 1--Jorge DeLeon 14.74/45mph, 2--Miles Marshall 7.31/98mph
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Fontana, March 13 and 14th: Jack Sacchette has recently repainted his mighty Beetle - see February 2004 cover. He qualified number 4 in the packed All Motor class.
Fontana, March 13 and 14th: The VWs put on a great show in the bracket classes. Allen Wiess (left) damaged his engine after an 11.52-second quarter-mile pass, while Muffler Mike lost later in the semifinals of the ET2 class.
Fontana, March 13 and 14th: Two thumbs up to Scott Kelley, who won the All Motor finals--10.62 at 125mph against Cloyse Holland III's 10.76 at 123mph, driving a Honda Civic.
Miles Marshall and his V8 Bug lost the Top Eliminator finals against Jorge DeLeon's Bus that posted a blistering 14.89 at 43mph.
Dom Luppino raced his nitrous injected "Fast VW", as stated on his license plate. Could a turbo be the next step?
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