VOLUME XX,  NUMBER 3 - MARCH,  2018

Lucas Drag Boats begin season at Bakersfield

Top Fuel Hydro pilot Bryan Sanders in “Nitrochondriac” at the LODBRS event last year in Parker, AZ.  (Tim Marshall photo)

 

The Lucas Oil Drag Boat Racing Series will begin the 2018 season with the Battle in Bakersfield at Lake Ming in Bakersfield, CA, on April 20-22.

 

Friday and Saturday mornings are qualifying with eliminations on Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday. Racing begins at 8 a.m. Active military and kids under 12 get free admission.

 

For this Bakersfield event only, PE, TE, ME, and SE will run 1320 feet. Indexes will be PE-8.0, TE-9.0, ME-10.0 and SE-11.0. These classes will run in combination with the corresponding NJBA (National Jet Boat Association) classes. Racers registering with both sanctioning bodies will accrue points with each association.   [04/02/18]

Ron Pelligrini passes on

Drag racing pioneer Ron Pellegrini passed away due to natural causes at his home in Northern California early last week.   At his side was his companion of 54 years, Adele Coyle. He also leaves behind his daughters, Denise and Deborah, and five grandchildren. He was 82 at the time of his death.

 

Although he had not been active in drag racing for some time, Pellegrini’s role in the development of drag racing as a professional endeavor cannot be overstated.  He arguably fielded the first, real supercharged nitro-fueled Funny Car when he affixed a one-piece Mustang body --  that he built himself -- to a fuel altered chassis in 1964, after Ford engineers suggested that a tube-framed F/C wasn’t feasible.   For the next two decades almost every Funny Car match racer and national event contender did so with a Pellegrini-engineered-and -built Fiberglass Ltd. shell.

 

But, long before he turned to Funny Cars and body manufacturing Pellegrini had made a name for himself behind the wheel of TV Tommy Ivo’s twin-engined and then four-engined cars, becoming the first exhibition car driver to appear at the NHRA U.S. Nationals in 1961.

 

As the mentor and advisor to dozens of racers, aftermarket parts manufacturers, track operators and journalists, Pellegrini’s contributions to drag racing have been truly significant.

 

Per his wishes, there will be no formal funeral or remembrance to honor his passing.   [04/02/18]

SEMA warns against harmful U.S. tariffs

The Specialty Equipment Market Association has joined forces with other U.S. manufacturers warning President Trump and the U.S. Congress that newly enacted tariffs have the potential to harm American companies, workers and consumers. SEMA-member companies are concerned over higher prices for steel and aluminum because of tariffs imposed globally.

 

“The specialty auto-parts industry employs more than a million American workers who will be affected by the proposed tariffs,” said SEMA Chairman of the Board Wade Kawasaki. “These U.S. workers produce products to personalize and enhance vehicle performance—from wheels and exhausts to engines and grilles—and many of these parts contain metals that are now subject to tariffs that will harm the industry.”

 

Price hikes began to show up in recent months under the threat of potential tariffs. Fear of supply-chain disruption beyond the metal market is now real as other nations consider retaliatory trade measures.

 

“We urge the president and lawmakers to use trade laws strategically so that unfair trade practices are addressed without harming U.S. businesses,” said SEMA President and CEO Christopher J. Kersting. “SEMA has joined forces with other domestic manufacturer associations to express concerns with the current approach and the potential downstream damage to domestic industries and American consumers.”   [04/02/18]

New Product of the Day

 

THV5S/1.05 A/R Turbine from PTE

Designed to fit Precision turbochargers with 62mm, 66mm, and 70mm CEA® turbine wheels, the new PTE stainless steel THV5S turbine housings are available with a 1.05 A/R for superior performance on a wide variety of applications. Equipped with a 1.05 A/R turbine discharge, PTE's new cast 310 stainless steel THV5S housings allow the turbo position to be clocked 360° for ease of installation. An added benefit of using V-band clamps, potentially leaky gaskets and breakable bolts are no longer necessary: V-band clamps provide a stronger, tighter and more secure seal. Additionally, the more compact size and streamlined design of PTE's stainless steel turbine housings will allow for greater clearances in tight spaces. [04/02/18]

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