|
The SCSS Series Rotary Track Record took a
beating. Eric Francosky's '94 RX-7 lowered its
own e.t. record seven hundredths of a second
to a 12.90/109, but Francosky's 111.25 mph speed
mark from June 15th was absolutely pounded by
Derek Coffman's '94 RX-7, which spun and stumbled
to a 14.45 at an incredible 122.21 mph! Francosky
and Coffman squared off in a match race after
the conclusion of qualifying (and official record-setting)
where Francosky annihilated Coffman on the starting
line and won with a 12.74/111 to Coffman's 12.46
at 121 mph! With Buhl's win in the fourteenth
completed event and twelve events remaining,
Fords and Chevrolets are now tied for overall
wins, 7 to 7.
- WIN: Robert Buhl,
Lebanon, IL - 1994 306 Mustang, 0.286, 10.825,
130.77
- RU: LaurenceBass,
Lebanon, IL - 1988 302 Mustang, -0.017, 11.493,
124.05
SCSS SHOOTOUT RESULTS --
AUGUST 3, 2004
Laurence Bass, who has earned more "Fastest
Street Car Qualifier" decals than any other
racer in the 2004 Southside City Speed Shop
Street Car Shootout Series, finally won an event
title to boot in yet another Ford- vs.-Chevy
championship round. Bass' Vortech-supercharged,
5-speed 1988 Mustang qualified for the ninth
time in ten events attended, (he finished 17th
by forty-four thousandths of a second on May
11th), and led the field for almost the entire
three-hour qualifying period. With a Heat Index
of 114 degrees and 97% humidity, most racers
found themselves running up to a half-second
slower than the nearly perfect conditions which
surrounded the July 27th event. Bass was no
exception, slowing from a career-best of 11.14
seconds to an 11.64 effort.
The real battle was for the other final-round
berth, with three racers swapping the number
two qualifying position no less than six times.
Mike Basarich's '75 Nova originally held the
spot but was bumped by Tom Bantle's '81 Malibu.
Bill Hansen's '94 Toyota Supra then took the
slot with a 12.31 at a track record speed for
6-cylinder entries, a whopping 124.19 mph, but
Bantle came back with a 12.30. Hansen made another
shot and grabbed the number two slot back with
a 12.24 at a coasting 94 mph, but Bantle's primered
Chevy hit back again with a 12.16 to finally
secure a chance to run in the final. Incredibly,
Hansen's blue turbocharged Supra made another
run nineteen minutes after the end of qualifying
and unleashed an 11.70 at 126.45 mph; the run
would've reset both ends of the 6-cylinder Series
Records had they been made during the official
qualifying period!
Bantle also attempted to run just before the
championship round to sort out a slipping alternator
belt, but the belt fell off again, (as it had
on two qualifying runs), and Bantle and crew
struggled to reattach to belt while working
in front of the timing tower. When it appeared
that time would run out before the last match
with Bass, Hansen's Toyota was called to the
line to run Bass as the first alternate. With
all three cars in place, Bantle got his Malibu
fired at the last possible moment and rolled
into the water box as Bass pushed into position.
Not wanting to redlight away his chances, Bass
left intentionally late in the final race. Admitting
later, "I waited way too long," Bass found himself
still behind the Malibu at the 330-feet mark.
The black Ford made its move just before the
eighth-mile, however, and charged to a 78.86-feet
winning margin to become the tenth different
winner in thirteen completed SCSS Series events.
Zach Stacy's St. Charles, Missouri-based '97
Acura Integra ran three hundredths of a second
quicker than Ryan Godfrey's Creve Coeur 2000
Grand Prix GTP to take the quickest and fastest
Front-Wheel-Drive numbers for the event at 14.09/101.27.
With Bass' win, the battle is once again getting
tight; Chevrolets now barely lead Fords 7 to
6 for overall wins.
- WIN: Laurence Bass,
Lebanon, IL - 1988 302 Mustang, 0.477, 11.653,
123.37
- RU: Tom Bantle,
Jr., St. Louis, MO - 1981 350 Malibu,
0.168, 12.393, 113.80
|
