DragRacingOnline.com SPORT TUNER SHOWDOWN RESULTS -- 5/17/2005

WINNER: Patrick Jacobsmeyer, St. Louis, MO, 1991 122 Talon, 0.099, 12.289, 113.81 mph

RUNNER-UP: Justin Bondurant, Fenton, MO, 2004 146 Neon, 0.284, 12.265, 116.77 mph

Patrick Jacobsmeyer (shown) has quickly become the dominant force in the DRO Sport Tuner Showdown program, but the St. Louisan's white Eagle Talon from the Gateway DSM Club (http://www.gatewaydsm.org) continues to make history. Appearing in his fifth final round of seven completed events, Jacobsmeyer became the first driver in the 27-event

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history of the SCSS series to win four eliminator titles and simultaneously became only the second driver ever to win a title round on a holeshot, (after Daryl Jauernig became the first on July 6th, 2004).

The DRO Sport Tuner Showdown category received an extra boost of excitement when Jeff Burk, editor of DragRacingOnline.com, posted a $50 cash bonus to the first driver who could record an 11-second elapsed time during a qualifying or final round. The class, open to all but eight-cylinder and six-cylinder rear-wheel-drive machines, had already seen Jacobsmeyer clock a 12.05 with rival Jason Bondurant's FWD Dodge Neon close behind with a 12.06 best. With both drivers out to grab the cash, qualifying quickly became intense.

Bondurant's beautiful blue JMB Performance Neon used timed trials to test the conditions with a 12.21/114.77, while Jacobsmeyer elected to make his first pass in qualifying. The two were at the head of the line for the official runs, with Bondurant opening with a fantastic 12.087 at 118.58 mph. Jacobsmeyer's AWD Talon followed in the very next pair with a 12.17/114.51. Bondurant's next effort was a 12.20/118.05, which Jacobsmeyer countered another 12.17/113.31!

Meanwhile, more history was being made. Brian Orsborn, whose Granite City, IL-based red Neon SRT held SCSS Series FWD records in 2004, was debuting a new JMB Performance tune-up. Using basically stock street tires, the turbocharged Dodge was barely able to find traction but still managed runs of 13.42/119.18 and 13.10/119.72. Finally, Orsborn hit a 12.99 ET but at a whopping 120.58 mph to reset Bondurant's 120.27 mph SCSS Series FWD and 4-Cylinder speed records!

Jacobsmeyer tried another attempt at 12.23/113.42, but Bondurant was apparently motivated to break more records. The blue Neon's next pass included a best-ever 1.88-second sixty-foot ET and culminated in a 12.027/117.72 which stole Jacobsmeyer's DRO STSS ET Record!

The stage seemed to be set for the final round to be an 11-second death match but it was driving ability, not horsepower, which earned the win. With an eighteen-hundredths of a second holeshot, Jacobsmeyer led Bondurant the length of the track to win with a 12.28/113.81 to Bondurant's quicker and faster...but losing...12.26/116.77! Along with being Jacobsmeyer's record fourth win, it was the third time Jacobsmeyer and Bondurant had met in the final round. "I'm more happy with the car's consistency than anything else," said Jacobsmeyer after the win. "Other than a missed shift on a timed trial before the final, every run was just about perfect."