NOT AS EASY AS IT LOOKS
Ian, I really enjoyed your article on driving at Roy Hill’s
school. My wife and I have a website called Northwest Drag
Racing and we also shoot a lot of photos and video at Woodburn
Dragstrip here in Oregon. One day a friend offered the
chance to get my license in his injected alcohol altered.
I jumped at the chance and your story reminds me of my
own, it was FUN wasn’t it? LOL! Got my license and
a new respect for people who do this.
Thanks.
George Adams
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NO WAY BUT UP FOR SPOKANE TRACK
Very glad to see someone is finally doing something to
stop Orville Moe. It's too bad the track and the area racers
have to suffer the end result, for there is no track for
several hundred miles. With the price of fuel a lot of
people will have to end a love for racing that goes back
several decades. For me Spokane Racaway goes back to 1976
when I went to my first drag race with my dad. I started
racing there in 1985 to 1987 and won 10 races. When I moved
to Seattle I came back in 1994 only to see a track in bad
shape.
I also got screwed over by Mr. Moe when he overruled the
person running the staging lanes after seeing I was an
out of town car trying to go some rounds and maybe win,
but my car had just made a run (after waiting the usual
3 hours to run) and was hot, asking for more time I was
told yes until Orville saw my car and told his people to
say No. I, of course, was beat because I had no time to
change my dial or cool down.
I came back again in 1998 but only had my video camera
to show my friends how bad this place was. What I saw was
bad. Cars with roll bars made from whatever they could
find, cars running 11-second ETs with riders, a starting
line still asphalt (only concrete is the grandstand seating),
hardly any safety equipment, no VHT (you have to bring
your own and provide someone to pour it), 2 single wide
mobile homes just below the grandstand area with a fenced
area with chickens and goats taking up some parking for
the pit area. Of course no ET or MPH signs (haven't seen
them work since 1981) and a timing system that has to be
seen to be believed. Yes, it is a racetrack that you race
at your own risk or you don't race at all.
With his own rules Orville knows he is the only game in
town. Of course by now Orville is a very old man and could
care less what happens. Hopefully, the track can be taken
over by someone and be brought up to standards to provide
safe racing for the people of the local area. Spokane is
a pretty good size town and revenue from this track is
almost a sure thing.
Yes, the track has some things wrong with it but the people
who come out to race there are ready to race no matter
what. I hope whatever happens turns out good for the racers
and fans and Mr. Moe becomes a POOR old man.
Roger Renz
UNMANNED RACING?
Jok, as a drag racer since 1959, I am really tired of
these 1000 HP cars running 8.90 by shutting off the power
leaving the starting line and the finish line. Why don't
we sit in the stands and run them by remote control? It
seems the people with the most money win, not the best
driver. We no longer build anything, now we don't drive
anything -- the electronics leave the line, shifts for
us and times us.
We can send the car and the driver stay home. We need
the fastest car to win the race, not the best delay box.
I think we are losing the fans because it is not a race
anymore
Jim McCulley
FROM THE BILL O'REILLY SCHOOL OF SOCIAL DISCOURSE
A direct quote from (Jok Nicholson's) column on DRO: "It
will be a huge improvement over the alcohol cars they have
been trying to shove on the spectators as Funny cars."
This is a complete slap in the face of the Alky teams.
Of course they're funny cars, you snobbish, pompous idiot.
They're just not FUEL funny cars. You have simply ripped
the rug out from under the backbone of drag racing...the
sportsman racer. I seriously have wondered how long the
sanctioning bodies can continue to call full time racing
teams that spend 1/4 million dollars a year just to race "Sportsmen" or "Amateurs".
Now you, in a widely read forum, basically say that only
the fuel funnies are truly racers. Hogwash!
Are these cars exciting to watch? Absolutely. Do these
people love drag racing? Absolutely. Are these cars nearly
as quick and fast as the fuelers? Close! They're pretty
doggone quick. Are they keeping pace with the fuelers?
Catching them. Next question...which team am I associated
with? None...I don't even race anymore, but I love the
sport and especially the sportsman who's doing it because
he loves it.
I hope the next alky racer you see knocks you silly -
you deserve it!
Steve Graham
Atlanta, GA
