Tim's Dragstrip News For May 15, 2016       

           Summit Series #2 5/15/2016

SPORTSMAN:

Jim Reed got a second chance to race his '65 GTO against Larry Ghidinelli's '89 Mustang in Summit Series Race #2, hosted by Interstate Batteries, Eureka Car Stereo and North Coast Cycle. They sparred at the starting line in the season opener's first round, May 1, and again in Summit race #2 on the 15th. Ghidinelli won the first time, becoming a finalist, Reed won this match, also succeeding to the Finals.

No bye-run or absent competitor for Reed's path to the Finals, though after Larry brokeout against him, the next two racers – Theresa Wright and her brother in law Eric – red-lit against him (notably: Theresa Wright had a first-round bye from becoming Top Qualifier with a perfect reaction time), putting Reed in the Finals against Eric Giacone.

After Ana Toledo red-lit against Giacone in Round 1 - a round that saw three red-lit starts and two breakouts -, Tom Hasler brokeout against him, granting Giacone a bye run to the Finals. This time the red light would tell on Reed, sending Giacone's '66 Ranchero to the Winner's Circle.

PRO:

While that was playing out, Giacone also kept busy in Pro, where he was the day's Top Qualifier in that bracket, advancing to a semi final round against brother Nick. Both brothers had under-.500 reaction times, Eric being faulted the red light, advancing Nick to the Finals.

Pro Round 1 saw four red-lit fouls and John Antongiovanni's first competitor, Mitch Marlin, was the first of them. They'd met in Race #1's Finals, and this second win for John helped lead to a Finals match against Nick Giacone. John's pale green Nova won the race performing the bracket's best package of the day: 10.74 on a 10.75 dial with a .032 reaction time.

In Round 2 Brian Stone brokeout against Antongiovanni, which made way to John beating Ken Youngreen a second time this season in the semi final, doing so running 10.74 on a 10.76 dial with a .027 reaction time, against the Y2K Dodge Viper.

Both Giacone's orange and black Maverick and Antongiovanni's Chevy II brokeout in the Final after similar reaction times (Nick's .037 to John's .038 light), Nick Giacone's lesser-offense breakout [10.34 under 10.36 dial in to John's 10.69 under 10.74 dial in] earning him First Place.

Note: in the same round John had his best-package pass, Giacone ran 10.363 (10.36 d.i.) after a .077 reaction time. No sluffing off around the dial-in, there.

STREET BIKES:

Summit Race #2 included a special one-time Street Bike class, drawing a variety of American and imported motorcycles. Loleta biker Aaron Milhorn managed a double breakout win with his '01 Suzuki against Gordon Sjoquist's '69 Kawasaki, but would breakout racing Mike Pires' '99 Harley XL 1200, putting the class's top qualifier in the Finals. Mike Pettit championed races with his '06 Kawasaki Ninja against Niekoma Cantrell's '02 Suzuki 600 and Ron Asbury's '14 Ninja before facing fellow Samoa veteran racer Pires, taking advantage of Pires' breakout run for First Place (tree'ing him in the process: .021 on the .400 tree to Pires' .118 reaction time).

MOTORCYCLES:

Through this, both those finalists were working the rounds of Sportsman-Motorcycles, where Pires out-tree'd Brian Bognuda (.036 to Brian's .054 reaction time), before being out-done by John Tohler's '78 Kawasaki KZ1000 drag bike. For Fortuna biker Tohler, it greased the path to a second consecutive Finals.

Jason Garza, back at the track after a First Place finish in the season opener, was Top Qualifier with a perfect reaction time in Time Trials, and later had best package amongst bikes with his Round 1 bye-run of 9.79 on a 9.78 dial-in with a .030, but was out performed in Round 2 by Mike Pires, Jr. Pires, Jr then raced Mike Pettit (who raced his dad in the Street Bikes Final), Pettit advancing to a Final round, where fellow Fortuna racer John Tohler earned First Place.

JUNIOR DRAGSTERS:

Summit Race #2 witnessed a third local rookie join the junior ranks, and on his first day racing made it to the Finals.

11-year old Jordan Daniels' first race was against 13-year old Areilla Adams. Adams, the Top Qualifier that day, red-lit against Daniels, as would her 11-year old brother Nyrijah.

Another rookie, 8-year old Lily Newell, was fellow rookie Courtney Goodman's first match ever. Newell took the win-light running a mere six-thousandths of a second off her 12.78 dial-in (12.786). She improved her reaction time in Round 2 to .143, yet sped too quick for her dial-in, competitor Hunter Blevins moving on to the Finals where he would earn a second consecutive First Place trophy.

SUPER PRO:

Hunter's dad Jessie Blevins withstood a double breakout race against Mike Giacone's 9-second '67 Fairlane, then overcame being tree'ed by Ken Drake's '32 Chevy (Drake's .016 light to the Blevins' .079 light), doing so running his '70 Duster 10.222 on a 10.22 dial-in for the win. He faired much at the starting tree against John Widmann's turquoise Altered (.007 RT to Widmann's .031 RT), advancing to his second straight Finals race.

After Jason Giacone brokeout against him in Round 1, Jim Toledo had a second chance to race Dennis Lindstrom. The two tangoed in the season opener's Round 1 on May 1, where Lindstrom took his '72 Chevelle to the Finals, and again in Round 2 in Race #2, after Lindstrom out performed Kaycee Mela with a best-package pass of 10.74 on a 10.75 dial in with a .011 reaction time. In Race #2, Toledo would win big with his '64 Mercury Comet: a bye-run to the Finals. In it, Toledo would run his Comet only .005 above his 10.54 posted ceiling (in Round 1 he ran 10.549 on same dial-in). In the Finals, both Blevins and Toledo had under-.500 reaction times, Toledo committing it first, as Blevins earned his second straight First Place trophy.

If you don't make it to the next [free] O'Reilly Auto Parts [free] Saturday Night Street Legals (June 4) [free], we hope to see you June 5 at Summit Race #3, hosted by Conti's Auto Repair Service, Roger's Transmissions and Lonnie's Smog Shop. It'll feature the 2nd annual Hybrid and Electric Car one-day only bracket.