1960 Chevy Belair Outlaw

[Mike-Casella]

Our first test and tune of the 2006 season is now history. After experiencing 10 days of rain in the Northeast, the track conditions were our main concern, after all, we had plenty of time to get the car ready over the winter. We had gone thru 3 weeks of having our test day getting canceled due to rain.

The Sun was out bright and early Wednesday morning drying up what water was left after all the rain we had. We unloaded the trailer and got ready for the first pass at about 12:00 noon. This was going to be the first pass using just the first stage of nitrous, so everything was checked, and then checked a few more times. The burnout was limited to roughly 30' as opposed to the 100' one from last season, and everything was on track for the first big hit. One minor glitch was the fact that my bottle heater hasn't arrived yet, so we weren't able to get the bottles warm enough to reach the required 1050lbs, so we had to do with what we had. I was only going to use the nitrous for the initial hit anyway.

I purged the nitrous lines and was brought to the line by my crew chief. After getting the thumbs up sign, it was time to go. I inched into the pre-stage beam, then just a little further the stage light lit. As soon as the light was on, I hit the trans brake button and slammed the "go-pedal" to the floor. The engine came up to the pre-set launch rpm instantly, and the next thing I knew it was time to leave!! As soon as I released the transmission brake I was slammed harder in the seat than I have ever been before. With the front tires reaching for the sky and the wheelie bars firmly planted on the ground, the weight transfer was perfect. When I reached roughly about 40' out of the box, the tires decided they had taken enough punishment and just couldn't hold on any longer and let go of the track. The engine RPM went up and I knew instantly it was time to get out of it and just ride it out. The rest of the way down the track gave me time to finally say HOLY CRAP!! that was fun!! I couldn't wait to get back to the starting line to do it all over again.

After getting back to the pits and going over the video, it was determined that our next pass should be done on just the engine to get some plain old seat time. It was also determined that maybe there is too much of a nitrous hit for the small tires.

The prep for the second pass was exactly the same as the first with the exception of turning on the bottle. The difference in the launches was incredible. This time I was pushed back in the seat, but not nearly as much as before. I brought it out to roughly the 800 - 1000' mark and got out of it just to enjoy the ride. The time on the boards read 9.93 @ 106, nothing earth shattering, but still a fun ride.

The next test session is scheduled for the 21st, and with the things learned from this past weekend, we should have a better idea as to the potential of the set-up.

Mike

[Rapid Randy Baker]

WOW, WOW, WOW!!!

Mike, CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Very good report, and man what a rush. I am glad it went well, and came home all together,,,,,it was a great day of testing it sounds like.

Thanks for the report!

[Doug]

Cool. Thanks Mike..

[Billy Mac]

always nice to make smoke, have fun and come home with an "un-wrinkled" wace cah!!...Way to go, Mike!!

[pro70z28]

very Cool Can't wait to see the V-I-D-E-O

[Doug]

OOOOOOOOO.... Yeah..
How bout a video???

[Mike-Casella]

There is, in fact, a video. This time we had a minor glitch. Normally we bring our very own video camera every time we go to the races, whether we are racing or not. This time however, we left the house and just plain forgot it. (insert banging head smiley) On the way up there I called my son and asked if he could go to my house and pick up my camera. Since he moved, he no longer lives within easy driving distance so that was out of the question. What's he do? He goes to the store and buys a new one! Now he has to figure out how to download the clips and get them into his computer. Hopefully tonight. I was able to view them after the run yesterday, and they are worth waiting for. Nice launch!!

[flyinhillbilly]

out of curiosity what did it 60' on the first pass? and the second?

[Mike-Casella]

The first pass I didn't quite make it to the 60' mark before blowing off the tires, but it recorded a 1.30. The second pass on just the motor alone was a 1.40. The videos are up, I'll post a link over here in a few minutes.

[Mike-Casella]

Here are the clips from Wednesday's test and tune. If you are on a dial-up connection it may take a while to download.

Click Here for clip #1

Click Here for clip #2