ITA Pomona Hot Pix

Discussion in 'Pit Buzz' started by Will Hanna, Feb 6, 2006.

  1. Will Hanna

    Will Hanna We put the 'inside' in Top Alcohol
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    ITA Pomona Hot Pix

    IT'S FINALLY TIME TO GO RACING!

    TAD

    1. Aaron Olivarez - Had a very strong test at Vegas this past weekend, running a 5.34 in the process. Seems to have new Spitzer ride sorted out, and has the "Big Mo" heading into Pomona

    2. Steve Torrence - Hard to count the defending World Champ out after the year they had last season, but didn't set the world on fire in Vegas last weekend with new car. We don't look for the Champs to be out of the fight for long.

    3. Sean O'Bannon - Ended the year very strong here. Didn't run any super numbers in testing, but look for low 5.30's out of the O'Bannon ride.

    4. Chris Demke - Jerry Maddern's Peen Rite car has always been a staple at West Coast events, and this year's Winternationals will be no exception. Had it not been for his mid-year crash, Demke might have challenged for the championship last season.

    5. Steve Federlin - Started the year off very strong, then started to fade from mid season on. Picked back up at the end of the season; should be a late round player.

    6. Brandon Johnson - Hard to count the Mike Johnson owned/tuned hot rod out of any fight. We aren't.

    7. Ashley Force - Had a respectable test session in new McKinney pipe. One of the top running cars in good air, but a middle of the pack car if it heats up.

    8. Joe Windham - Extensive preseason testing should give the team some momentum heading into the season opener. Our TAD 'Dark Horse' pick of the week.

    TAFC

    1. Frank Manzo - Defending event champ should be as strong as ever with his new McKinney Monte Carlo.

    2. Steve Gasparrelli - Finished the year very strong, a strong start to this season will go a long way towards his title hopes.

    3. Jay Payne - Payne was cutting good lights like they were cheap at the end of last year. Could spell big trouble for the class.

    4. Dennis Taylor - Looked very strong at the AAA Finals except for one slip up in the first round. Will be very tough in his own backyard.

    5. Bucky Austin - Looks like the Northwest Hitter will stay behind the wheel of his own ride. Had low e.t. last weekend in Vegas, should be a late round player.

    6. Brian Hough - Looked very strong en route to a runner-up finish here last year, team has the power to mix it up with the front-runners.

    7. John Weaver - Last year's U.S. Nationals runner-up should be a force to be reckoned with.

    8. Mark Woznichak - Don't ever count 'The Woz' out. Proven 5.50 hitter will be our TAFC 'Dark Horse' pick of the week.

    Performance -
    TAD - 5.28/271
    TAFC - 5.56/260
     
    #1
    Will Hanna, Feb 6, 2006
  2. Kevin Brown

    Kevin Brown Top Dragster

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    Damn....didn't even make the top 10.......

    Don't blink........

    KB
     
    #2
    Kevin Brown, Feb 6, 2006
  3. Blown Chances

    Blown Chances New Member

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    I know how you feel.

    Good Luck with the new ride.

    Flash
     
    #3
    Blown Chances, Feb 6, 2006
  4. afuelfreak

    afuelfreak New Member

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    WINDOM A DARK HORSE!!! YEAH holding the trophy on sunday
     
    #4
    afuelfreak, Feb 7, 2006
  5. Will Hanna

    Will Hanna We put the 'inside' in Top Alcohol
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    tough fields

    tough fields in both classes, alot of quality cars. i'm just glad the hot pix and power rankings have turned into something everyone works towards...its rewarding despite the hate mail....lol.

    good luck to all! the cream always rises to the top...

    where's your picks?
     
    #5
    Will Hanna, Feb 7, 2006
  6. Randy G.

    Randy G. Top Alcohol

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    I was going to say something, too.

    I'm amazed at the lack of comments and coverage around here regarding preseason testing and news. "Someone" on the very first run burned their just painted Monte Carlo TA/FC to the ground last weekend in Las Vegas and nothing has been posted anywhere except right now by me.

    Manzo made an incredible run last weekend and no comment except once on Drag Race Central.

    I could go on with the stories, like the 1999 TA/FC division 7 champ looks like he's back full time (sort of) for 2006. A "Brother" is set to debute the Brother's machine after a several year lay-off within the next few weeks. A major team has changed powerplants for 2006 and not one word has been posted. I could go on...but I have a real job and this isn't it.

    And now we have the ITA top 8 and Kevin Brown and I are pissed. Good luck to everyone this year. Hey Kevin, my motivation is the numbers on the scoreboard and a Wally at the end of the day not the list. And, Kevin, just to cheer you up...I'm amazed to see names constantly appear on that list, that we had had our way with all year, and we still never made the list ourselves.

    We suck.

    See you in the pits,

    RG
     
    #6
    Randy G., Feb 7, 2006
  7. Will Hanna

    Will Hanna We put the 'inside' in Top Alcohol
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    just posted

    randy - i just found out about the fire today...

    just saw manzo's 5.59 on drc...

    i did the 2006 top alcohol preview for competitionplus.com and it will be up tomorrow. alot of what's going on this year will be in it.

    as far as power plants go...if you're referring to dt going to aj heads...i didn't know it was public until i just got the press release...

    as far as the rankings go...i could be wrong...d7 tafc is a tough crowd to pick.
     
    #7
    Will Hanna, Feb 7, 2006
  8. Randy G.

    Randy G. Top Alcohol

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    Hey Will:

    Like I said, it's not my job but somehow I knew, and I never left the building to find out.

    I'm as guilty as anyone regarding posting information here because I made the decision a while ago to lurk more than (knee) jerk. Especially on Nitromater where I used to be pretty active. I posted a few insightful things here especially in the tech section a while back and some of my racing fraternity pals pulled me aside and quietly said "WHAT THE H___ ARE YOU DOING?"

    So, now I'm looking forward to seeing what Pete can do this weekend after being away for a while. I had the cage raised almost 3" so he can see over the injector which meant remounting the body. Looks like a sand drag funny car now. I'll leave the tune-up like it was at the Finals where Larry ran very well and keep the brainless tune-up decisions to a minimum. We have no unrealistic expectations.

    Larry did a heck of a job in the car for me last year and I'm going to miss having him, Fred, Greg and Tommy hanging around. Imagine...Larry apologized to me for an .036 light! I drove for almost 6 years in TA/FC and never came close. He'll be tough when they come back out in a few weeks in their own car.

    RG
     
    #8
    Randy G., Feb 7, 2006
  9. bmoore

    bmoore Member

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    Does anyone know if it was the pump loop line that failed on Steve's deal? If so was it hose or hard line? Did he have a lot of shake that run (dumb question, it is a TA/FC)? Bottom line, Steves OK.
    RG, what is the buzz on the AJ heads, anyone have them on the dyno and see real gains?
    Bill
     
    #9
    bmoore, Feb 8, 2006
  10. bmoore

    bmoore Member

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    Randy, are you running spill plates and if so, are you thinking about deleting them after the body tilt?
    Bill
     
    #10
    bmoore, Feb 8, 2006
  11. bmoore

    bmoore Member

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    Will, on the subject of this thread, anyone that qualifies at Pomona is my pick. The fields in the Fall were awesome and all deserved "kudos". Having said that I will go out on a limb and pick the beast from the East in funnycar and Conway in dragster.
    Bill
     
    #11
    bmoore, Feb 8, 2006
  12. Randy G.

    Randy G. Top Alcohol

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    It was a stainless pump loop line that split. Just one of those freak deals. Gasparrelli's are heavy on the maintenance, so it was unfortunate. Thankfully Steve was OK. He told me his helmet got so hot the visor distorted.

    The best dyno in the world is 1/4 mile long. We'll wait and see. Manzo showed is how good the BAE 6's are at Vegas last weekend.
     
    #12
    Randy G., Feb 9, 2006
  13. was R4K

    was R4K Member

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    Randy-I for one will miss your tech info on the tech line- may I say to your "peers" who say to back off- what works on your car often has no relationship to improving a different car- THAT IS AN INFALLIBLE RULE! Ask anyone who feels that their tuneup etc will provide identical performance in another car, it doesn't work that way.
    That said, tips that stop others from making disasterous mistakes are always welcome and should be shared- just my opinion. Thanks for being one of the people who share!!
     
    #13
    was R4K, Feb 9, 2006
  14. Randy G.

    Randy G. Top Alcohol

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    I appreciate that.

    How about that Pete Swayne! 5.69 at 249 out of the box. And, it's his very first run after a lot of time off. He got his bell rung near the finish line when it dropped an intake valve. BaBoom!

    Now I'll put my new BAE 6 heads on and see if we can tear them up, too.

    RG
     
    #14
    Randy G., Feb 9, 2006
  15. bmoore

    bmoore Member

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    That was too cool to come in from the cold and lay down a run like that. Good job RG and Pete. Don't go tearing up more stuff... unless it runs a .50 . Makes you forget about that Challenger at Barrett Jacksons don't it?
    Bill
     
    #15
    bmoore, Feb 9, 2006
  16. Mike Boyce

    Mike Boyce New Member

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    My pick Conway/Torrence TAD
    Manzo for Tafc
     
    #16
    Mike Boyce, Feb 10, 2006
  17. Bob Kraemer

    Bob Kraemer New Member

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    Randy,
    I agree with R4K and I hope you continue to post in the tech section.
    Thanks for sharing.
    Bob Kraemer
     
    #17
    Bob Kraemer, Feb 10, 2006

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