Roger Bateman Seattle wrap up

New engine combination coming around for Bateman

Summer is usually a time to relax when one gets time off. This was not the case for the Friesen Motorsports Top Alcohol Funny Car Team. The team spent the time between Denver in mid June foregoing an IHRA race in Edmonton, Alberta to this past weekend in Seattle (for the Schuck’s Auto Supply NHRA Nationals) tweaking the engine of the team’s hot rod. The initial result was a 13.357 second time at 59.12 mph leaving the team qualified thirteenth. Undeterred, the team adjusted the compression and fine tuned the engine to run a 5.675 second time at 254.76 mph to propel them into the number seven spot on the qualifying ladder and giving them lane choice in round one.

Saturday afternoon was quite a different story for first round of eliminations with the air temperature of 79 Degrees but a track temperature of over 110 and an adjusted altitude of over 2,000 feet above sea level. Not bad, but Seattle is a sea level racetrack. Roger squared off against Larry Miner of Lodi, CA and defeated the Southern Californian 5.675 seconds, 253.56 mph to Miner’s 5.714 seconds, 251.11 mph. On a side note Roger and Larry both equaled their best qualifying times in the first round. “That is definitely one for the history books” Bateman was quoted as saying Saturday night. As the round concluded Roger would be competing in a key match up against a heavy hitter on the Alcohol Funny Car circuit, Jay Payne of Clermont, CA with Jay having the lane choice.

Sunday was another different day as the air temperature was in the low 70s with a much cooler track temperature and lower density altitude giving the Friesen Motorsports Racing Team a fresh outlook on the day. Roger who beat Jay in Joliet, IL over a month earlier was up to the task as both staged and waited for the flash of the green. Roger left way before Jay with a 0.087 reaction time to Payne’s uncharacteristic 0.141 reaction time. Jay probably remembered the semifinals in Joliet and ran low elapsed time of the round to drive past the Calgarian 5.586 seconds, 260.81 to Roger’s 5.654 seconds, 253.99. “The stars didn’t align for us this weekend” Car Chief, Todd Murray said when asked how he felt the weekend went. “We ran the fastest time of the weekend in the second round of eliminations, so something we are doing is right.” No one on the team had anything to hang their heads over. The hard work had paid off for all involved and the progress the team is making with the new engine combination is paying off. A win for the team is just around the corner. Speaking of corners, the team will head home to participate in a local car show in Winnipeg this Sunday and head to Cordova, IL for the Lucas Oil Series at Cordova Dragway August 1st to 3rd in preparation for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals in Brainerd, MN the weekend after.