Gainesville Blog

Jenny Mclane asked:


The U.S. has been known to be the home of the most speed oriented group of people. Through the years, drag racing in the U.S. has achieved much success and popularity. Different names through the years have been synonymous with drag racing. These legends in their own rights have been inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame.

Recently, the organization announced that eleven new members to the hall of fame will be inducted and would then be officially part of the group. The induction ceremony will take place in Gainesville, Florida. The event will be hosted by the Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing and sponsored for the 16th year by Mopar® Performance Parts.

The eleven inductees at this year’s are appreciated for their contribution to the sport. Kenny Bernstein is one of the eleven inductees in this year’s induction ceremony. Bernstein is the winner of six NHRA championships in Top Fuel and Funny Car racing classes. Frank Bradley, the only Top Fuel driver to win one NHRA race in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and in the ‘90s will also be inducted to the hall of fame. Donnie Hampton, champion drag racer and supercharger manufacturer will likewise take a spot next to the greats of the sport already inducted into the hall of fame.

Ted Jones, a drag strip owner and automotive television producer, will also join the ranks of the people who have contributed to the popularity and promotion of the sport. Jim McLean, the owner of Champion Speed Shop, car builder, driver, and a drag strip owner as well, is also one of the eleven which will be inducted into the hall of fame. Dale Pulde, dubbed as “the finest driver to ever sit behind the wheel of a funny car” will be inducted at the hall of fame by virtue of him having the most wins in IHRA history.

Another inductee is Don Schumacher, a member of Team Mopar. Schumacher won numerous titles - five in the NHRA and nine in the IHRA. As an owner, he also has three Top Fuel championships and a Funny Car title.

Dave Uyehara, the championship dragster builder, will also be inducted into the hall of fame. Dave Zueschel, the legendary dragster engine builder, will join the ranks of the immortalized drag racing greats. Darrell Zimmerman, a longtime NHRA Division V director, will also be inducted to the hall of fame for his contributions to the sport. Bill Bader, the drag racing promoter and owner of the Norwalk Raceway Park in Ohio, will be presented with the Founders’ award.

These men will be inducted to the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame for their contribution to the sport. Whether they once drove, promote, or directed cars which an EBC brake component can safely stop, these men have given a part of themselves to the sport of drag racing.



MEHTA

Kraig Johanssen asked:


Jeff Altenburg, still fresh from his second-straight win to open the SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge Touring Car Championship season, drove his car with superb agility as he placed 1st during the opening practice session in preparation for the Round Three race at Lime Rock Park on Monday. Randy Pobst, of Gainesville, Ga., and Peter Cunningham, of Grafton, Wis., both his teammates, ranked 2nd and 3rd, respectively.

Through his session around the 1.53-mile circuit and with the No. 72 Mazda speed Motor sports Development Mazda 6, Altenburg had a time of 58.689 (93.851 mph) midway.

Aktenburg said that it was a handling track more than anything coupled with a next level Mazda 6 that was so good on handling matters. He said they had the exact setup from Utah. He added that they returned to exactly what they ran for the race at Utah. They played around with some stuff at the Lime Rock and he did not like it. The only difference from their race at Utah is that they now use the sticker tires.

He further said that he found it comfortable to drive a fast car and to have sufficient know how of the track. Their team is expecting to be part of the top five.

In the session of the No. 73 Mazda speed Motor sports Development Mazda 6, Pobst recorded a time of 58.791 (93.688 mph). Last May 24, he bagged the 3rd place in SPEED GT race at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Produced in Japan since 2003, the Mazda 6 or Mazda Atenza is a mid-size car. Only the Japanese market uses the name “Atenza”. Selling more than 1 million units around the world since it was introduced; the Mazda 6 altered the Capella/626. Due to such sales the vehicle became the fastest Mazda vehicle to reach the one million mark.

Before it was built as a race car and won awards in different races, it already bagged several awards years ago.

For two consecutive years in 2002 and 2003, Mazda 6 won the Australia’s Best Cars. In 2003, the MAZDA 6 placed 2nd in the European Car of the Year and was included in Car and Driver magazine’s list of Ten Best. In 2004, the Atenza Wagon won the What Car?‘s Best Estate award. And in 2005, its Sports Wagon model was named Canadian Car of the Year Best New Station Wagon and the Sport sedan was named Canadian Car of the Year. On the same year, Wheels magazine awarded Mazda 6 for its Active Safety Program.

Mazda’s competition in car race started on October 20, 1968 with two Mazda Cosmo Sport 110S coupes entering the 84 hour Marathon de la Route ultra-endurance race at Nürburgring. One of these cars finished in fourth place and the other one broke an axle after 81 hours.

Mazda is the maker of MAZDA 6 as well as quality Mazda down pipe.

Going back to the race, Cunningham had a 58.884 (93.540 mph) with his No. 42 Acura Certified Pre-Owned/Real Time Racing Acura TSX. On the other hand, James Sofronas ranked 4th with a 58.970 (93.403 mph) fast time. He was driving a No. 29 Global Motor sports Group BMW. And Pierre Kleinubing, who is a four-time Lime Rock winner, had a 58.978 (93.391 mph) fast time with his No. 1 Acura Certified Pre-Owned/Real Time Racing Acura TSX that placed him 5th.



QUANDER

Kraig Johanssen asked:


Randy Pobst, of Gainesville, Ga., made SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge has made history by winning his third race of the weekend Sunday, snagging Round Five of the SCCA SPEED Touring Car Championship after winning the first half of the series’ doubleheader on Saturday and Sunday morning’s SCCA SPEED GT race at Watkins Glen International, part of the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen Weekend.

Pobst’s win also set a Watkins Glen International record with three professional race wins on the same weekend.

Pobst had earlier dropped to third from his pole position in his No. 73 Mazdaspeed Motorsports Development Mazda 6 after getting a slow launch on the standing start. James Sofronas, of Newport Beach, Calif., got the jump from his third starting spot to lead, with Jeff Altenburg, Pobst’s teammate in second.

For the first 10 laps, Sofronas (No. 29 Global Motorsports Group BMW 325Ci) led a four-car train that included Altenburg, Pobst and Pierre Kleinubing’s No. 1 Acura Certified Pre-Owned/RealTime Racing Acura TSX. Pobst was able to grab the lead after Pobst pressured Altenburg, with the point leader running wide at turn 10 on the 12th lap.

In what could prove to be a pivotal moment in the Championship, Altenburg re-entered the track with Kleinubing on the outside going into turn 11. With Altenburg on the apex curb, the two cars touched, with the then third-in-points Kleinubing spinning into the tire wall and out of contest.

Once Pobst was able to squeeze to the second lead, it took only two more laps before Pobst pressured Sofronas into a bobble at turn seven, where the Mazda shot into the lead to take his second-straight SCCA SPEED Touring Car win and third series win of the weekend. Pobst won the 20-lap, 68-mile event by 1.009 seconds, averaging 96.406 mph.

“I was biding my time, waiting for an opportunity, and working with Jeff to see if we could get by James [Sofronas] and stay ahead of [Pierre] Kleinubing, who was right on us,” Pobst said of the early stages of today’s race. “Sofronas started to fade a bit and I started to get some heavy pressure from Pierre behind me. Then, Jeff hit a curb in turn nine and bounced it wide. I went right up under him because I wanted to get out of there. I hooked onto Sofronas and ran with him for a while and saw I had him. I just waited for my opportunity and pressured him. He went into the toe of the boot and he got loose. Then, I drove my Mazda 6 right by him and it was bye-bye after that.”

Sofronas earned a bonus point for leading the most laps of the race and captured his fourth-straight Toyo Tires Cup for drivers not making their living behind the wheel of a race car, but again fell just short, earning his second runner-up finish in the last three races.

“We had a little bit of a push,” Sofronas said of his car in the late stages of the race. “I was just trying to keep my tires under me. I knew where I was strong coming out of the fast sweepers. I was really strong there. So, I thought I could maintain my gap. Then, once I got the push, it induced some understeer and when I got on the throttle it snapped on me and Randy capitalized. He is obviously a good driver and I did all I could to hold him off. Then, I put my head down and tried to hold second place. It was a good finish for Tecmark and GMG. We’re pretty happy for a second place finish today.”

Altenburg recovered from his off course excursion and contact with Kleinubing to finish third in his No. 72 Mazdaspeed Motorsports Development Mazda 6.

“Randy got inside me and I ran a little wide,” Altenburg said of his lap 12 incident. “I felt bad for Pierre because I went off into the grass, because there is only room for one Mazda through that turn. Then, Pierre got a run on me. He hadn’t completed the pass yet. So, we went into the next turn and he just came down a little too low and we made contact. I think if he had stayed out wide, he would’ve completed the pass and we would’ve made it through there. My car could grip in there pretty good, but I guess maybe he [Kleinubing] thought I was going to back out of it [the throttle] or maybe he thought he had the pass done.

Canadian Kuno Wittmer, who ran strong in Saturday’s race before breaking an axle, earned his career-best finish in the No. 44 Acura Certified Pre-Owned/RealTime Acura RSX of fourth. Charles Espenlaub, of Lutz, Fla., completed the top five in his No. 97 Mazdaspeed/Tindol/Oakley/Sparco Mazda 6.

Roberto Santos, of Monterrey, Mexico, made it three Tri-Point Motorsports Mazdas in the top six with his career best finish, earning the honor of Piloti Rookie of the Race in the process.

Payton Wilson, of Chantilly, Va., earned his second-consecutive B&M Shifters Holeshot Award in the No. 6 King RAT Motorsports Dodge SRT-4, advancing eight positions on the opening lap.

About Mazda Motorsports

Mazda (also maker of top of the line Mazda OEM parts) first lined up to race its cars in the 1960s. Since then, the Japanese auto manufacturer has boasted a strong global presence in the world of auto racing in an effort to support its product. From Mazda’s international racing debut in the 1968 84-Hour Marathon de la Route endurance competition in Nurburgring, Germany (with the Cosmo Sport 110S, the company’s first rotary-engine sports car) to its victory at Le Mans with the four-rotor 787B sports racer, the company continues to test its sports car prowess in various motorsports initiatives.



TERRONES

RyanThomas asked:


Eleven new members are going to be inducted and welcomed by the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame. And such an event is going to be a grand one and a great deal especially to the upcoming new ones.

The whole ceremony is especially prepared for. The Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing would host the mentioned event. It comes to life on the 15th of March and would be held at the Paramount Plaza Resort which is located in Gainesville, Florida.

Other companies are also willing to help out and be part of the induction ceremonies of the International Drag Racing Hall of Fame. It has been reported that Mopar Performance Parts, a good source of the best auto parts like the Nissan mud flap, would be sponsoring the activity. But it is not a surprise for Mopar has been joining in the fun for 16 years already.

The eleven new members can be said to be all experts in the drag racing field. These eleven honorees are Kenny Bernstein (a six time drag racing champion), Frank Bradley (another winner of these drag racing competition), Donnie Hampton (a drag racing champion), Ted Jones (owner of a drag racing strip), Jim McLennan (a drag car driver as well as owner of a drag racing strip), Dale Pulde (a drag racing driver who holds the title having the most number of wins in the IHRA history), Don Schumacher (a member of Team Mopar), Dave Uyehara (a builder of championship dragsters), Dave Zeuschel (a builder of legendary dragsters), Darrel Zimmerman (a director of one of NHRA’s divisions), and Bill Bader (an owner of a drag racing facility as well as a promoter of the sport). The latter would also be receiving the Founders Award for his exemplary contributions to drag racing.

The whole induction ceremonies would not only focus on the welcoming of the new members but the event would also be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 392 Hemi engine. See, this engine is one of the best innovations that has ever happened for these drag racing members.

On this, Chris Cortez, the Chrysler Group’s senior vice president for global service and parts, says, “The 392 HEMI engine revolutionized not only drag racing, but the entire automotive industry.”



WOLSEY

Anthony Fontanelle asked:


New-car dealers from around the nation were in Washington this week lobbying Congress to support an alternative to Senate-passed fuel efficiency standards they say could raise vehicle costs thousands of dollars and make larger vehicles hard to come by, reported Anthony Clark of The Gainesville Sun.

Roland Daniels, the owner of Saturn dealerships in Gainesville and Orlando, went with a delegation from Florida and spoke to a number of the state’s U.S. representatives. “We all agree this country is too dependent on oil and we need to do something about that,” Daniels said Friday. “What I wanted to get across to the congressmen and women I spoke with, there’s an alternative to what I think is a Draconian measure by the Senate.”

In June, the Senate passed new fuel efficiency standards requiring automakers’ fleets to average 35 mpg by 2020. With the said mileage requirement, analysts estimate it would cost auto manufacturers $114 billion, with an additional $2,000 to $5,000 per car passed on to purchasers. If manufacturers are forced to meet the standards before the technology is ready, they will respond by offering fewer large vehicles like trucks and SUVs, Daniels said.

The added cost and lack of availability would cause more families and businesses that depend on large vehicles to keep their existing vehicles that are less fuel-efficient, Daniels noted. “Fewer purchases would have a ripple effect throughout the economy, with one in seven jobs dependent on the auto industry,” he said. “Domestic manufacturers that offer more large vehicles also would be at a competitive disadvantage against foreign competition with fewer lines of large vehicles.”

With the rising gas prices and the intensifying global warming concerns, lawmakers are expected to act on a new mileage mandate that reduces harmful emissions at the same time boost fuel efficiency of vehicles. But the automakers also are considering the automakers’ predicament. As a result, Congress is divided. Part of it is touting a more stringent fuel proposal while the other side is proposing a less onerous alternative.

As the car needs positive crankcase ventilation valve to boost engine response, the auto industry also need a timely freshening. But the Saturn PCV valve may not be of great help. Automakers and dealers have to work hand in hand to carry out a good lobbying strategy and eventually persuade the lawmakers to act on the new mileage mandate by considering their quandary.

Dedee DeLongpre, the director of the University of Florida, Office of Sustainability, said that the adjustments will be costly to manufacturers, but those that do not innovate in the global economy will be the ones at a competitive disadvantage. The University has been acquiring more fuel-efficient cars for its own fleet. This is an effort to curb foreign oil dependence and global warming effects.

While departments like the physical plant still need large trucks, DeLongpre said that the technology is growing rapidly to make fuel-efficient trucks.

The National Auto Dealers Association endorses the Hill-Terry House Resolution 2927, led by Rep. Baron Hill, D-Ind., that would require 32-35 mpg standards by 2022. Though not ostensibly remote from the Senate version, Daniels, who is on Saturn’s product development task force, said that it makes a huge difference. “It takes three to five years depending on the manufacturer to bring a new product from concept to market, so every year is important,” he said.

While the auto industry is arguing for more time, DeLongpre pointed out that many vehicles already meet the fuel-efficiency standards, including larger vehicles that meet all crash safety requirements, wrote Clark. Whether or not the auto industry will be victorious in their lobbying only time can tell.



DIAL