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The name of veteran drag racing photo-journalist Roger Gorringe will be known to most readers. Roger makes frequent trips to the USA taking in as many of the major meetings as he can. It is filthy work standing trackside with endless Top Fuel Dragsters and Funny Cars thundering past you but someone has to do it. Fortunately Roger has very kindly offered to share his experiences with us in his illustrated meeting reports. |
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The desert track was in fine form with great weather and a big crowd over the weekend. It saw two NHRA Mello Yello Champions clinch their crowns in their relative finals, John Force in Funny Car and Matt Smith in Pro Stock Motorcycle, and with Rickie Smith having already tied up the Pro Mod Championship it left two Championships up for grabs at the Finals in Pomona in two weeks time. Antron Brown the 2012 Top Fuel Champion out of the Don Schumacher Racing camp came from sixth qualifier (3.808/321) to rack up the event win and en route he took out Bob Vandergriff who went into instant smoke, 3.790/323 to a 9.648/77. Showing there are no team rules team mate, Tony Schumacher was next to fall to Brown, he hazed the slicks and lost cylinders as a 3.808/323 took the light. Brandon Bernstein only saw the rear of Brown’s car as he stormed ahead taking the semi final win with a 3.788/326 to a 3.921/288. Brown’s Matco Tools machine faced Clay Millican on the money run and a better leave coupled with a 3.782/324 got the nod as Millican’s 3.822/322 was not enough.
Clay Millican driving the Parts Plus dragster qualified fifth with a 3.807/323 then went on to see off Billy Torrence in the initial round who went into instant smoke and got near the centre line, 3.790/325 to a 6.157/102. Morgan Lucas also did similar, smoke and sideways just past the tree allowing Millican to win with a 3.836/320. A pretty even leave saw Millican drive away and beat Shawn Langdon in a 3.850/323 win to a 4.158/253 bout. It was all over on the start line in the final as Antron Brown left first and stayed ahead all the way, Millican chasing hard all to no avail.
John Force entered the Funny Car fray on pole only to swap with daughter Courtney before taking control again in the last session, 4.011/317 to a 4.052/318; this would not be the last family battle of the event. Old teammate Gary Densham was the first to fall to John Force as he blazed the slicks at one hundred and fifty feet, a 4.047/317 to a 6.333/114 told the tale. Del Worsham was the next to feel the Force sting, a winning 4.096/314 beating the slowing 4.877/188. There was almost a great pedalfest in the semi as Alexis DeJoria hit smoke first then Force, DeJoria lifted, had she more experience she might have risked pedalling as Force fought to get control, he succeeded winning with a 5.865/193 to the losing 8.777/87. The final was a first, father versus daughter and John Force left a breath before Courtney and not only took the event win in the Castrol GTX Ford Mustang but secured the NHRA Mello Yello Funny Car Championship to boot.
Courtney Force managed to end up number two in qualifying in her Traxxas Radio Control Cars Ford Mustang then went on to beat Tony Pedregon in round one, 4.056/319 to a 4.315/237 and a 4.117/313 took out teammate Robert Hight who went up in smoke at two hundred and fifty feet out. A similar scenario occurred in the semi as Jack Beckman hit smoke allowing Force to secure the final round place, 4.109/314 to a 6.077/112. The final was close as both John and Courtney badly wanted the win light a 4.062/310 clinched the championship for John as Courtney followed with a losing 4.085/319.
Shane Gray notched up the Pro Stock win with victories over Matt Hartford in round one, 6.658/207 to a losing 6.723/206 then a 6.691/207 got the nod by about a foot over a 6.669/207 from Jason Line. The semi final pitted Gray’s ’13 Camaro against Kurt Johnson and the 6.715/206 got the light over the 7.223/202. In the final a better leave by Gray together with a 6.699/206 got him to the winners circle as V Gaines ran a 6.698/207 for runner-up.
V Gaines the number two qualifier ran a 6.662/208 winning by a half a car length over Larry Morgan’s 6.727/205 then a 6.683/207 got the better of 2012 championship Allen Johnson’s 6.703/206 before a semi final clash with Jeg Coughlin, Gaines’s Kendall Oil ’13 Avenger left first and held on for the win, 6.698/207 to a 6.700/206. The final saw Shane Gray win with a holeshot as Gaines became runner up.
Troy Coughlin sat in the number two Pro Mod qualifying place in his Jegs.com ’12 Corvette on a 5.922/245 behind Todd Tutterow on a 5.876/250. A round one 5.918/245 beat the 6.051/238 from Dan Stevenson. Dennis Radford broke allowing Coughlin’s 5.889/246 a quarter final win. The semi saw identical leaves by Coughlin and Mike Knowles and in a close race it was Coughlin’s 5.902/247 that got the better of the losing 5.938/243. In the final Coughlin ran the winning 5.913/248 leaving Danny Rowe trying to catch up with a losing 5.975/242.
Danny Rowe took the runner-up place in Pro Mod in his Agave Underground Tequila ’68 Camaro by way of getting wins over Eric Latino a 5.971/241 beating the 6.006/240, then a 5.945/242 got the better of a red lighting Mike Janis. The semi final had Rowe see off Kevin Rivenbark catching and passing the better leave, 5.967/242 win to the 6.036/230 lose. Rowe was the last to leave in the final and had to put up with the second place.
Matt Smith riding the Viper Motorcycle/MSR ’10 Buell managed a 6.957/193 to qualify in fourth spot of Pro Stock Motorcycle behind Adam Arana, 6.946/192 Steve Johnson, 6.945/191 and Hector Arana who qualified in top spot on a 6.930/192. A 6.979/192 was enough to get by an eased up Andrew Hines whose 7.985/127 lost. The 7.047/190 kept ahead of the 7.073/189 from LE Tonglet and in the semi final a 7.060/190 beat Shawn Gann’s 7.166/167 try. All Smith had to do was stage in the final to secure the NHRA Mello Yello Pro Stock Motorcycle but that was not enough as he went on to take the event win as well, a 6.991/192 beat the 7.050/190 from Jerry Savoie.
Jerry Savoie on his Savoie’s Alligator Farm ’11 Suzuki came from number seven in qualifying (6.979/191) to beat his way to the runner-up place in PSM. Round one saw him victorious over Scotty Pollacheck, overcoming a better leave with a 6.966/191 to a losing 7.010/190 and in round two a 6.979/190 took out Angie Smith’s 7.017/190. The semi final saw Savoie catch and pass a good leave by Michael Ray, 6.991/190 to a losing 7.089/187. The final saw a late leave by Savoie allowing Smith the trophy.
Jim Whiteley took another trophy in Top Alcohol Dragster by seeing off the likes of Duane Shields in round one, 5.287/271 to a 5.489/256, then a 5.322/271 beat Canada’s Don St. Arnaud before a semi final 5.342/269 took out the 5.419/267 from Mark Tallaferro. Whiteley faced Chris Demke for the event win and delivered a 5.330/271 win as Demke’s close 5.340/269 was not enough.
Chris Demke beat Jeff Ashwell in round one then a 5.402/268 beat the red lighting try from Dan Mercier before a 5.366/268 put Demke into the final when a troubled 9.837/72 from Ray Martin was not enough. Demke was not as quick on the tree as Whitely in the final giving him the runner up place.
Frank Manzo added to his trophy collection with another win in Top Alcohol Funny Car, his path to the winners circle was courtesy of wins over a broken Hannes Wernhart, a 5.589/262 beat Steve Gasparrelli’s 9.985/143 and the semi final 5.621/259 beat Tony Bartone’s 5.667/251. The final was against Bret Williamson who went up in smoke as Manzo’s 5.632/259 secured the win.
Bret Williamson came from sixteenth qualifier to runner up place by way of taking out top qualifier Annie Whitely who red lit in round one, a 5.688/253 beat Von Smith’s 5.700/257 and a 6.393/246 beat up a crossed up try from Jay Payne in the semis. The final put Williamson against Manzo and it was Manzo’ race as Williamson went up in smoke.
Dan Fletcher took the Competition Eliminator win with his ’08 Cobalt, an 8.197/161 seeing off the7.402/178 from the ’32 Bantam of Ralph Van Paepeghem.
Cody Lane driving an ’05 Cavalier in Super Stock beat a red lighting Jack Bystrom in his ’68 Camaro, an eased up 14.163/84 beating the 9.736/136.
Peter Biondo took his ’69 Camaro to the Stock Eliminator winners circle after he beat the ’73 Duster of Mark Kirby, 10.722/112 to a losing 11.282/111.
Brad Plourd took the Super Comp trophy when his 9.069/152 got the better of Tommy Phillips 9.083/161.
Terry Keddington took on Kevin Kleineweber in a ’57 Corvette battle in Super Gas, a 10.041/161 took the light as the 10.039/141 failed to catch up from Keddington’s better leave.
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