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NHRA Round battles Sep 12-15, Maple Grove Raceway

October 6th, 2019

NHRA Round battles Sep 12-15, Maple Grove Raceway

Sep 12-15, 2019 Maple Grove Raceway a cool and unexpected pro stock motorcycle battle went down.

Jerry Savoie now sits in the number one spot at 2166 pts 6 points ahead of Mr. Hines. Jerry brought home another win for Team War this weekend, and we could not be any prouder of White Alligator Racing

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Jerry would get though their qualifying passes and land firmly in the 7th position 6.813 / 196.44 mph for Sunday.

They would wake up Sunday knowing they would have to face off against the formidable Hector Aranna Sr. We know this team well and they are not afraid to take on anyone. Jerry is up for any match up as soon as his feet hit the floor on any Sunday morning. The battle came, and when the smoke cleared, the win light was for Team War as they would indeed defeat Hector.

Team WAR always refocuses quickly and begins prepping because this weekend war wasn’t over yet. Advancing to the next round they would face off against one of the toughest racers in the field, Andrew Hines.

The clock slowly ticks down, the two teams are called to the lanes for an all-out slugfest between the two points leaders. They were both done with their burnouts, grooves are chosen, they inch into staging.

With a PAIR of GREEN LIGHTS!!!!!

Both men were off, but at the other end of the quarter-mile Andrew’s weekend would get shut down as the Alligator Farmer chomped down on the win light for his team.

Team War was heading for another round-up against another veteran racer Karen Stoffer! Once again, the @NHRA process begins, and it’s a routine we all know well and all love to experience.

NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle is called up again, and fearlessly they roll into the lanes. Jerry and Karen lights would fire and they took off down the track but a painful -.039 red light by Karen would ensure Mr. Savoie would be in the finals.

Jerry would soon find out he would be going up against and it was the one and only Steve Johson. Steve was coming off his victory against Matt Smith to earn his spot in the finals.

The fights all weekend at Mopar Express Lane NHRA Nationals Presented By Pennzoil were complete, and only one remained Jerry Savoie vs. Steve Johson NHRA PSM finals

They are called one last time, roll up, get staged and are ready … they GO GREEN !!!!!

Steve reacts with a .047 but Jerry response with a massive .011. At the 60 ft Steve drops a 1.055, but again Jerry answers with a 1.050. The 330 clicks by Steve nails a 2.835 but the Alligator man with a mission fires back with a 2.826.

They both barrel into the 660ft, Steve at 161.63mph / 4.349 but Jerry is still hammering away at 162.67mph / 4.332.

The two men ripped across the 1000 foot mark, Steve at 5.670 but Jerry would grab this mark for his own as well at 5.647,

The ¼ mile timing boards would light up for Steve at 6.805 / 196.59 mph, but it would not be good enough to beat Jerry Savoie who took the win at 198.55mph 6.774.

Congrats team WAR for giving us an exciting weekend of racing.

St Louis NHRA Event Sep-2019

October 5th, 2019

St Louis NHRA Event Sep-2019

I'm part of F@ST Andie Rawlings sports team, which is a professional NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle team. Now since I do other things I had to meet up with them in St Louis after working an event an XDA Maryland the weekend prior. I arrived about 2 hours before they did, and since I have known most of these racers for years I got to visit for a while before Andie and Chad showed up. They got stuck trying to get through Gainesville, Florida because two tractor-trailers decided to redecorate the interstate, so they arrived a couple of hours later than they planned.

Once they arrived, we chilled out for a while catching up on life stuff and race stuff because we were in no rush to set up yet. Later on, we would get to work but just setting up the basics for the next day. early the next morning I and Andie (the driver) got up because she always participates in the NHRA YES program (***see details below). Once Chad got us set up because we take the motorcycle with us, he took off to the airport to get Les, who is another crewman of the team.

The kids get to visit and do activities with prizes with vendors, JR drag Racers and Andie Rawling. The program was massive as four huge groups of kids came through, and they get to talk with Andie and she even lets them sit on the motorcycle. The bike we take over is the real race bike, not a showpiece, so they get to sit on the same bike that goes down the track. It as always was a lot of fun, and the NHRA staff do a fantastic job keeping it entertaining for these young people. We usually spend a couple of hours doing this before heading back to our pits.

Chad and Les begin working on the bike, getting it ready for tech inspection to make sure it is within the rules fo the class based on the bike type which is a Suzuki. Then they have to take it to get it weighed in because the bike and rider have to stay with the weight guidelines as well. Both passed as always with flying colors then Andie and I focus on fans coming by, and I make sure we keep the team media exposure going, while they begin setting the bike up for the first qualifying pass.

The real work comes after their first pass because the qualifying passes are about getting data, not blowing the roof of the place. Chad, Andie, George, and Les refocused a bit this time around because of the motorcycle powerplant upgrade. They went pass to pass and were focused more on small adjustments than large ones. This approach would pay off because on the 5th pass Sunday, Andie would end up making her pass ever. I’m very proud of our team proud and saw some really smart racing this weekend that is looking at long term consistent racing.

NOTE: George is our engine building and tuner, he is looking at data from his shop back in Florida via remote access. A really smart guy that has been racing a long time and knows almost everyone in this sport.

The weekend was a lot of fun, and we got to see some great racing. Extra cool stuff I enjoyed from the

I got a shot of Angelle Sampey standing with Antron Brown earlier this year while we were in Denver and wanted her to have an 11x14 copy. I went over and spoke with Mr. Brown before I gave it to her, who agreed to sign it for me (to her) as an extra surprise for her because I know they are good friends.

We got video of Andrew Hines signing a poster of Andie’s, which is a great shot of Andie beating him in the 1st round in Chicago this year. Mr. Hines was a great sport about it, and they all have fun talking about the experience.

We got a lot of great images and more videos for the media use of Andie and the team. When I go over my checklist I notice I missed a few angles and specific content, so I will get that at our next race, which is why I inventory my content after each race.

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*** https://www.nhra.com/YES

The NHRA Youth & Education Services (YES) Program was founded in 1989. It is the only full-time education program in motorsports that provides quality programs and activities for schools and youth organizations nationwide. Not only is the YES Program FREE, it focuses on the importance of goals and continued education while allowing students to learn about and explore various career opportunities. The program will show students how S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) is applied to both, real-world situations and NHRA Drag Racing, which they will have the opportunity to see live at the track!

Passion that Pushes Back January 2019

October 5th, 2019

Passion that Pushes Back January 2019

The passion that is drag racing is one pursuit in life that many do not understand. We launch, and as the pass unfolds, it becomes our world, and no one can take it from us. It’s now up to us and our machine to get the job done, whether it was just grabbing our best time or beating that juggernaut of a competitor in the other lane. Life and drag racing can push back, and sometimes it’s a no holds barred punch from so far away you’ll need a passport to figure out where it came from.

Now you have been knocked on your ass, where do you go from there?

Here let us give you an example using this story from Sam Vallas when we asked him about the back story of this bike at Orlando Speed World Dragway last weekend.

“I bought my 2004 Yamaha Roadstar Warrior new in 2004 from Seminole Powersports in Sanford.

I first took it to the track about a year later. By then, I had already modified it to include a nitrous system and some internal engine mods.

It has evolved through the years to include chassis mods, larger nitrous systems, wheelie bars on and off, and finally, its current setup as a race only bike.

In December of 2018, I was testing a new launch setup at Speedworld, and the bike took off and did a backflip, slamming me to the ground and breaking my collarbone, and three ribs. The bike slid down the track and burned for a while, destroying pretty much all the soft components.

I rebuilt both me and the bike, and currently, it is configured as follows:

– 102 cubic inch
– Stock pistons
– Carrillo rods
– Speedstar Cam and valve train
– OTEC lock-up clutch
– Garrett 2052els turbo (eBay off a 2002 Saab 9_3)
– Exhaust and Intake by Todd Heiser
– Rear swingarm and wheel from Yamaha R1 with custom struts and wheelie bars
– Electronics from MPS – Motorcycle Performance Specialties, including air shifter, electronic clutch, line lock, Maxxecu / Maxxtuning AB engine controller.

The best time to date (before MaxxEcu) was 9.83 at 134 MPH. The added features and capabilities of the Maxxecu should enable me to get in the low nine-second range with only some fine-tuning of both the bike and rider.”

- Sam Vallas Jan 2019 Orlando Speedworld Dragway

How we respond to the challenges in life, determine who we are, where we’re going, and even where we end up. I’m not saying after getting punched to hell and back; you must get back up and go back to what you were doing because that is up to you.

I’m saying that when push comes to punch, remember never to give up! We all will eventually cross that final finish line, but we will be able to look back and say, “I was never a spectator and have the time slips to prove it!” - Jack "JT" Norton 1-2019

Potomac River North Shore Maryland 9-19-2019

October 5th, 2019

 Potomac River North Shore Maryland 9-19-2019

The Potomac River runs 405 miles (652 km) from Fairfax Stone Historical Monument State Park in West Virginia on the Allegheny Plateau to Point Lookout, Maryland, and drains 14,679 square miles (38,020 km 2). The length of the river from the junction of its North and South Branches to Point Lookout is 302 miles (486 km).

I launched at dawn on 9-19-2019 with my canon and 16mm x 35mm from Chapel Point State Park. I took only this lens on purpose to get used to it. I had to head out through the Tobacco Point River to get onto the Potomac River, and once out there,, I kept to the North shore heading east towards the 301 bridge. If you know that bridge, you know, it is older than dirt and pretty unnerving for most people when they cross it. I was out for my standard time range of 5.5 hours, and it was a great run. The September sun offers a golden glow to everything, and the surface fog made for some great views. I also make walking sticks and found some fantastic wood to turn into great pieces. A few eagles were out, but there were more terns, gulls, and Cormorants than anything else. I like little areas where I can go back into and venture around, but on this trip, there was not much of that. This trip was more about adding the Potomac River to my kayaking list than getting pictures or exploring, and it was well worth the crappy gas mileage lugging the kayaking with me, and I am looking forward to more trips on the south side next time.

53 at launch 82 for high
Wind 5-8mph south
Kayaking time 5.5 hours

Cave Run Lake Sep 24-2019

October 5th, 2019

Cave Run Lake Sep 24-2019

Cave Run Lake, located south of Morehead, Kentucky, USA along Kentucky Route 801, is an 8,270-acre (33 km2), a reservoir built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The 148 ft (45 m), half-mile (800 m) dam (and outlet works) construction began in 1965 and was completed in 1973. Cave Run Lake is in the northern part of the Daniel Boone National Forest.

Found yet another place by "throwing the imaginary dart" at my phones GPS MAP as I traveled from a racing event in Maryland to another one in St Louis. I will look at my route over breakfast, dinner or sitting in a rest stop wherever that may be. Then by zooming in and out I look for a spot that grabs ahold of my gut. Sometimes this will literally take hours or even multiple stops. I tend to be extremely picky about where I go, but it usually pays off in the end.
I stumbled across Cave Run Lake and when I arrived it was early morning and once I got my boating pass and launched it would turn out to be a great paddle indeed. A lake surrounded by cliffs and mountains is pretty damn awesome. The fog water surface was so could and the light breeze coming in from the hills would make small fog twisters in the water. The lake has plenty of little side places to explore which is always a selling point for me. The few fishermen out and about always give my images an extra kick. The sky was clear and the day very little wind, so it was a very easy paddle. I stuck to the north shore and when back and forth exploring small grottos. The towering trees and rocks make for a beauty that I do not get in Florida and it was a great choice. Memories I will carry with me for a long time and I plan on going back to this one. Because I want to check out hat west side.

Kayaking time 5.5 hours 9-24-2019
52 low 80 high
Wind 5 mph south-southwest
The northern shoreline from Daniel Boone National Forest – public boat access ramp.