Gone in 6 Seconds
Ralph Lewis
Super Comp Champion 2017
You might often say to yourself lets go racing. The bottom line is to start at the bottom and build your way up. Knowledge and expertise will come with years of experience and best of all don't expect miracles.
You love the look and sound of a Pro Stock car but what is it really like when you're sitting in the hot seat. I can tell you it's the most unbelievable feeling and at first I thought what have I just got myself into. You sit low and laid back in the seat, pretty much like a recliner lounge chair, you can barely see in front or anywhere around yourself and better still you're sitting on the left hand side. The entire inside is like a computerised cockpit and then you come to realise your racing line is nothing more than tunnel vision and your in control of more than 1400hp with every gear change peaking out to 10000rpm. With total focus, time and commitment you come to realise you're steering a very well USA built aerodynamic coupe.
Track days are full steam ahead, turn around times are fast, concentration levels from crew and driver are intense. There's engine maintenance checking and changing valve springs, downloading and observing data, changing carby jetting to suit air/fuel ratios right through to packing parachutes and being ready for the next round. Everyone has a role within the pits and on the track and we all seem to do it in a very tidy fashion. Getting through the rounds and as far as the finals is a great deal of satisfaction felt amongst all the crew members, knowing the amount of work we put in to ensuring that the entire race operation is at its ultimate performance and safety.
What happens in the shed is no easier, it's all just done at a slower pace with cold beers. Anything from engine maintenance, scaling and chassis set up is the start to what makes race day a little more relaxed going into first round.
Loading up and getting ready is always done the day before and one might question why we carry a deep freezer armed with 14 bags of ice. Its most certainly not for getting beer cold but for cooling the engine down before runs as a 500ci Pro Stock engine runs stronger and more powerful at its coolest temperature. On very hot days the engine cooler will need at least 3 bags of ice for every pass to allow for ultimate performance levels.
The crisp sound of the engine firing up in the tunnel is the most sweetest feeling of success and watching this magical machine driving through to the burnout pad reminds you of the work and dedication required to make it this far.
