28 Mar 2015 Kent, WA – Pacific Raceways is a multi-use facility with two of the parts intersecting with each other. To make use of both at the same time takes quite some coordination. This task was pulled off as if it has been done many times though I think this could have been a first.
General Manager John Ramsey and ProFormance Racing School owner Don Kitch put their heads together to utilize each other’s down time to let the dragstrip and the 2.25 mile road course run without interfering with each other. In doing so it allowed Speed Factory to test new equipment on their Honda’s for the upcoming season and for Jim Ronan to put his wheel stander thru some shakedown/practice runs.
Walking between the roughly 50 feet distance between the two camps dragstrip manager Ed Garfield had a turbo screaming four cylinder in his left ear and a blown 427 wheel stander thumping in his right, wish I could have captured the expression on his face, priceless.
Testing went on thru the day on the strip with the lapping cars getting a lot of track time with the in-between round time for the Honda’s. With the drag testing finished up Mother Nature started a misty sprinkle, perfect timing, as the drag strip was done.
This weather most all the time has no effect on the road racers as they lapped thru their session. The last session of the day though was a different story. The rain started light and progressively turned to a torrential downpour to the point that the track surface could not shed water fast enough creating one of the few things that will stop most all road racing. HYDROPLANING – End of session.
Both John and Don agreed that it went smooth and it can be done if needed again, me I like seeing it work.
SAMPLES
