Drag racing on the quarter-mile sees many forms of race cars, including the outlaws, which will be gracing the Mission track this weekend.
About 40 cars are expected from all over the western provinces and six western states racing for more than $50,000 in prize money. The DoorWarz event is showcasing the biggest field in Canada, and a battle is expected.
These cars have varied body styles but two common denominators: two operating doors and the driver sits on the left side. But that is where the similarities end. The competitors in the Pro Mod class all have different ideas on how to make the most horsepower. Some do it by building the largest engine, with a number of them over 900 cubic inches. Some use turbo chargers, or nitrous oxide, while still others use superchargers. Some of the cars are producing horsepower in excess of 4,000.
Right here in Mission we have a team capable of winning the event. Jay Syvertsen of JS Motorsport has a highly modified ‘57 Chevy with a Hemi engine and a supercharger. The car has gone six seconds at 250 mph and he had hired one of the best tuners in the class to assist him this weekend. One of the California teams that is a heavy favourite is the Burbage racing “Spec Rite” team. They built a ‘69 Camaro with all the lightest parts, and have a similar engine to Syversten’s, pullng 5.9s at 250 mph. Saskatoon’s Mike Gondziola will be here this weekend, and he runs a nitrous-assisted 820 cubic inch power-plant and has also gone six seconds at high elevation.
Dale Pedersen from Dawson Creek has one of the quickest turbocharged race cars on the West Coast running 6.1 at 235 mph. Edmonton’s Jim Bell’s car has gone 5.9 (with Eric Dillard as the driver). No word yet on whether either will be behind the wheel.
One of the most recognized Pro Mod names in Canada is Glen Kerunsky, and he will return to the class for the first time in over half a decade. You cannot count him out.
Along with the Outlaw Pro Mod class, the wild Outlaw 10.5 class and the Outlaw 275 class will also be featured. Both those classes have 2,000 hp cars and are known to wheel-stand and get out of shape on any part of the race track.
Qualifying starts Friday and goes into the evening under the lights. On Saturday, qualifying resumes, plus round one of eliminations. Watching these cars run down the quarter mile in the five-second zone at speeds higher than 250 mph in full darkness is quite simply, amazing.
Spectator admission is $20 Friday and $25.00 Saturday and Sunday. A full weekend pass that includes Thursday testing is $55. Kids under 12 are admitted free. Go to Doorwarz.com to see all the team entries or Mission raceway.com for information.
