Before the 2014 FUCHS Winternationals, the Pro Stock national records matched the quickest marks seen in the eliminator, at 6.982 and 196.10mph, and the Willowbank track records weren’t too far behind at 6.983 and 196.04mph. By the end of the iconic Willowbank Raceway event, these elapsed time marks has been bettered 12 times and the speed records exceeded 10 times.
There were quite a few twists and turns before top qualifier Lee Bektash ended up with the ET record at 6.950 and runner-up Tyronne Tremayne put his name beside the speed mark at 196.85mph. Given that nine teams improved on their previous best ET and eight picked up on their best speed, and that the top half of the qualified field was separated by only 800ths of a second, the competition to set records was understandably rather fierce.
In the first qualifying session, Emilio Spinozzi trashed the 6.982/196.10 marks with his team’s first sub seven-second pass of 6.975/196.67. Aaron Tremayne matched that with his first six-second pass of 6.975 in the same qualifying session. No back-ups were set during the second qualifying session on the Friday, but that all changed in Saturday’s third session. Nino Cavallo ran 196.64mph at 2.07pm to stake a claim on the national mph record, but at 2.15pm Cavallo’s name was scratched off the sheet and Bektash grabbed both ends of the record with a 6.964/196.67 pass, at the same time upping the ET performance standard and matching Spinozzi’s speed. In the first round of racing on the Saturday, Cavallo equalled Bektash’s record with a 6.964 at 4.56pm, but eight minutes later, Bektash upped the ante with a 6.960 that also extended his reign as driver of the quickest car in the country.
In the quarterfinals on the Sunday, Aaron Tremayne took the speed record at 196.82mph. Three minutes later, Bektash took hold of the national and track ET records and put beyond doubt his claim to holding the title as quickest in the eliminator, with a 6.950.
But the record-setting wasn’t finished yet, with Tyronne Tremayne unleashing a top end of 196.85mph in the semifinals to take the speed record from his brother.
Spinozzi never got the chance to back up his quick Friday run, but Tyronne Tremayne, in the absence of Bektash, his brother Aaron and Cavallo, would have set the record at 6.970/196.56 at 2.21pm on Saturday and reset it at 6.966 in the final on Sunday.
In the absence of Bektash, Cavallo and his brother Tyronne, Aaron Tremayne would have set the record at 6.975 in the first round on Saturday, at 6.970 and 196.82mph in the quarterfinals, and at 6.965 in the semis.
Without the other three teams being present, Cavallo would have set the record at 196.64mph in the third qualifying session and at 6.964 in the first round of racing.
Other teams to produce PBs were Wayne Daley at 7.008, Bill Perdikaris with a 7.060/195.34 and Paul Beauchamp with a six-tenths improvement from 7.151 to 7.090.
Written by Lex Swayn
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