The 2009 season was hugely successful for Bill and Marsha and a seasoned Raging Eagle Racing team. It was one of those rare years in racing where everything went as it should, thanks to a veteran crew, a relentless crew chief, a good driver and a great race car. The Raging Eagle Racing Team compiled a round win percentage of 84%, dominating the competition with unbelievable consistency and a very fast race car. The result was the team's first Pro Modified championship.
The team began the season welcoming Stathakis Building Maintenance as an associate sponsor. I met George Stathakis three years ago while searching for a company to paint our shopping center. His references are quite impressive and so was the finished product, very tastefully done, increasing our building's visibility and our clients business. Stathakis boasts "complete building maintenance" geared toward large commercial businesses with a long list of satisfied residential customers. The company is one of a handful of companies in Michigan (#10) "certified professional" by Painting and Decorating Contractors of America. We are thrilled to have them aboard.
The Raging Eagle Racing Team actually began it's season at Milan Dragway behind in the points race, missing the first event of the year due to weather conditions which were more conducive for a snowmobile race. The weather for the second event, June 5th, was perfect and so was the team. We qualified in the number 1 spot, finished the event with a win, and recorded a personal best in speed of 219 mph. The win propelled the team into second place in the points lead trailing Keith Jackson by one point. The next event was a month later and the weather once again was spectacular attracting almost ten thousand people to Milan Dragway. We qualified in the number 2 position behind former champ Brian Robbins and the Skinny Kid Race Cars owned Hurst Olds. We met in the finals at 12:30 am, (3.5 hours past my bedtime) and were handed our first of only two round losses of the year. I was surprised to see that most of the spectators stayed to watch the finals. Although losing the final round, the Raging Eagle Racing Team left Milan Dragway the next morning, leading the points race for the championship.
The next outing was at Norwalk for some 1/8th mile racing. We qualified in the 8th position with a damaged engine head gasket which forced us out of the race. With the head gasket repaired and renewed horsepower, we returned to Milan July 31st, which is quickly becoming our favorite track. We qualified #2 again, and won the next two rounds before facing Todd Robertson's Aeroquip sponsored Pro Mod Stratus. With Todd getting lane choice and knowing I can't see the tree from the left lane (which is now corrected-thank you Milan Dragway) I was put in the left lane. All I could do was leave when I saw his car leave. We out ran the Mopar, but ran out of race track before we caught Todd, losing our second round of the year by .016 of a second.
September 4th we were back at our favorite track. My personal goal was to redeem myself as a driver after suffering a rare holeshot loss in the final round a month ago. The team was very focused and anxious for a final round win. Once again, spectators packed the Milan Dragway bleachers and again we qualified in the number 2 spot. Following a first round win we were all surprised when Todd Robertson congratulated us for winning the Napa Auto Parts Championship. We had acquired enough points which mathematically eliminated the other teams. Although pleased about the championship the team remained focused into the finals and emerged champions with it's second event win. After two attempts, the sixth and final race of Milan Dragway's Napa Auto Parts RWYB series was cancelled due to rain.
I must thank Bro and Sis-in-law, Larry and Carol, for attending every event this year, preparing lunch and dinner, and staying until the end-sometimes almost 2:00 in the morning. I also want to thank Don and Scott from LaFontaine Automotive Group for attending every race and encouraging their fellow workers to come out and watch. I think the folks at LaFontaine really enjoyed the races and Milan Dragway's hospitality. Thank you Chris Baxter.
June 7, 2009
The Raging Eagle Racing Team began the 2009 season, at Milan Dragway's second Heads Up event of the year. We tested on Thursday making one 1/8th mile pass which produced the best numbers we have ever had. The engine was very strong and the car drove effortlessly. We spent Thursday night looking everything over and preparing for Friday's race day. Confidence high.
The first qualifying pass surpassed our expectations and left us sitting on top of the field clocking a 6.49 @ 219mph. The 219 is what surprised me by 4mph. The charge after the third gear change was like nothing I have ever felt in this car before. I knew it was going fast, but I figured that not having raced in almost a year was largely contributing to the sensation. I was thrilled to see it was the almost 220mph and more horsepower than I have ever felt. We sat out the second round of qualifying hoping no one would catch us. Luckily, we remained on top by a mere .002 second.
We won the first two rounds which landed us in the finals, only to face former IHRA champion Ken Langlois (my mentor) and several time winner of this event. Although it was almost 1:00 am and way past my bedtime, concentration was at the max for this one. The car again performed perfectly, making a deadly straight pass (Thank you Milan Crew) and took the win with a 6.52 @ 217mph.
The entire crew was excellent; Bro Paul didn't miss a thing working hard turning around the car between rounds; Ronny's diagnostic skills and overall support (he can do anything) kept us in the event; Paul Bairds many, many hours of data analysis and suspension set up provided a safe and straight race car; Dyan once again provided all the data needed for analysis; and Marsha showed me she still cares since the chutes she packed blossomed perfectly every time. Crew chief Mike was solid as always, insisting I listen and stay calm and focused, while he tuned the race car for the win. Most importantly to me, Mike lined me up perfectly for every pass resulting in five complete passes in a row -- a record of sorts for this car. Big John, my long time friend of 40+ years (you would always see us together at the race tracks) was also there to lend a hand keeping the pit area as well as the race car clean. It was great not having to look through 220mph bug splatter.
We were all happy to see so many of our supporters and racing friends again after almost a year's hiatus. We felt very welcomed and missed. Two couples especially, Henry and his wife Jean, and bro and sis in law, Larry and Carol, deserve honorable mention for sticking out the entire race until after 1:00 am.
Our next event will be at Norwalk, June 20th where we will race 1/8th mile. I'm confident crew chief Mike will have a very competitive tune-up. Confidence is high but never cocky.
Special thanks to Brian Robbins, driver of the Skinny Kid Race Car Hurst Olds, for all the help with the new fuel system, and taking his time away from his resposibilities during the test session to help us fix our race car.
March 24, 2009
We began the 2008 season as we finished in 2007, fast and going rounds. Our race car performed flawlessly during the first test session and again at the first race at Milan Dragway. We qualified in the third position posting a stout 6.52 @ 212 mph within a strong field. We won the first two rounds and lost in the finals to Skinny Kid's Race Car sponsored (and owned) Hurst Olds piloted by Brian Robbins. While losing in the finals is always disappointing, we were all very pleased with our overall performance.
The following event was at Summit Raceway Park where the season ending damage occurred. The first round of qualifying left us in the number one position; however, our race car was not as fast as we felt it should have been. During the burnout in the second round of qualifying, our racing engine showed us why, suffering severe damage and sending us home without participating in Summit's first race of the season.
Marsha and I returned home and immediately removed the engine and began tear down. After a thorough inspection it became painfully obvious that the damage was quite more severe (and expensive) than we first thought. After a week of deliberation, Marsha and I decided to call it quits for the 2008 season. We have been racing for more than 20 years and felt a year off would rejuvenate our enthusiasm. I don't believe it was even two weeks before I fixed all those little nagging things around the house which one normally lets go until they become necessary. Even the lawn mower got an oil change, a tune up, and our grass was fertilized on time.
Attending the second race of the year as a spectator at Milan Dragway was a mistake. I do not make a good spectator and watching all of our peers racing only emphasized this. Although it did accomplish lighting the fire again, motivating me to fix the engine. It seemed like it took forever to acquire all the parts and have all the machine work done. It did too. We finished installing the freshly repaired engine just in time for the last race of the year. With no testing, we felt it would be a mistake to attend the race and instead, only look forward to 2009.
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Deider & Gretchen
March 27, 2008
The passing of Millie and Misty has left a huge void in our hearts. Marsha and I adopted Gretchen and Deider in February of 2008. The five year olds are litter mates, very connected and very gentle and sweet. They will join the Raging Eagle Racing team this year. It's still too early to tell; however, I feel Deider will assume Millie's duties and Gretchen will take over for the late Misty.
Much progress has been made on the racecar since we returned from the sun. Marsha and I will be installing the freshly rebuilt racing engine this weekend and should have it ready to fire when the weather permits. I cannot foresee testing (or racing for that matter) any time soon. It doesn't appear the snow will disappear until mid June. When it does, we will be ready.
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December, 20 2007
The 2007 season was filled with ups and downs as well as some very exciting races. Thankfully, the downs disappeared before the end of the season and the fun began and the rewards surfaced. We began the racing season at Milan Dragway's second Outlaw Pro Mod race of the season on May 4th. Unfavorable weather conditions did not permit testing before our first race. However, we managed to qualify #1 and everything was looking good. The first round of eliminations quickly changed that when the transmission exploded; catastrophic failure. The first thought in my head was a rerun of last year. We had to replace one complete section of the transmission (which sliced deeply into our racing budget) and clean all the shrapnel from the remaining sections. We decided testing was a must before attempting to compete at Norwalk's first event, so we chose Milan's Frantic Four race on May 19th. We qualified #1 and went on to win with an excellent performing racecar.
May 25th was Norwalk's first event of the year. It is called Door Wars and it attracts a lot of fast cars from Michigan, Illinois, Pennsylvania and of course Ohio. We qualified #2 which is where we finished. In the finals, we left first and were well in front of our opponent when our car shook the tires and turned sharply. We finished the race in our competition's lane and in the runner up position. Disappointing but-none-the less a good outing.
June 1st found us back at Milan. Only one week after a good outing and our car could not make a clean pass down the track in both qualifying sessions. We qualified last but managed to win the first round only to lose in the second due to severe tire shake.
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June 22 we went back to Norwalk and put on a much more impressive performance. We qualified #1 and made five outstanding and consistent passes setting personal bests in both ET and MPH. Unfortunately we lost in the finals on a holeshot (to a slower car). For our driver, there is no worse way to lose.
July 6 was Milan's fourth race of the series--another disappointing outing. A broken torque converter in the first round of eliminations ended our night early. Repairing the converter was as simple as diagnosing the problem with the racecar. I pride myself on never returning to the track with the same problem. Well we didn't, exactly. During the first round of the following race at Milan, an invisible crack in the converter (apparently it was there when I repaired it) allowed a small amount of fluid to spray out onto the zoomies (headers) which produced a huge amount of black smoke inside the car. Have you ever driven down a dark road and shut the headlights off? Every guy I know has done this to his wife or girlfriend. Well, try it at 200mph. NO don't. The smoke got so thick, so fast that I couldn't even see the white on my gloves. With the chutes deployed and the engine shut off I was able to point the car fairly straight by listening to the tires picking up pebbles when I moved over towards the centerline or wall where the track isn't as clean. When I finally stopped, I had no clue what I would see when the smoke cleared. Luckily I hit nothing and the car finally stopped in the other lane, pointing towards the wall. Another 20 feet there would have been a lot of body work to do.
September 8 was Race Warz III at Milan. If I could only win one race for the year, I would pick this one. This is the Superbowl of the heads-up races and the race I had been looking forward to since I, with no help from anyone else, lost (blew it) last year. It also pays $5000 to the winner. The level of competition is definitely elevated
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and there are a lot more cars trying to qualify than at the usual monthly events. Everything went perfect. We qualified with the fastest time of my career, 6.44 @ 217mph. Crew Chief Mike Farmer is to be commended for the fine job he did tuning the racecar and keeping an excited team under control. The entire team together made zero mistakes, missing nothing and preparing the race car for each round in record time. After winning the first two rounds we faced a long time nemesis and friend, last year's Canadian outlaw pro mod champion. This was without a doubt the most gratifying win I have had in a long time, beating him at the starting line and never seeing him again until he walked up to my car to congratulate me. The race was now ours to win. The final round went as well as the three previous, when our opponent red lighted handing us the win. You can view this race in a very condensed mode, on our site, in the video section.
The final race of the year was at Norwalk, September 28. It was the fastest qualified field in the history of this event. We qualified fourth and once again went faster than we ever have at this track. At every other race this year, we would have qualified #1 with this qualifying time. Round one pitted us against the number one qualifier. This was one of the closest and most exciting races I have been in, leading him through by .008 for the win. The second round went the same way with our drivers reaction time being much better than our opponents and our car making another flawless pass. The final round was the closest race of the year with only .006 separating the two cars at the finish line. Once again our fastest time; unfortunately for us it was also theirs. We were all somewhat disappointed but extremely pleased with the performance of the racecar and ourselves the last two events.
Overall it has been a successful season, full of learning, correcting far fewer breakage problems than previous years, setting new personal best ET & MPH records, wining a few races along the way and having fun racing again. We also did not break one part in our engine this year, which is an amazing statistic for a motor producing this much horsepower. I hope I don't pay next year for acknowledging this. The Raging Eagle Racing team is looking toward next year, highly confident that we will win the races we let get away this year, and be a force to be reckoned with.
Millie checking out the repairs
Millie OK'ing the repairs
Millie supervising
Millie's Latter Years
Millie's Latter Years
Millie's Latter Years
March 14, 2007
We finished putting together the race car in ample time for Autorama. After assembling and installing the engine and putting everything back together, the most time consuming aspect of getting a raced race car ready for a car show began. I really believe I would rather clean the underside of a car driven on the streets of Michigan for one year, than thoroughly clean this race car after one burnout. I spent hours removing every speck of rubber and washing all that smeared black stuff off. I didn't feel right asking for help with this since I'm the one who put it there. I do clean it after every race, but in no way this thoroughly. Wet sanding and rubbing the paint was a breeze. The paint touch ups turned out OK, and polishing all the aluminum and wheels helped make the three year old race car look fresh again.
The show was great. The car count was high and attendance records were set. I had a great time talking with everyone who stopped by our display. I felt the overall quality of all the cars present was excellent. I'm glad I didn't have to choose the Riddler Award winner. The Pro Modified class, which our car was entered in, had several very nice entries, including two brand new race cars. Fortunately the judges liked our car, probably due to the cleaning, and awarded it first place.
Marsha and I would like to thank our racing sponsors; Ron's Graphics Inc., Silver Seal, Allstar Plumbing, Ron's Vehicle Services, L D Motorsports, Skinny Kid Race Cars, Outlaw Photo, Heads Up Racer.com, Leaf Racewear and Exotic Coatings, who all received recognition at the most prestigious car show in the country. Special thanks to Manheim's Detroit Auto Auction for sponsoring our race car at this event.
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February 14, 2007
I can't believe that we will be testing in two more months. Looking out the window right now makes this hard to believe. The strong finish at the end of last season provided plenty of encouragement; a welcomed feeling for the entire team. I am actually excited and optimistic about beginning the new season. The discouraging part of the end of last year was the Race Warz race. Notice I haven't updated the website since. We qualified in the number three spot, and after the first round, we were the fastest race car left; ours to win, mine to lose. I did too. Call me if you would like the details-the excuses get better every time I talk about it.
Fred (Fred Whaley Sales & Performance Engines) and I will be finishing the engine rebuild this week. I should have it installed in the car this weekend if I can get to the race car garage without getting stuck in the snow. Fred and I agreed to make a couple of subtle changes which should increase the MPH numbers. Everything worked perfectly by the end of last year, so let's change it. As if we don't have enough challenges, so let's make more. Mike is handling the supercharger and fuel system upgrades, looking for a little more boost to make a little more horsepower to go a little quicker.
Marsha and I are actively seeking out new marketing partners to help share some of the expense. We have also put together the 2007 season schedule which is a little more intense than last year. If all goes well and stays together, we will have a very successful year. Confidence is high.
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September 14, 2006
Wow! It has been a while since the last race update. Well, when things keep breaking, there is not much to write about. Nothing good anyway. We seem to have our breakage problems and, most importantly, the cause corrected. It was very simple once our stubborn driver was able to accept a change. September 12th we attended Milan's Quick 16 to basically use the race as a test session. We qualified #1 and managed to break the transmission in the process. However, the damage was minor, the cause and driver were corrected, and the car went fast. With the transmission repaired and team confidence elevated, we headed back to Milan August 31 for a test pass, in preparation for Friday nights big event. The race car was flawless producing a career best timeslip. Friday night was a lot of fun. Confidence high. We qualified in the number one spot at the race with lowest bump spot in the history of this event with all eight qualified cars in the 6's. We continued to make three pretty passes during eliminations, winning the event and posting another career best Et of 6.63 @ 210mph. We attended the first Motor city Super Chevy Show September 8th. For the third consecutive event, we qualified #1. However, in the first round, a continuity problem with the trans break button, (driver error) turned on the red light. We continued testing at the event and ran back to back 6.66 @ 209mph. Nothing's broken, pride is a little hurt, but we will be ready for Race Warz September 23rd. This is a humbling sport.
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July 23, 2006
Since the last update we have made considerable progress tuning and more importantly, made two complete passes with numbers we can get excited about. I have to confess, the beginning of this year has been challenging and, not to mention, somewhat disappointing. I thought we would be a lot further along with the tuning process with a lot more successful passes in the log book. In fact, the Raging Eagle Racing team only recorded it's first full pass of the year at the Motor City Nationals during the last qualifying pass of the Top Sportsman class. We actually moved up from 41st to third with top speed honors. One more and I really believe we could have put it on the pole.
Our next scheduled event will be at Milan on Friday August 4th. This is the fourth of six heads-up races in their program. So far we have done about as poorly as we could possibly do. I have been known to make some rather cocky predictions in the past. Once again my pride is getting the best of me. We will not be watching the finals on August 4th. If this event is half as good as June 30th it will be a huge success. Come on out while the weather is still great. You won't be disappointed. Confidence is high.
