Stage Denver stands out against the background of all the other's Event held under the auspices of the Association, and is one of the most difficult for the drivers and teams of experts responsible for the technical side of the issue. The reason lies in the peculiarities of location of the strip. Bandimere Dragway is located above any and all tracks on the calendar of the national championship in relation to sea level, and the peculiar features of the climate, such as temperature and air density, year after year, become a real headache for the engineers who have to shovel virtually all settings of cars that pilots could demonstrate the best results. And judging by the fact that at this time on the podium with smiles shone completely new faces in the context of the current season, the championship favorite at this time do not guess with what had to be nuts to turn and in what direction.
Top Fuel
Eightfold champion Tony Schumacher kicked off this year's so-so, and then merging in the early rounds, but closer to the national championship equator most titled pilot in the class began to gain momentum and has repeatedly noted in the final, however, the lack of luck and technical problems time after They rose again on the way to the podium. And this weekend there was what many fans have been waiting, and journalists finally received an answer to the question: «When the legendary racer is already open through his victories,» It is finished! In Denver, although frankly a failed qualification, Schumacher was not equal to the day of the race. First he dealt with Doug Kalittoy despite the failed cylinder, flying 1,000 feet of track phenomenal for 3.788 seconds, and then sent home Steve Torrence, qualified to skate in the first place. In the semifinals, Tony met with one of the most hungry for victories pilots Clay Millikan, and was able to cross the finish line with a negligible margin of 0.009 seconds. The final for the champion was surprisingly easy: the leader of the current season Antron Brown could not really catch on at the start, thus losing a place on the podium to my colleague on the team. In other matters first victory of the season star Don Schumacher Racing (DSR) is in no way affected the balance of power at the top of the standings: Brown through the next door to the finals continues to hold the championship, Kalitta second and Torrens, though missed due to health problems event in Norulke quite thoroughly entrenched in third position.
Funny Car
Another veteran of the NHRA proved to all his fans that there is nitromethane in the locker, and interrupted a series-long failures per year. John Force, despite the unquestioned status of legends and countless trophies, in the current league stars from the sky is not enough, from time to time gathering of the race at the beginning of the races Shootout. It would seem that the experience of the veteran does not hold, at the disposal of the most advanced in technical terms the car, but the victory did not go hard, as well as points in the standings. This time everything went in a completely different scenario. The script, which from the start to the finish wrote team John Force Racing (JFR): Pilot of the «stable» over the weekend could only stop teammate. In the second round of the Force senior half a length ahead of two-time champion Matt Hagan, followed by his younger daughter Courtney sent sad in the paddock another representative DSR — Tommy Johnson. By the way, in the second round of the DSR full complement dropped out of the fight and competition JFR in the semi-finals could make a victor of last season Affairs Vorshem, but the old man in his characteristic manner quickly dot the «i», showing clearly whose day is today. The finale, of course, was the decoration of all Event: face to face met the father and daughter, which, unlike the titular dad this year, driven by much more, and the second place in the standings — a direct confirmation. Since these fights friendship, as well as family values win may not, in principle, has gained the upper hand experience: John Force was quicker on the tree, and only through this was able to finish first, ahead of Courtney a couple of feet. Just as in the high nitromethane division, this victory weather especially did not, but the appearance in the finals allowed Mrs. Force move Beckman Jack from second place and reduce the difference in points Ron Capps, who this time all of a sudden was blown away in the second round.
Pro Stock
I think that all those who somehow keeps track of the largest in the world championship drag racing, in the head repeatedly swept the phrase «Well, finally!» During the race. And what happened in the only professional class atmospheric blocked by their importance and surprises even the fact that the legends of the sport could soak his season stats. It's not that the podium was not Greg Anderson and Jason Line, and not even in that final in principle held without their participation, but the fact that the pilots unconditionally dominating KB Racing failed to enter the top three on the basis of qualifications.
First, an obvious outsider Alex Laughlin made fall jaw fans skated qualify for the best, and after him the best pilot on the results of Saturday's races became Erica Enders Stephens, which seems to have finally remembered that worthless double champion hang outside the top-10, all the more so to Countdown to the Championship Event there are only four. Hero of the day was Allen Johnson, whose participation in this championship until the last moment remained questionable. Champion 2012 on his way to his twenty-seventh trophy in a tense struggle dealt with Stephen Enders, then the example of Greg Anderson proved that the gasket between the wheel and the seat often plays a more important role than competently rebuilt iron. Championship leader Jason Line from such vicissitudes seem not a little confused, lost due to a false start Vincent Nobile, which in turn in the showdown to stop Johnson. And the remarkable fact is that this victory was for Allen's seventh triumph in Denver over the past nine years, which inadvertently suggests the idea that the veteran better than anyone else knows what to do with the car in the paddock and in his cockpit in very difficult conditions of mountain areas. Victorious march pilots Chevrolet Camaro logos Summit Racing came to an end, but immediately on the agenda, a new question: «Witnesses of what you and I have become: a turning point in the championship, or what experts KB Racing simply could not properly set up equipment in the past weekend? „the answer will learn in Sonoma at the soonest possible time.
The failure of the interventionist: no loud complaining in Denver not happened in principle, but would like to mention the Saturday accident Taim personalki whose gangster again behaved very poorly at the start. However, this time, his Ford Mustang stopped at the right digger rather than the left. The incident we describe in more detail in our next video compilation.
Pilot interventionist: John Allen sleep. Why? Because he can! And could a tenth place in qualifying, which has not happened in the Pro Stock class since 2008.
Check Event: duel between reigning champion Antron Brown and his souped teammate Shawn Langdon go down in history as a minimum Bandimere Dragway as one of the toughest races in the history of the class. At the finish of the pilots shared seven thousandths of a second, and the victory went to Brown, who demonstrated the best response time. This is a very non-standard outcome of the match in the fastest division of professional drag racing, but the passions of the Strip America this year, breaking all records. And when it seems that the pilots have simply nothing surprising speed fans, they again find new ways to arrange a first-class show.
Photo: open source
