Fun Ford Weekend - Norwalk Ohio - The Buckeye Beating

Fun Ford's return to Norwalk, Ohio, was well received as usual, with a bumper crop of cool cars and crafty competitors. The excitement began on Friday during the first qualifying session when the Aruba-based Pro car of Bert Kelkboom ventured into the sand at the end of the track; the culprit--a self-admitted brain fade. Neither the car nor the driver were hurt, and the team returned on Saturday to qualify well.

The '04 Street Warrior champion, Darrell Peterson, found himself elbow deep in an engine swap on Saturday as an engine failure forced him to borrow one from Jeff Chambers, a fellow Street Warrior competitor and, thankfully, a native to the parts near Norwalk.

In Tough Truck, one of the racers showed up with a transbrake installed in his ride. Starting line devices such as these are prohibited in the class, and the decision by the event staff to let him run after disconnecting it divided the class.

The bracket classes in Norwalk were off the hook as usual for this event, and since the Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords True Street class had "only" 98 cars, they were able to run three passes instead of the frequently abbreviated two-run format.

Fun Ford Norwalk is one event you don't want to miss. The competition is great, and the track staff are some of the friendliest around.