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Fun Ford Weekend - Norwalk Ohio - The Buckeye BeatingRacers in Norwalk, Ohio, fought the good fight among a sea of fierce competitors. From the January, 2006 issue of Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords By Steve Baur Photography by Keith Keplinger, Steve Baur
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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.  Nick Yarber of Abingdon, Virginia,...  Nick Yarber of Abingdon, Virginia, set a new standard in Tremec True Street by averaging 8.73 seconds over three passes. His Cobra features a 9.5-inch-deck Dart block that's poked and stroked to a massive 460 ci, Yates cylinder heads, and 275 hp worth of nitrous oxide optimized by an Edelbrock progressive nitrous controller.  Three cars showed up to contest...  Three cars showed up to contest the Edelbrock Street Bandit class, but it was points leader Matt Jones of Austin, Texas, who had the field covered by almost half a second and would take the win. Jones has won every race this year.  Marshallville, Ohio's Cory...  Marshallville, Ohio's Cory Roth entered his Hot Street-spec '89 Mustang in Street Bandit. He was off the pace of pole sitter Matt Jones, but won a tight contest against Max Gross in the semis. In the final, Roth cut the better light, but his milder combination just didn't have it at the top end. 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.  Whiteland, Indiana's Bill...  Whiteland, Indiana's Bill Glidden tightened his grip on the ProCharger Street Outlaw stranglehold by taking out Ed Imhoff and Dearborn, Michigan's Dan Millen. Glidden's GT features a Yates-headed small-block with a heaping helping of the giggle gas.  Hot on the Tree all weekend,...  Hot on the Tree all weekend, John Gullett found himself up to his elbows in Lenco five-speed parts midround in eliminations...  ...He got it together, though,...  ...He got it together, though, and drove his turbocharged small-block Mustang past points leader Chuck Samuel in what may be the quickest Mr. Gasket Pro race to date, a 6.47 to 6.49. 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. | MM&FF True Street Results | | Qfy# | Driver | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Average | | 1511 | Nick Yarber | 8.781 | 8.727 | 8.708 | 8.739 | Winner | | 1521 | Bill Klein | 9.310 | 9.114 | 9.099 | 9.174 | Runner-Up | | 1485 | Tim Casto | 9.622 | 9.598 | 9.641 | 9.620 | | 1464 | Matt Parker | 9.626 | 9.552 | 9.771 | 9.650 | | 1472 | Marty Merillat | 9.822 | 9.801 | 9.940 | 9.854 | | 108 | Damon Dais | 9.887 | 10.036 | 10.035 | 9.986 | | 1460 | Steve Howard | 10.659 | 10.577 | 10.485 | 10.574 | Top 10 Sec | | 1496 | Patty Goodman | 10.833 | 10.813 | 10.732 | 10.793 | | 1470 | Bryan Martin | 11.062 | 10.804 | 11.052 | 10.973 | | 1490 | Randy Budde | 11.034 | 10.980 | 11.045 | 11.020 | Top 11 Sec | | 1493 | Chris Perry | 11.118 | 10.953 | 10.997 | 11.023 | | 1457 | Kurt Brenner | 11.103 | 11.264 | 11.134 | 11.167 | | 1492 | Jeff Zuccarell | 11.077 | 11.289 | 11.313 | 11.226 | Editor's Choice | | 1454 | Neal Alder | 11.659 | 11.291 | 10.999 | 11.316 | | 1533 | Jason Beaulieu | 10.217 | 13.129 | 10.900 | 11.415 | | 1456 | David Walter | 11.514 | 11.481 | 11.478 | 11.491 | | 1524 | Mike Moore | 11.462 | 11.350 | 11.821 | 11.544 | | 1448 | George Chaboudy | 11.923 | 11.586 | 11.177 | 11.562 | | 1455 | Robert Dappenbrook | 11.562 | 11.441 | 11.986 | 11.663 | | 1528 | Ron Shaffer | 11.563 | 11.535 | 12.024 | 11.707 | | 1452 | Chris Foreman | 11.852 | 11.758 | 11.705 | 11.772 | | 1474 | Kevin Mullholand | 11.845 | 11.893 | 11.907 | 11.882 | | 1471 | Derrick Kanelig | 11.520 | 11.832 | 12.374 | 11.909 | | 1518 | P.J. Lynd | 11.988 | 12.187 | 12.036 | 12.070 | Top 12 Sec | | 1494 | Brian Legg | 11.514 | 13.609 | 11.392 | 12.172 |
 Fun Ford Norwalk saw points...  Fun Ford Norwalk saw points leader Ronnie Wilson take his nitrous oxide-injected Mustang into the 7-second club, but it was Mapleton, Minnesota's Dan Schoneck who cleaned up in Borla Street Renegade this weekend. The two paired up in the final and Wilson went 0.001-second red on the Tree. The Mustangs raced regardless, with Schoneck ahead at the end with a 7.77 to Wilson's 8.09 effort.  Adam Louramore pretty much...  Adam Louramore pretty much has the BFGoodrich Drag Radial title wrapped up at this point, but he found stiff competition in Norwalk from Trace Meyer. Though Meyer took the number-one qualifying spot on Saturday, he broke before the final round, handing an easy win to Louramore.  In order to run in Fun Ford...  In order to run in Fun Ford Drag Radial, Holland, Ohio's Trace Meyer swapped out his NMRA-spec F-1 ProCharger for a larger F-2, and traded in his BFGoodrich tires for Mickey Thompson drag radials. The changes worked out well as Meyer put his Mike Curcio-built, 352ci-powered Pony in the number-one qualifying spot on Saturday with an 8.21. Mr. Gasket Pro - (W) John Gullett, 6.475 at 220.56
- (L) Chuck Samuel, 6.499 at 219.86
ProCharger Street Outlaw - (W) Billy Glidden, 7.066 at 196.53
- (L) Dan Millen, 7.486 at 163.45
BFGoodrich Drag Radial - (W) Adam Louramore, 9.664 at 137.04
- (L) Trace Meyer, (broke)
Borla Street Renegade - (W) Dan Schoneck, 7.775 at 184.52
- (L) Ronnie Wilson, (red light)
Edelbrock Street Bandit - (W) Matt Jones, 8.659 at 156.44
- (L) Cory Roth, 9.503 at 115.09
Blow-By Racing Street Warrior - (W) Jeremy Martorella, 9.470 at 140.56
- (L) Darrell Peterson, 9.529 at 139.47
SCT Street Stang - (W) Darrell Lucas, 12.497 at 107.13
- (L) Tom Conrad, 12.456 at 103.28
Steeda/Hyland Mod Motor - (W) Robert Hindman, 11.411 at 114.45 (11.38 DI)
- (L) Troy Hardlicka, 14.088 at 93.18 (14.14 DI)
JDM Tough Truck - (W) David Gates, 13.075 at 94.40 (12.92 DI)
- (L) Don Justus, 12.229 at 109.41 (12.23 DI)
JBA Headers Focus Frenzy - (W) Mark Adkins, 17.308 at 66.15 (17.07)
- (L) Owen Spry, 17.402 at 79.35 (17.23 DI)
Ford Racing Open Comp - (W) Rodney Ward, 11.796 at 112.01 (11.84 DI)
- (L) Bryan Parker, 10.633 at 112.44 (10.70 DI)
Saturday
Fast Ford - (W) Alan Palmer, 8.817 at 152.31
- (L) Larry Huston, (red light)
Quick Ford - (W) Doug Baker, 10.356 at 128.27
- (L) John Gregory, 10.429 at 127.46
Street Ford - (W) AJ Buchanan, 17.059 at 75.57
- (L) Nate Holzhauer, 16.085 at 87.00
Nostalgia Ford - (W) Larry Kortkamp, 11.614 at 110.32
- (L) Paul Jordan, 15.772 at 87.38
Quick 16 - (W) Ron Barnhill, 8.430 at 159.46
- (L) Mike Kopko, 7.200 at 186.48
Sunday
Fast Ford - (W) Jerry Spoor, 7.880 at 167.68
- (L) Alan Palmer, 8.809 at 152.64
Quick Ford - (W) Bill Barr, 11.138 at 121.20
- (L) Nick Hastings, (red light)
Street Ford - (W) Jerry Torgler, 15.426 at 87.95
- (L) Josh Tyree, (red light)
Nostalgia Ford - (W) Brian Merrick, 15.426 at 87.95
- (L) Christine Kent, (red light)
 There was a thrash in Blow-By...  There was a thrash in Blow-By Racing Street Warrior champ Darrell Peterson's pits as he lost an engine early on. Fellow Warrior racer (and nearby Norwalk resident) Jeff Chambers lent him an engine that was installed overnight. The heads-up community in the pits wasn't going to let Peterson go down without a fight, so competitors such as Gary Rohe, Chuck Samuel, Demo Koutsis, Robert Hindman, Ronnie Wilson, Adam Louramore, and Brian Tooley all helped him turn wrenches.  Despite Peterson's blitzkrieg...  Despite Peterson's blitzkrieg effort to get the car up and running, Jeremy Martorella took home the prize money in the normally aspirated Street Warrior class. Peterson was first off the Tree, but Martorella drove past him with a 9.47 to 9.52 win.  In the SCT Street Stang class,...  In the SCT Street Stang class, points leader Tony Whetstone was first-round meat, while Darrell Lucas (Second) and Tom Conrad (Third) advanced. In the final, it was Lucas and Conrad in a double breakout, with Lucas coming out victorious.  In Ford Racing Open Comp,...  In Ford Racing Open Comp, Muncie, Indiana's Rodney Ward improved his lead with a win.  Dubbed Norwalk-Gate by your...  Dubbed Norwalk-Gate by your author, The JDM Tough Truck class was in a frenzy over David Gates who showed up with a transbrake installed in his truck. Transbrakes are prohibited in the class and disconnection of the device was met by disapproval from some of the competitors as an acceptable way for Gates to be able to compete. The ruling from the Fun Ford staff allowed Gates to run, and run he did until the final where he defeated points leader Don Justus.  Steeda/Hyland Mod Motor maniac...  Steeda/Hyland Mod Motor maniac Robert Hindman extended his championship points lead over Second-Place Gary Youngblood.  The Nostalgia Ford bracket...  The Nostalgia Ford bracket class was fun to watch. Larry Kortkamp rowed the gears in his 427-powered Galaxie wagon to the win in the final round.  The winners from Street Ford,...  The winners from Street Ford, Quick Ford, Fast Ford, Nostalgia Ford and the Quick 16 were paired up (random pairing) for the King Ford challenge.  A new '05 Mustang was at stake,...  A new '05 Mustang was at stake, and in the run-off, Doug Baker of Newark, Ohio, became the 2005, FFW Norwalk King Ford winner. Simply winning Quick Ford was a challenge in and of itself, as the bracket classes were made up of over 400 cars.  Nick Yarber graciously accepted...  Nick Yarber graciously accepted his MM&FF True Street award for First Place.  Jeff Zuccarell's '03 Cobra...  Jeff Zuccarell's '03 Cobra snagged the MM&FF Editor's Choice Award in True Street...  He narrowly missed grabbing...  He narrowly missed grabbing the low-11-second prize, too, with an 11.22-second average.  Damon Dais finished Sixth...  Damon Dais finished Sixth with a 9.98 average. Talk about tough competition. We liked the look of this clean '79 pace car, and the fact that it averaged 9s was even cooler.  Patty Goodman of Pittsburgh...  Patty Goodman of Pittsburgh averaged 10.79 seconds to finish Eighth in True Street with her '95 Cobra.  V-6 Mustangs take a lot of...  V-6 Mustangs take a lot of heat from most Mustang fanatics, but we felt Chris Niebauer's '05 model was quite respectable, having dusted some 34 other competitors with its nitrous-injected 13.03 average.  George Conrad II of Berlin...  George Conrad II of Berlin Heights, Ohio, took home the MM&FF Early-Model Editor's Choice award for his baby blue '70 Shelby GT500.  We couldn't pass up photographing...  We couldn't pass up photographing Ron Zeigler's ultra-clean '86 Mercury Capri, which took home the MM&FF Late-Model Editor's Choice award.
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