WORLD FORD CHALLENGE 2007 @ INDy

 

 

The Holm's and Brungard's were at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, Indiana for the 10th Anniversary (and last) World Ford Challenge in May 2007.  Another great event gone by the wayside!

 

Pictured above are the grandstands (L) and the tower (R) at the track.  Click on any photo for a larger photograph.

 

Our son (Nick) is married to Ray & Deb Brungard's daughter (Andrea) and the six of us made the trek annually to the WFC (in past years it we have been to the races at Joliet, Illinois and at Gateway International east of St. Louis.  Years past we had always spectated but this was the first year we had raced.  Nick was the driver of Ray's 289-powered Ford Ranger pickup.

 

 

Left photo is of our racing trailer (a 44' Optima) with me (the fat guy parked in the doorway) and my son Nick talking about the next run.  In the right photo Nick is getting to the front of the staging lanes for his next quarter mile pass.

 

 

Nick is close to his turn on the track (L). Myself, Ray (on the right) and Nick (behind me) admire a Shelby AC Cobra kit car.  Several years ago we purchased a 427 Sideoiler out of a 1966 Cobra to install in my 1969 Mustang Mach 1.

 

 

Our Optima trailer (L) which we now pull with our 2008 Ford F450 diesel. Ray's Ranger pickup (R) which has run a best time of 12.2 seconds in the quarter mile ran a 12.6 this year at the WFC.

 

The WFC is now defunct so we are looking for other venues in which to race our Fords.  We purchased a 1990 Ford Mustang LX earlier in 2007 but this car was severely damaged in the 2008 Parkersburg tornado (go to the story link on the home page).  It (and the Mach 1) were both severely damaged but we have ironed the kinks out and the LX will be ready for the track soon.  The Mach 1 is ready to drop the engine back in and do upholstery and paint and then hit the road.

In September, 2003 the Holm's and the Brungard's ventured off to the first ever Lightning Fest in Topeka, Kansas.

 

 

Nick (silver Lightning) lines up for his passes at the 2003 Lighning Fest.  Click on photos to enlarge.

 

Nick had just recently purchased his 2002 Ford SVT Lightning and we hooked the diesel up to our 5th Wheel camper and pulled it down to Topeka for a weekend of fun. On Saturday the Lightnings from all over (there were at least 200 of them) spent the day drag racing.  On Sunday the drivers had an opportunity to go to driving school and after school and a half hour of practice with an instructor along the Lightnings were cut loose on the road racing track.

 

Nick turned some hot laps at 135 miles per hour and managed to burn up a set of lifetime Bendix brakes in a little over an hour on the track.  The brake fluid was boiling in the reservoir and the wheels were too hot to touch for quite awhile.

 

It was a fun (but very windy!) weekend in Topeka but they have since moved the race to Kansas City and we have not been back.  Sadly, the Lightning was a victim of the 2008 tornado in Parkersburg. The truck had the center beam of the garage roof come down right on top of the vehicle and it was totaled.  The engine will roar again but the truck itself is toast.

 

 

Our first Mustang was Nick's 1988 GT which he got for his 14th birthday.  It wasn't much as Mustang's go but Nick spent hours working on this car (and dipping into Mom & Dad's resources) and built a show car winner.

Then I got a 1969 Mustang Mach 1 R-Code (428 CobraJet) and we drove that for a few years before starting to rebuild it.

Bonnie was the only one without a Mustang she could call her own!  So . . . we sent shopping and found her this 1988 Saleen Mustang convertible.

 

 

It's a beauty!  One of only 135 convertibles built by Saleen in 1988 and one of only 7 red ones!  It doesn't get driven near enough but next summer we are going to put Bonnie's daily driver away for the summer and put some miles on this fire engine red sports car!

 

This Mustang was the only one that didn't get damaged in the tornado.  It was in storage at Grandma's house 8 miles away.

 

My son's dragster (see above) also took a beating in the Parkersburg tornado. We are trying hard to get this car ready for the 2009 drag race season (or at least part of it!).  This car is supposed to be heading for the body shop in just a few days.  We'll post some photos and information as soon as we can!