October 2013

Season Ends with a Bang

Our racing season has come to an end and I’ve been procrastinating writing our latest adventures long enough.  You’ll soon see why.  For our last event of the season, on September 28, we attended the Nostalgia Drags at Milan Michigan.  We had originally planned to tow down to Bowing Green to race with the NDRL that weekend, but with a newly rebuilt engine and no time for testing, we decided it would be best to stay closer to home.  It was a hard choice to make, but turned out to be a good decision.  The race in Kentucky was rained out.

Race day at Milan started out beautiful.  It was a warm sunny day, nostalgia cars from all over filled the pits and the spectators were out in force.  We are fortunate to have so many friends come out to watch us race and we had visitors in our pits all day. 

We made our first pass around noon and things seemed to be going fine.  There was plenty of oil pressure, the engine sounded strong and the car launched just like it was supposed to.  This was the first full pass since Steve put the new crankshaft in the motor so we were a little cautious.  I shifted early and we still ran a 7.28 with no indications of any problems.  We towed back to the pits to prepare for another round.  It was late afternoon by the time they finally called us to the lanes.  I pulled up in the water box and did my usual smoky burnout but as soon as I lifted, I knew something was terribly wrong.  I could feel a vibration but the engine was still running and I had plenty of oil pressure.  Not sure what was wrong, I started backing up.  Moments later, the track officials were shutting us down because the Susie Q was putting oil on the track.  Something really bad had happened.

Back in the pits we could see the damage. Oil was leaking out of both sides of the block and even though we had a belly pan, oil was everywhere.  At least one rod was broken and I could see daylight clear through the block.  I felt bad for everyone who was waiting to watch us run, but most of all I felt bad for Steve.  All the work he had just done to get this motor back in the car and now he was looking at starting all over. Our race day was over and so was our season.  At least we had lots of time to regroup.

Window on the left side of the block.

Number 5 rod poking out of the right side.

Fast forward a few weeks.  After endless phone calls and exploring various options, things were looking bleak.  There were no replacement JP1 blocks to be found and the cost and time involved to start with something new was not an attractive option.  We had initially believed the block was not repairable.  Anyone who knows Steve knows he doesn’t give up if he believes he can eventually find a better solution.  Eventually his persistence paid off.  Sort of as a last hope, Steve took our mangled up block to Mike and Scott Bowen, in Montrose, MI.  They said, no problem, they’d fixed much worse and immediately went to work on repairing it.  Steve picked up the repaired block today and will have plenty of time to put things back together for next year.

Block prepped and ready for repairs.

Now, hopefully, it’s good as new.

Our 2013 season is over and before you know it, we will be focused on the holidays.  We have one more important event coming up in December when we will be attending the PRI, then we can put racing on the back burner for a few months.  It has been a fun season, all things considered, and we have many people to thank for it.  In no particular order, we want to express our appreciation to the following list of companies and individuals:

• Straight Line Design, for building us a great funny car chassis, ,
• Diamond Pistons, Trend Performance, Total Flow, Rody Crankshaft, Champion Performance, Kinsler Fuel Injection, Q.C Coatings, Hoosier Racing Tire, Moroso, RJS Racing Equipment, Simpson Race Products,
• Uncle Earl’s Hand Healing soap for clean hands, sponsor support and hosting a great website.
• Mjolnir Course Construction and Par-Tech, Inc, for sponsorship and support.
• Steve Plague, for a great paint job and T-shirt design.
• The Graphic Wizard – for printing our T-shirts and great service.
• The NDRL – for welcoming us into your league and being such a great group of racers to hang out with.
• Last but not least, Roger and Rachal Day – for crewing with us and being great friends.  We couldn’t have done this without you.

We’ll try to keep you posted on our progress as we rebuild Susie Q over the winter and be sure to check back in the spring for our 2014 race schedule.  We also want to thank all our loyal fans.  You make our racing adventures even more fun. 

Susie Q

Photos by Dave Rochelreau, Angry Spider Photography

Susie Q before the damage was done.

Monkey Business

Nick Tillie in The Shyster.

Tim Steven’s Front Engine Dragster with Bill Hallett at the wheel.

Steve Timosyzk's Parts Pedal.

Sept 22, 2013

News Flash
Change in Schedule

We regret that we won’t make the NDRL Fall Finals in Bowling Green KY.  Unfortunately, Steve’s mom, who is 96, hurt her hip and we have decided it will be best if we stick close to home.  It works out that our local track Milan Dragway, is hosting the Nostalgia Drags on September 28th, so we plan to attend that instead. 

Repairs to the motor have not gone as quickly as hoped either.  In our last post, we reported that the crankshaft broke during the race at Edgewater.  Steve has put many hours into getting the Susie Q fixed so we could finish the season.  The block was damaged but repairable, so we took it to Bill Reichert’s in Owosso, MI.  It took a while find a crank that would work, then it had to go to one shop to be ground and another to be balanced.  That process took a little longer than we had hoped but at least everything fits and the motor is back together. 

We hope to get the car put back together and to the track one last time this season.  We hate missing the NDRL race in Bowling Green.  The upside is that we will probably see lots of our local friends at Milan next weekend.  Stay tuned, the season isn’t over yet.

A special thanks go out to:
Roger Day for lending a helping hand on and off the track.
Reichert’s for fixing our block
Ronnie Robinson for helping us track down the crankshaft
Greg @ Rody Crankshaft in Plymouth, MI
John Lombardi for assisting in logistics

Before:  The broken crank.

After: New crankshaft installed.

Susie Q

August 2013

Hot August Nights
Edgewater Park, Cleves, OH
Aug 23 & 24

THE GOOD: the weather, the fans, the NDRL folks, and qualifying 3rd with 7.03.
THE BAD: poor track conditions, timing system problems, and lack of customer service from the track operators.
THE UGLY: a broken blower belt, and worse, broken crankshaft.

Steve, Roger, and I, arrived at Edgewater Park Friday afternoon, ready for our 4th NDRL race, Hot August Nights sponsored by Alkydigger.com. . Once we finally got parked, it was time to get the car out and ready for a pass. The weather was a little hotter than expected, about 85 and humid, but not too bad. We were scheduled to make one qualifying pass at around 8:30 pm, then a second late afternoon on Saturday with eliminations starting shortly after. We haven't done a lot of night racing so we were more attentive checking things out. There was very little lighting at the far end of the track but plenty of shut down so we didn't think that would be a problem. Friday night was a regular test and tune for the local racers and a few of the NDRL cars attempted to make a test pass before qualifying. It soon became clear that the track prep wasn't suitable for our high-powered NDRL cars and the track operators were not going to fix it. Unfortunately, Friday night qualifying was cancelled.

Now, we just had one shot at qualifying on Saturday. Not a good situation at a track we have never raced on, but everyone else was in the same boat. They had put some extra spray on the track so it was a little better than the night before. Fortunately, we made a nice pass, running 7.03 seconds. This put us 3rd out of 10 cars in our 7.00 Pro class.

Move the clock ahead a couple of hours and it was time for 1st round of eliminations. I was paired with Larry Harlan in his Bad Anglia, the same opponent I had first round at Norwalk. I managed to get the win then and hoped to do it again. I've been working on my reaction time and it finally paid off. We had identical reaction times, and I was ahead by the 60 ft, but shortly after that there was a loud bang and the engine just quit. Larry must have been out of it too, but he was still running. Once he realized I was slowing down, he drove past me and got the win. I coasted off the track, not sure what had happened. When the guys showed up on the golf cart and put the body up, there was the broken blower belt. We towed back in the pits and Steve tried to turn the motor over by hand. It turned at first but then seized. Something was very wrong.

Meanwhile, there were plenty of cars going down track. It was the Bracket Finals for the local racers and the UMTR(United Manual Transmission Racers) were there as well. Next round of the NDRL race continued without us but problems were brewing for everyone. The sun was down and the track conditions were deteriorating. To make matters worse, the timing system starting acting up. The times were wrong, showing some winners as losers, and some loser as winners. This, of course, caused a lot of tension and confusion among the racers. In the end, the NDRL threw in the towel and called the race without running the rest of eliminations.

Local fans Scott and Kateri- "Thanks for your support!"		Roger and Steve checking out the motor.
Broken blower belt.		Ready for the ride home.

We're home now and spent a whole day taking things apart. Still assessing the total damage but confirmed that the crankshaft is broken. It's going to need two new pistons and two new rods for sure, plus the #2 main saddle needs repair.

Maybe, just maybe, we will have it all back together in time for our last race of the season. That's just a month away, September 28 & 29 at Beech Bend Raceway in Bowling Green, KY. We'll be working on it.

Susie Q

Bonneville Speed Week
Aug 9-15, 2003

Nineteen years ago, in August, Steve and I were married and our honeymoon was a trip to the Bonneville Salt Flats.  Obviously racing was going to be a big part of our life together.  Our anniversary usually falls during Speed Week and for many years we celebrated it at the Salt Flats.  During those years, we were part of the Doll Fox Christophersen Team, racing the 757 Camaro, setting numerous records and putting 6 team members, including Steve and I, in the Bonneville 200 MPH Club.

The Camaro was sold in 2004, so in recent years we’ve satisfied our need for speed with drag racing.  It had been 9 years since I was on the Salt and we decided it was time to go back.  The plan was to just hang out with some of the teams we know, including the Jack Roger’s team, who now owns the 757 Camaro, along with 3 other land speed race cars.

This is the car Steve and I raced back when it was the Doll Fox Christophersen Camaro.

The week went by fast and it was such fun to reunite with our “Salty” friends.  We spent time at the starting line but mostly we kept keep busy in Jack’s pits.  It was a ways off, but we could see the cars going by on the long course from where we were.  As the cars would speed by under power and pull the chute, that special sound would drift across the Salt.  There were plenty of fast cars there, but also more than the usual spins, and few wrecks.  As far as we know, none of the drivers were seriously injured. 

This could have been the end of my story but there’s more.  Pitted next to us, was a team representing Utah State University College of Engineering.  The intended driver, Michael Morgan, is a biochemistry student hoping set the Land Speed record in one of Diesel Streamliner classes.  His plan was to run the streamliner first on regular diesel fuel, then on some experimental biorenewable diesel fuel they are developing at the University to see how it compared.  After all, the Salt Flats is often referred to as the world’s biggest dyno .

Unfortunately for Mike, on Monday, he cut his hand quite seriously while working in the pits which put an end to his driving..  The next day Mike and his dad were back on the Salt.  Mike’s hand was in bandages but he wasn’t giving up.  They asked if I would be willing to drive for Mike.  It seems I was the only one in our group that could fit in the car plus I had previous driving experience.  I accepted the offer to take over the driving duties for this streamliner with a 836 cc V-twin diesel engine and a 5 speed transmission from a motorcycle.  We were going to try and break the record in our class, I/DS, by go over 73 mph.  Keep in mind that my previous driving experience at the Salt was well over 200 mph.  This was going to be fun.

This is the diesel streamliner that I drove to record speeds at the Salt Flats this year.

I had to borrow Mikes fire suit and helmet and it took some work to modifying the seat and make adjustments to the pedals.  Once we completed the necessary paperwork and tech inspection for the new driver, we were ready to go.  Steve hand pushed me off the starting line and I shifted into 1st and way I went.  The Salt was rough and the little tires got a workout.  I was into high gear before the one mile and just past the 3mile I turn out and coasted to a stop.  I’m used to reaching the finish line in 7 seconds; three miles at a little over 70 mph seem to take forever! I made three passes over the record and the last one with the biofuel in the tank was the fastest of all – 73.9 mph.  We had a blast and Mike and his dad got the data they needed for week.  We had to fly home on Thursday so were not able to back up the record and put it in the books.  That’s going to be Mike’s job when he returns to the Salt for the meet in October. 

Here are links to Mike’s blog and information about the biodiesel project at Utah State University.

Next stop; Hot August Nights on August 23 & 24 at Edgewater Park in Cleves, OH.  Come on out and watch us race.

Susie Q

Photos from the Salt

Sunrise on the Salt.		Sunrise in impound. Getting ready for the return run.
Salty Penguins, you never know what you will see out here.		68 Camaro at the starting line.
Salty Roadster.		Salty Edsel.
Vesco’s  streamliner.		Speed Demon set fast time of the meet – 443 mph.

News Flash

Our new T-shirts have arrived!  We have them in black and white, and in a variety of sizes, including ladies and youth.  Thanks to Steve Plague for doing this cool art work and the Graphic Wizard, in Clarkston MI, for doing the shirts.

July 19-21, 2013

NDRL Summer Jam at the Blue Sued Cruise
Summit Motorsports Park, Norwalk, OH

We started out for Norwalk, OH on Thursday morning and about 75 miles from home ran into some big trouble. A rear tire on our motor home blew out and put us on the side of the road. The shrapnel from the tire destroyed the wiring and did unbelievable damage. Several hours and $790 later, we had a spare tire installed and made our way back home.

Waiting for a spare tire.

Could have been worse, but this is bad.

We parked the motor home and began unloading everything. This was a race we didn't want to miss. For one thing, my son Derek and his family were planning to meet us at the track. They were coming from New Jersey and planned to camp out with us for the weekend. The grandkids don't get to come to many races so we really wanted to be there. It took us a while but we managed to unload all the clothes and pack the food into cooler. Our friends Roger and Rachel, were right there with us, helping us regroup and providing moral support. We found a couple hotel rooms so we hooked up the trailer to the Suburban and at 6:00 am Friday morning, we were on our way again,

The weather was hot and steamy and we didn't run as fast as we had hoped. It rained hard Friday night and then again on Saturday afternoon, ending our hopes for a final qualifying run. There were 12 cars in our 7.00 Pro class and I ended up qualified 7th.

Sunday brought better weather and a first round win in eliminations, against Larry Carley, in his beautiful Bad Anglia. Unfortunately, I had to go up against Robby Freels, in his blue canopied altered in second round. My starting line performance was way off and I gave it away at the launch. Steve and Roger worked so hard to give me a good car this weekend and I wished I could have gotten another round win. Still, overall, was a fun weekend. We had our friends and family around to enjoy it with us, not to mention the Saturday night. concert by Jay and the Americans, followed by a fabulous fireworks display.

Thank you to Amy and Troy for providing a place cool to change and use of their microwave; the Halletts for use of their fridge and grill; for the friendly support of the whole NDRL family; and last but not least, the Bader Family and the whole crew at Summit Motorsports Park for putting on a great event.

Saturday night Fireworks above the track.

Susie Q

June 13-15, 2013

11th Annual NHRA Motorsports Museum Holley Hot Rod Reunion
Beech Bend Raceway
Bowling Green, KY

This was our first time attending the National Hot Rod Reunion although we had been hearing about it for years. We came down early to make sure we could park with the rest of our NDRL group. There was an amazing turnout for this event and we had 19 cars racing in our 7.0 Pro class. The first day it was 96 degrees, quite a change from our Michigan weather which had been cool and rainy for the past week. Thank goodness it cooled down to the 80s by the time we had to race.

We were to get one qualifying run on Thursday and two on Friday, with eliminations on Saturday. On my first pass, the car in from of me broke and put oil on the track. I had a long hot wait in the car while they cleaned the track. Not sure they got it all because when I took off, the car went for the wall shortly after the 60 ft so I had to lift. It was a good launch but we wouldn't get much data from that run.

The weather was pretty good on Friday and we lined up for our first run of the day. I completed my burnout and accidentally hit the ignition kill switch while putting it in reverse. Another run lost. We now had only one more chance at qualifying and getting a handle on what kind of tune up we would need for race day. We were scheduled to run at 3 but got pushed back several hours while they ran the top fuelers, nitro funny cars, and jet cars. Finally, at the end of the day, it was time for our class to run. We needed this run if we were going to get our tune up for race day. As they say, third time's a charm. I went straight down the track and pulled the chutes. It was a good run but only a 7.28, so there was a lot of room for improvement.

Saturday was race day and eliminations started at 9 am. The 7.0 class was later on the schedule so we had some time. I was qualified 12th, pairing me against Ronny Robinson's Mechanical Bull, a pretty yellow altered with a blown alcohol hemi. It was going to be a tough match but I was prepared to give him a race. He got a head start at the launch and ran a 7.008 to my 7.05, putting an end to our race day early. With as little run data as I had given them, Steve and Roger did a great job tuning us in. We just need to figure out how to get that '57 Chevy to leave the starting line a whole lot faster. Hopefully we will have that figured out by our next race.

We're heading home. It's been a long weekend but we had fun and met a lot of great people. I'm heading out to Seattle to visit family and spend some precious time with my Dad. We'll be back at the races in a few weeks, going to the Blue Suede Cruise at Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, OH. July 19-21.

Come on out and see us.

Susie Q

SUSIE Q'S WEEKEND SCRAPBOOK

May 25-26, 2013

NDRL Spring Drags
Bowling Green, KY

Strapping in for the run.

We left Michigan in the rain on Thursday and came home in the rain on Memorial Day, but fortunately we had absolutely gorgeous weather for our race at Beech Bend. We arrived in the middle of the night, parked our rig and got some sleep after a nine hour drive.  Friday was test and tune, so we made a couple of passes just to get a feel for the track.  We ran 7.01 right out of the trailer, which impressed a few people, including us.  We are running in the 7.0 class and that was just what we needed.  Saturday was qualifying and my first pass was too fast with a 6.96 at 194.44 mph, so we tried to slow it down.  For the second pass, I got a little anxious and shifted into 2nd early and only ran a 7.18, but that was good enough to qualify us 4th.

On Sunday, I was paired up with Jeff Sanborn in his beautiful “stealth” front engine dragster for first round. He must have wanted to get a jump on me at the start and red lit, giving me my first round win of the season.
For round two, I had Robbie “Rocketman” Freels in his canopied altered.  He had just won the Jegs Super Quick the night before so I knew he was going to be tough.  It was a good race but he won it with a 7.01 to my 7.04.  Still, we ended up 3rd in points for the weekend.  Not bad for our first bracket race in the funny car.
Our friends Roger and Rachel Day, came with us this weekend.  We love having Roger helping out with the car and the tuning, and what great results.  Rachael volunteered to cook for the weekend, and we never ate so good.  Thanks Rachael!  You can come along any time.

We get a lot of visitors in the pits during the weekend. This family seemed to be having as much fun as we were.  This little gal even got to dress up in my race gear.  I think she will have to grow into it but I bet she will remember this.

We want to thank the NDRL for letting us come out and race with them.  What a wonderful, friendly group of people.  This is going to be fun.  And in just a few weeks we will be heading back to Bowling Green, KY, for the Holley National Hot Rod Reunion.  Can’t wait.

Susie Q

May 5, 2013

Cinco de Mayo

Not everyone gets to drive a funny car on their Birthday. My husband made a point of that as we drove to the track for a test session that morning. And what better way to celebrate than to set a fast time of 6.96 at 198.95 mph. It's my personal best to date and confirms that the car and driver are ready for our first race.

Meet our newest crew member, Roger, a longtime friend and accomplished drag racer himself. There's a lot to do when we take this funny car to the track and we really appreciate his help.

Detroit Dragway Reunion IV
Saturday, May 11, 2013

There was a big turn out for the Detroit Dragway Reunion at Milan Dragway, in spite of it being a cold windy day. It felt more like October than May, but that didn't stop the cars or the fans from showing up. The funny cars were finally called to the line mid afternoon. We were the second pair following the Shyster, a '78 Corvette, driven by Nick Tilley and Blue Thunder, a '69 Camaro Z-28, driven by Monty Stotz. The Susie Q lined up against The Damn Yankee, a 1977 Chevy Vega, driven by Mark Horvath. He left first, but I caught him just before the finish line and took the win light. It was a fast run, probably close to 7.00 seconds, but certainly not a 5.89, which is what was announced. That sure got the spectators excited and the the time slip will be a collectors item . We never made a second pass, as planned, because the rain finally came and ended the race.

Shyster vs. Blue Thunder	Susie Q vs. Damn Yankee
Damn Yankee smokin the tires	New on the scene, Diesel Dave's Pure Insanity
Above Photos by Mike Grosso
Our newest sponsor and Honorary Pit Crew Member, Dave Parker.	Lily and Grayce, a couple of sweet young ladies who stopped by our pits for an autograph. Aspiring race car drivers perhaps?

Next stop, Beach Bend in Bowling Green Kentucky, May 24-25, for our first NDRL race of the season. Check back soon for results.

Susie Q

April 2013

Uncle Earls Renews Sponsorship for 2013

We are excited to announce that Uncle Earls has renewed their sponsorship once again for 2013.  The people at Uncle Earls are wonderful to work with and they have been great supporters of our Susie Q Team.  It only makes it better that we love their products and really enjoy promoting their soap.  We use Uncle Earls both at home and at the track.  Find us at the track and you will find Uncle Earls. 

Uncle Earl's Hand Healing Soap is made of all-natural ingredients that remove even the toughest dirt while softening your skin.  It comes in bar, liquid and foam.  Check it out at uncle-earls.com.

Throttle Gals Magazine Features Susie Q

Doni Langdon, Publisher and Head Chick in Charge of this unique publication, collects stories about women who drive,  race, and wrench on vehicles that are “hers”.  Issue 6 was just printed and it’s an honor to be included.  The article came out great, but it’s the photos, taken by Doni’s friend Ed Ungerman that really make it stand out.  Check out the website at throttlegals.com.

Christophersen Racing Featured in Car Craft Magazine

Check out the June issue of Car Craft Magazine, at the newsstands now.  Our shop is featured in “This Guy’s Garage” on page 52.  It all started out as a casual visit from a friend of ours, Todd Ryden, He liked what he saw when Steve showed him around the shop and asked if he could do a piece for a magazine.  Why not?  Thanks, Todd, for putting us in print.

Uncle Earls Cleans Up at Local Garden Show

In mid-March, the Taylor Garden Club puts on a program called Growing Great Garden.  If you’re a gardener, and I am, it is a wonderful way to catch spring fever.  The program includes some very informative seminars, guest speakers, and a well-attended Marketplace.  My friend Mandie and I rented a table and set up our wares of Uncle Earl’s Soap.  We had customers all day and based on sales, there will be many happy gardeners enjoying softer, healthier hands this summer.

February 2013

2013 Pre-Season Report

If you are addicted to drag racing and live in Michigan, winter always seems to last too long.  For race teams that live further south, or are willing to travel great distances, the 2013 race season has already begun.  In fact the first NHRA race is taking place this weekend in Pomona, CA.  Unfortunately, our season doesn’t start until April.

It’s not as though we haven’t had plenty to do during the off season.  After taking time out to enjoy the holidays with friends and family, we turned our attention to preparing for 2013 race season.  We’ve been shopping for a bigger tow vehicle and motor home and finally found what we were looking for; a Gulf Stream.  It’s short, 34 ft., with 15,000 lb. towing capacity.  However, it was in Phoenix.  Going somewhere warm in the middle of winter wasn’t a hard decision, so we hopped a plane, spent a few days finishing the deal, visited friends and relatives, then headed for home, via Rt. 66.  Driving a motor home cross-country in January is a risky thing to do but somehow it all worked out.  There was a four-day break in the weather and we made the entire trip without getting into any snow or ice, and more importantly, road salt.

With opening day about six weeks away, it’s time to really get down to business and finish all those race car projects that have been lingering all winter.  The blown alcohol hemi is getting a teardown and will get some new parts like bearings, rods, piston rings, and anything else that shows much wear and tear.  Since the car was practically rebuilt last summer there are just a few things that need attention.  The Susie Q has all new brakes and I am looking forward to experiencing greatly improved stopping performance.

Our 2013 schedule is starting to take shape.  Racing with the NDRL (Nostalgia Drag Racing League) will be a new experience and something to look forward to.  Check back soon for more news about sponsors and upcoming events.

Susie Q