2005 news

22nd October 2005

30th August 2005

We have had three days of championship drag racing action at Shakespeare County Raceway.  There has been top fuel, pro mods and full fields of sportsman and bike classes, it has been a brilliant weekend's racing.  For Firestorm it has been a hectic weekend, we finally got the rebuilt engine back into the chassis on Wednesday night, in time to get everything packed up for the weekends racing.  This had unfortunately left no time for testing, so Saturdays run we had forewarned every one that it was going to be a shake down pass, but on starting the car and going through a number of checks on the line we were confident that everything was back as good if not better than before.  Roger put on a good flame and thunder show and followed it up with a good strong run straight out the back door in 6.285 at 252.27!  Not bad for a checkout pass!

Sunday and Monday were both excellent days racing with Firestorm putting on two Flame and Thunder shows each day, the quickest run over the weekend was on Sunday at 254.29/6.297.

This was a fantastic weekend, we had great weather right through, not too much down time and some fantastic racing with a large number of track records being set in all classes.  For full details of the event go to www.eurodragster.com where you will find full race reports and pictures courtesy of our good friends Tog and Sharkman.

18th August 2005

Good news for everyone, after a few weeks hard work, all work is now complete and Firestorm's engine is back in one piece again. The work took longer than we anticipated because the broken shaft had damaged other parts.  We had to completely strip the motor to replace the bevel gears that drive the accessory gearbox and when I tell you this is a complete strip down I am not exaggerating, nor can it be done in the same time as you can strip a V8!  We are all looking forward to a fantastic bank holiday weekend at Shakespeare County Raceway when we attend the Custom Car Magazine Allstar Nationals, 27th to 29th August 2005.

I have added a couple more photo's from the last meeting at York which have amused us all!  Thanks Gary for showing what we crew go through on the startline! (Lady with the wild hair).

27th July 2005

Apologies to Firestorm fans for not being able to appear at York Raceway this weekend.  While testing new parts on Friday a splined shaft in the accessory gearbox broke and sidelined us until a replacement can be fitted.  We will be working on Firestorm this weekend and I will report back later on how it all went.  Once again, we are very sorry to have let anyone down.

21st July 2005

Life has been pretty hectic over the last month which is why there has been a sad lack of updates on Firestorm's website.  Just to catch up we were at Shakespeare County Raceway for the NSRA Nostalgia Nationals on the 2nd and 3rd July, this is a great family weekend with lots of American Muscle and Nostalgia Cars.  It was again a scorching hot weekend with lots of on track action throughout both days.  We had a brilliant weekend, Firestorm ran four times and was pretty strong considering the weather conditions.

Roger was then in hospital for some minor surgery on a dodgy knee, this all went really well.  We were expecting to have to take a few weeks off but by the following weekend Roger was fit enough to take Firestorm up to York Raceway for the Northern Sportsman Nationals on the 17th July.  York Raceway was well attended and a good time was had by all - ourselves included.

We have an additional date on the calendar and Firestorm will be going back to York Raceway on 6th and 7th August for the UK Northern Nationals and will be running both days.

27th June 2005

Here is a somewhat late but huge thank you to Specialised Shipping Services.

Last year when we needed to import our new tow vehicle from Florida we were impressed by the comments we had heard about Specialised Shipping Services. We called Peter Jordon, told him we had purchased a Silverado pick up truck and needed to get it to England in double quick time. To say this company bent over backwards to help us is a huge understatement, they liaised with the dealer, they handled the shipping, the paperwork, customs and all the "incidentals" (that often catch out the unwary). Once the vehicle arrived in England they altered the lights and other equipment to make it legal in this Country and did the SVA test and registered it for us. All for a price that you could not match if you did it yourself.

Specialised Shipping Services will handle anything, import or export, they ship race cars all over the world for all kinds of teams. If you just want the shipping organised or if you want your purchase delivered to your door all finished ready to turn the key, its all no problem for Specialised Shipping Services. They will even do their best to source your vehicle if you cannot find it yourself.

It is no surprise that when we purchased a new trailer in the USA for Firestorm the first call we made was to Specialised Shipping Services.  Always on the ball we had a call the following day with a price for shipping and everything else to ensure that we could drive to Southampton docks, hook up the trailer and drive home!  That of course is exactly what we did.  All the paperwork was correct and on time, no fuss, no drama, just a really good company to work with.

That, however, cannot be said for the Company that we purchased the trailer from!  They were late with the completion of the trailer, late getting it ready for shipping, late with the paperwork and in fact late with everything.  Peter and Janice from Specialised Shipping Services were soon on the case and sorted it out but it meant that for the first races of the season we had to hire a trailer to transport Firestorm to the track. All this aside, we are delighted with the trailer and Specialised Shipping Services and recommend them for any shipping, to and from anywhere in the world. Check out their website www.specialised-shipping.co.uk or call 01483 489655/489246, tell 'em we sent you!  They can also be contacted by e-mail on info@specialised-shipping.co.uk.

Another Company that deserves a big thank you is LA Racing parts.  We have purchased many parts from them and again always on time at the right price.

When we needed specialist towing equipment for the new trailer the first phone call was to LA Racing parts, Lee confirmed price and delivery date for our parts straight away (before I'd put the phone down).  Yet again, no drama, no fuss, parts on time and at the right price, contact them on 01803 554308 or by e-mail info@laracingparts.com, you can also check out the website at www.laracingparts.com.

22nd June 2005

As most of you will know this weekend has been an absolute scorcher here in the UK and we were sweating it out down at Shakespeare County Raceway for the Shakespeare Nationals with temperatures soaring up to 90 degree's.  There was great turnout from both racers and race fans and despite the heat National Records and track records fell and personal bests were beaten by many of the racers.  We have to admit that Firestorm struggled with the heat as much as we did and we had to alter our settings quite considerably to compensate for it.  We had four runs over the weekend of which the best run was on Saturday at 252.30mph in 6.419 seconds.  Darryl Bradford in the Wright Racing Top Fuel Dragster did a pretty impressive Flame show, but not quite as good as Firestorm's - you can catch up with all this news and see the photo's on Eurodragster.com.

We are being asked more and more by jet fans both at race meetings and by e-mail why they never see us at Santa Pod.  The reason for this is very simple, Jet Cars are one of the classes of car that generally appear by invitation from the event organisers.  It is not in any ones interest that we just turn up and run whether that be Santa Pod or indeed any where else.  We have been in contact with Santa Pod on different occasions but have not managed to secure an invitation so far, we will keep trying and hopefully will be able to take Firestorm down the famous Santa Pod quarter mile in the future.

31st May 2005

Firestorm and team have had an absolutely brilliant weekend down at Shakespeare County Raceway over the bank holiday weekend.  This weekend was the 2nd MRC Rotorstock, there were some serious cars at the event which took part in the Run What Ya Brung and the Jap Racer Series, with cars running the quarter mile in 9 seconds - pretty stout in anyone's book!  On Sunday, on the first run  Roger ran a new personal best in Firestorm of 255.48 mph in 6.23 seconds which was a fantastic start to what was to be a phenomenal weekend!  We had been joined this weekend by two other Jet Car teams, Mark Newby and Colin Fallows were at the event with the UK Land Speed Record car Split Second and Ian Caseley was there with Road Zombie II.  We all had two runs through out the first day, Roadzombie II ran a forceful looking 6.910 at 229.02 mph this was followed by Split Second's first run on the drag strip since doing the Land Speed Record and it ran a respectable 223.52 in 7.101 seconds.  It was a fantastic day, enjoyed by everyone at the track and the many Jap Car enthusiasts and drag race fans who were in attendance.

Monday was a bright day, with a little rain first thing in the morning which quickly passed and left us with excellent weather for the days drag racing.  We were in for a treat today as this was going to be the first time we had run side by side with another Jet Car.  Firestorm and Split Second were to go head to head on the start line for the first time, this put us in some pretty stiff company as ex Alcohol Funny Car Driver Mark Newby was the UK Land Speed Record Holder before team mate Colin Fallows took it back!  This showed through on the 1st run when Mark left Roj in the lights, not to be outdone Roj left Mark in the lights on the 2nd run!  Roger was more than happy to run alongside Mark in Split Second as in Rogers words "Mark is a very experienced and professional driver, you can rely on him to do what he says he is going to do".  Firestorm and Split Second put on an exceptional flame and thunder show together, for me personally (Helen) I have never seen anything like it and to be stood in the middle of two Jet Cars doing their utmost to outdo each other on the line was a phenomenal experience not to be forgotten or outdone easily!  It was very difficult not to get too carried away with the fire show, Split Second holds the advantage on us there in that they can carry a massive amount of fuel because the car was built for the Land Speed Record attempt, after the second run there were just fumes left in the fuel tanks of Firestorm, it was that close!

Take a look at the photographs of Firestorm and Split Second in the Picture Gallery, if you have any pictures please do not hesitate to e-mail them to us we would be very grateful.  We also have some video footage which I will do my best to edit and post on the website soon.

I think to sum up for this last weekend, we had a brilliant start with the new personal best, then running the two cars together was the most astonishing and exciting thing I have ever seen - it just doesn't get any better than this!  Thanks to everyone for helping to make this happen.

17th May 2005

Shakespeare County Raceway welcomed Firestorm for the 2nd American Car World Nationals, we were there on Friday evening in time for a gourmet meal served up by yours truly (Helen) in our 'Firetruck' followed by a few bevvies in the on site bar!  We were up early on Saturday to unload Firestorm ready for what was promising to be a great weekend at SCR, the pits were full to the brim with some pretty fit looking cars and plenty of great American Muscle Cars, everyone was in for a treat!

Saturday was bright blue skies but a very blustery day, we all had a great days racing but with the strength of the wind we had to keep our passes to an 1/8 mile.  We still put on a good strong flame and thunder show for all the fans but we have to say that we always feel a little short changed when we don't put in full passes, fingers were definitely crossed for a calmer day on Sunday.  On the subject of our fireshow, we have been asked by a number of Firestorm fans why we no longer do the full flame and thunder show which includes afterburner pops, we have been asked by the organisers at SCR not to do afterburner pops to try to keep the noise level down. 

Sunday was a fantastic day, the sun shone all day and there wasn't a breath of wind, we did two shows during the afternoon, Firestorm was running really strong at 6.3 seconds 253 mph, with another personal best of 191.53 in the 1/8th!  All in all a really good weekend was had by all!

Latest news on Colin Fallow's land speed record attempt aren't good I'm afraid, the team had been plagued by problems from the start which culminated in the attempt being abandoned which is a great shame after all the time, money and effort that was put into the attempt. 

You can click on the two links below for all news on their attempt at the record.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4524411.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4526241.stm

2nd May 2005

We were back down at Shakespeare County Raceway for the Ford & Vauxhall weekend.  We woke on Saturday morning to the sound of heavy rain but by early afternoon the sun was shining and we were all very warm, particularly Roger once he was suited and sat in Firestorm!  We had two runs on Saturday, both were respectable passes in 6.3 seconds, one at 253mph and the other at 252 mph.  Sunday was another good day weather wise, Firestorm was down to do two runs, this was reduced down to one run when a Top Fuel Dragster launched and had a massive engine explosion causing fuel, oil and parts of the motor to be spread over both lanes, at this point it was too near to the curfew to enable a full clean up to take place.  We were hopeful for 3 runs for Monday to make up for it, the second run we made was an all time personal best of 254.22 mph in 6.29 seconds - the day up to this point had been lovely bright sunny day, as we got to the top end of the track to tow Firestorm back to the pits the heavens opened on us - it was that close.  Unfortunately the weather did not then pick up and we had a couple more heavy down pours which curtailed the meeting.  This was a shame for everyone who had made it to Shakespeare for this entertaining weekend but at least we had finished it on a high!

Life in the Firestorm pit was really comfortable, living out of the 7.5 tonne Ford Cargo has certainly made a big difference and in conjunction with our new trailer we were well and truly spoilt rotten!

This weekend was the first full weekend for new crew member Stuart Every.  Stuart has been with us for two previous meetings mainly observing but this last weekend he was thrown in at the deep end and coped admirably with all that was asked of him.

Our other crew member Colin Fallows is currently away in America attempting a Land Speed Record with his electric powered streamliner.  Good luck Colin.  There is an update on the teams attempt at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4513529.stm.

29th April 2005

This week has been a busy and exciting week for the Firestorm team, we have finally taken delivery of our new Haulmark trailer.  The trailer is everything and more than we expected and will help to make life very comfortable at the race track.  I have taken some pictures of the new trailer which you can find in the photo gallery.  We had a lot of help and are extremely grateful to Peter & Janice from Specialised Shipping Services, this is the second time we have worked with them as they also dealt with the import of our Chevy tow vehicle last year and can recommend them wholeheartedly.  We will be producing a feature on Specialised Shipping in the near future, meanwhile for any shipping requirements please telephone 01483 489655/489246.  They can also be contacted by e-mail on info@specialised-shipping.co.uk or you can look them up on their website www.specialised-shipping.co.uk.

25th April 2004

Firestorm was welcomed at Shakespeare County Raceway for the 3rd Power Nationals.  We had a great weekend which was made particularly comfortable as we have finally managed to get the 7.5 tonne Ford Cargo ex Fire Service Command Unit fitted out and down at SCR, the truck comes complete with kitchen sink, full sized cooker and double bed!  What luxury.

Firestorm had two runs on Saturday which culminated in a new personal best of 253.52mph in 6.34 seconds on the second run - great start to the 2005 season.  Sunday's run was hampered by a stiff cross wind so in the interest of safety Roger shut off really early.  It was a great shame when it started to rain about 3.00 which meant that the meeting was abandoned about 4.00 with no second run for Firestorm.  

All in all for our first meeting of 2005 at Shakespeare County Raceway, we had a great time apart from the disappointment of the rain off late on Sunday - thanks to everyone involved.

4th April 2005

We have had a very hectic few weeks finishing all the pre-season checks to Firestorm and Roger was still working on Firestorm until late on Friday night.  We also had another small problem to overcome, the trailer which we had ordered in October from the States had still not arrived.  This is a bit of a pain because we don't only transport the car in the trailer, we use the trailer during the meeting for storing the many items that we bring to the meetings and we also use it for shelter.  On a March day at York Dragway a bit of shelter comes in handy!  Anyway, we hired an open trailer to transport the car, and were kindly supplied with tea and coffee from the MEC Catering van, BIG thanks to Mick! 

We arrived at a very wet York Dragway for the VW/Mini Showdown on quite a cold and overcast Sunday Morning but in true York Dragway fashion, racing started on time with a full field of Street Cars.  It turned into a disappointing day for Firestorm and the team as we were unable to do any runs due to excessive water on the track, in the 1/8 mile at York Dragway Firestorm would reach 190 mph and there was not enough traction to be able to do this safely.  However, not wanting to disappoint all the racing fans we started Firestorm and put on two flame and thunder shows during the afternoon. 

The weather was not kind over Sunday night and it rained, Monday was quite a chilly day and the track did not dry sufficiently for us to do any runs again.  We again decided to put on the flame and thunder show, Roger wanted to give that little bit more on this show and picked the revs up to try some afterburner pops, Firestorm promptly did a sideward step towards the crash barrier, not good!  However, all that aside it has been a brilliant weekend at York Dragway, thanks to all the hardworking crew at York Dragway for all their efforts to put on a great meeting and keep the cars on track whatever the weather.

22nd March 2005

Hello everyone, yes we are still here!  Sorry for the lack of updates recently but we had a major computer failure just after the last update and had to get a new Hard Drive for the computer.  We have finally got everything back up and running and retrieved what we could from the last backup but we had lost quite a lot of information including the most recent website file!  Anyway, here we are again, so please let me know if anything is not working right on the website, any broken links etc and I will get them fixed.  One thing we have lost is the address book and the e-mails, so to everyone who sent us e-mails over Christmas that we haven't responded to, that's why - its all gone!

So, what's been happening in the Firestorm camp since 2nd Jan, well it is certainly busy, I'm not sure why I look forward to the 'off-season' time, with a thought that we can have some rest, because it just doesn't work out that way.  Roger is still working in the workshop on Firestorm doing full system checks and overhauling and refurbishing parts where necessary.  We have also been working on the Ford Cargo that we have been promising ourselves for the last 3 years, we are making it into living quarters to make life easier as we spend quite a lot of time away from home during the season.  It has had a full sized kitchen, a seating area and a bed installed - what luxury. 

Also, we are pleased to announce that we have a new crew member for 2005, Stuart Every will be joining us.  To those of you who are regulars at Shakespeare County Raceway I am sure you will have met Stuart whilst he has been working in the pits as one of the unsung hero's of dragracing.  Welcome to the Firestorm team Stuart!

More news on the plight of Trevor Duckworth (see the news item below), the appeal fund has now been closed as we believe the insurer's have now stepped in to help.

We still have the Party Tent for sale should anyone out there want a complete awning style cover for the paddock (see all the details on the Notice Board).

2nd January 2005

Happy New Year to one and all!  We hope you have all had a good Christmas and New Year and are beginning to get over all the excess eating, drinking, sleeping and TV watching! 

Before we carry on with the Firestorm News we need to mention the fund which has been started for Trevor Duckworth, organiser for Straightliners events.  Trevor has been charged with manslaughter after a fatal accident during a sprint at Port Erin, Isle of Man, earlier this year.  "As Trevor was Clerk of the Course the buck has stopped with him", says Shaun Walker.  "It certainly could have much wider implications throughout the country on anyone taking the responsibility of organising a sporting event.  The other problem I foresee is that if a case goes against the accused there would no doubt be a civil case started, with the usual huge financial penalty to follow if it succeeds.  The trouble is that this is a sport mainly run by enthusiasts and they simply cannot afford to suffer these losses, never mind the mental strain that must go hand in hand with it.  One of the reasons we have brought this to peoples attention is that the legal costs are horrendous.  Trevor's lawyer is good but he is also having to spend a large amount of time on the case, not to mention the fact that Trevor has had to travel back and forth to the IoM like a yo yo to see the police and others.  "There is no way on earth that Trevor can pay his legal bill without jeopardising some part of this life, his job, house etc. so we are trying to raise some money to offset the bill a little". 

If you would like to contribute towards Trevor's legal costs then there are two ways in which you can help:

Cheques made payable to Sarah Quigley, to Sarah Quigley, 1 Botany Lodge, Lower Macclesfield Road, Whaley Bridge, High Peak, SK23 7GE.  Alternately you can use Paypal (with 4% commission) to send contributions to 200@200mph.net.

"It is a bit like investing in your future so if people can give a fiver that's great", says Shaun.  "A tenner would be even better but we realise that not everyone is made of money, and it is Christmas, so wait until the New Year if you want because this will not be over for a few months yet".

You can stay in touch with the latest information on the 200mph forum at www.200mph.org.uk.  (Report by Eurodragster.com).

The Firestorm team has worked with Trevor many times over the last few years, he is a 100% good guy and 'the good of the sport' is his number one priority.  We offer our full support to Trevor and Straightliners and hope that you will all do the same.

Both myself and Roger are already getting on with all the Firestorm winter jobs, as you can see for 2005 the website has had a little facelift, I hope it is still an easy site to use and get around, if you have any problems or if anything is not working right please let me know.

Work is going on in the Firestorm workshop, there is a lot of maintenance to carry out on Firestorm's General Electric J85 motor.  Just a couple of things which come immediately to mind are, changing the main fuel nozzles, bleed door refurbishments, checking compressor and turbine blades etc.

Airbleed doors are just one of the systems that need regular maintenance throughout the year as they become contaminated with rubber and other debris from the track surface.  When this happens the operation of the bleed doors becomes lazy.  This causes problems on the launch and in general make the engine run poor.  These will be completely stripped and refurbished ready for the 2005 season.

Also this winter we are fitting later type main fuel nozzles, the old ones needed refurbishment and resetting so we exchanged them for the later updated nozzles. 

Work is in progress making different parts for the 2005 tune up.  Much testing will be needed for the new combination, but parts fitted in early 2004 gave us good data that we can build on to go faster and quicker in 2005.

Whilst the body is off, the car will be stripped and routine maintenance and checks will be carried out.  4 new tyres are already ordered (yes jet cars do damage and wear out tyres)!!

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