WORLD FORD CHALLENGE 2007 @ INDy

 

 

The Holm's and Brungard's were at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, Indiana for the 10th Anniversary World Ford Challenge in May 2007.

 

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 make 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 have always spectated but this was the first year we have 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 on of a 1966 Cobra to install in my 1969 Mustang Mach 1.

 

 

Our Optima trailer (L) which we pull with our 2000 Ford F250 diesel (we have pumped this truck up with a Banks Stinger kit, a DiabloSports Predator and an airbag suspension). 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 whole clan is looking forward to the 2008 WFC whether it is in St. Louis or Indy or somewhere else this year.  We purchased a 1990 Ford Mustang LX earlier in 2007 and we'll be racing this car at the WFC this year, too.

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.

 

 

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!