Another day... another rainy day. So what else is new, eh? It's
getting to the point where the forecasts on the TV are referring to it as
"Canadian" weather. (Better start keeping a lower profile and keep my mouth
closed more -- our accents are a dead giveaway -- even though the majority
of people we meet assume we're a couple of Yanks).
Since it's Sunday, Ken opens the shop a little later than normal so there's
no hurry to get going early. Arriving just past 9:00 am, I'm surprised to see
Ken's assistant, Dave arrive shortly after me and ready to start work. Amazing,
as Dave got in from a friend's party shortly before sunrise this morning.
We slowly ease into working gear, standing around Dave's personal project,
his dragster chassis. Up on the jig, it's taking shape as a car again -- purchased
as a two-piece unit (cut up for shipping) and now being grafted together again.
The body panels that came with it look vaguely familiar, then I notice the
extreme lay-down position of the seat. Suddenly it's trivia time as my brain
kicks into gear.
Question: Who was low qualifier in Top Fuel at the 1982 NHRA
Winternationals and who's car was he driving?
Answer: Australia's Jim Read in R.J. Trotter's Don Long chassis dragster.
And here the car sits on Ken's jig, ready to rejoin the drag wars as Dave's
Modified Eliminator car. Really and truly a small world we live in, eh? I'm
not sure of the full history of the car, but do know that Rocky Epperly drove
it at one time, among others, before it was exported to Australia.
All too soon, it's time to quit bench racing and get down to the serious
business of the day; updating the website, adding to the already ten-page
long "To Do" list, planning tomorrow's agenda and spending more time setting
up the Racepak data system. Until tomorrow, or until we have more late-breaking
news to report, that's all from Northern Thunder Downunder. And the
countdown continues....