The RPM Magazine/Lucas Oil War In The North presented by VP Fuels and Revs Full Throttle Powersports kicked off RPM Magazine’s race involvement for 2015. Set at the historic St. Thomas Raceway Park, Canada’s oldest purpose built drag strip, the event hosted a wide range of drag race action including bracket and index racing with the PTRA (Pro Tree Racing Association), heads-up outlaw and grudge racing with the Sparta Small Tire Shootout, the event’s own heads-up classes, and of course the fan favorite jet dragster of Lou Pereira and Pyro jet semi truck of Rick Kopp.
The main concern with any outdoor event is always weather and not a single drop of rain fell. In fact, there was barely a cloud in the sky throughout all three days.
While the entire lineup of racing action thrilled fans who started to pack in early Friday, many were there to see the racers from afar which included Boo King and Larry Vinneau settling the call-out by Vinneau in response to King’s open challenge to all comers from any country to race heads-up for a shot at taking his title of Canada’s Fastest Street Car. Pretty bold on King’s part… and wouldn’t it have been interesting if that title had left heir county?
No worries though. It didn’t. While the smaller-than-expected field in the class took some by surprise (many chalked it up to fear of King and Vinneau), quick thinking event staff erged Plate Nitrous cars into Real Street and guaranteed full payouts to make things even more interesting.
Before running heads-up, each car was required to make a 20-mile unescorted cruise around the local highways and city streets, then three qualifying passes in which the start and finish beams had to be broken and sandbagging was strictly monitored. So despite a somewhat disappointing start, fans still witnessed some unbelievable runs on the part of King and Vinneau and some equally unbelievable upsets along the way.
The biggest of those upsets happened in the second round as Vinneau, piloting the freshly redone legendary baby blue Malibu street machine, left a hair too early, turning on the redlight and handing the win to the much slower ’90 Mustang of Bob Turner.
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