Photo courtesy of Mike Cornelius
Kent, WA. – Johnny Ahten and the Island Renovations/Combust Filters Team
recorded the top elapsed time and speed of last weekend’s Regional event at
Pacific Raceways in route to their final round appearance. The one thing that
prevented Ahten from winning is a bit of a mystery. Usually it is known how or
why something happened. This time in the final round against CleanBoost Oil
teammate Chris Demke, the one thing became the deciding element. That one thing
you ask? The culprit was cylinder number one. For some unknown reason it
decided to take the final round off. Johnny recorded a runner-up 5.562/259.11
on seven pistons firing to Chris Demke’s 5.320/268.54.
A weary but upbeat Ahten was happy about
the team’s performance but still looking for a reason. “Right after the final
round defeat we went to the pits and looked at everything. We could not find a
reason why cylinder one went out at the hit. We have never lost that particular
cylinder before. We searched high and low for evidence to explain it. We found
nothing. I guess you just have to chalk it up to it being a characteristic of
an A-Fuel car,” said Ahten.
The journey to the finals was filled
with some spectacular speed and excitement. The Ahten Racing team of Crew Chief
Al Ahten, crew members Howard Katano, Kevin Colvell, and Chuck Costabile picked
up right where they left off at the National event two weeks ago. A strong
number three qualifying spot and 5.333 was a good start. In the first round
against Aaron Olivarez, both cars had issues, but Johnny got the win with a
5.584/263.87. Waiting in the next round was the red-hot Shawn Cowie. The Ahten
Racing gang knew they just had to carry on and go fast. Cowie got the advantage
off the line but by half track Johnny caught him and dispatched the
two-in-a-row race winner with a 5.313/268.76 to a losing 5.428/265.01.
The Ahten Racing pits were a bit more crowed
after that run with fans and racers alike congratulating them on the victory
over Cowie. “So many people came by to say hi and congratulate us on the round
win,” said Ahten. “We took down a heavy hitter with that 5.31 and it felt
great. It also meant we had lane choice in the finals against Demke. The
testing and dyno work we did earlier in the year really paid off,” added Ahten.
Going into the final round against the
strong running Demke, Johnny had the confidence of his previous performance and
the advantage of lane choice. He had the faster of the two cars, but the
ominous failure of cylinder one was looming.
After a normal burnout, Johnny backed up and awaited the flash of the
tree. When the lights came down it was Demke getting the advantage and the win
with a 5.320/268.54 over Ahten’s cylindrically challenged 5.562/259.11. The
semi-final victory and final round glory faded all because cylinder one failed
to stay lit. The mystery of why may remain, but the performance of the Stump
Puller and Johnny Ahten is no longer unknown.
…
Island Renovations
understands the complexity of Hawaii's homes and their customers’ needs.
Whether you are looking to build, remodel, or replace your existing windows and
doors, Island Renovations is there to provide outstanding service and products
to give your home added value with the satisfaction and peace of mind from a
company that puts their customers first. Visit us at www.islandrenovations.net
The Combust Filters Oil By-Pass Filtration System provides 3
Micron filtration, 100% Water Removal, Soot Removal, Extended Engine Life,
Pollution Prevention, and Reduced Oil Consumption. By keeping the oil free of
moisture contamination and particulates larger than 3 microns, your engine oil
will have reduced Oxidation, Nitration, while maintaining required oil
viscosity and TBN for proper lubrication. Our system incorporates only the best
technology and quality construction for ease of use and installation. Features
include an easy to read pressure gauge, 2 sizes of spin-on filters (7” and
12”), a push button oil sample valve, and a custom flow fitting to ensure a
continuous proper flow. No internal moving parts to wear out! Visit us at: www.combustfilters.com
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