TAN Driver Blog - Johnny Ahten - TAD

Well, it’s been way too long since my last blog so I apologize for that. Let me fill everybody in on what’s new. I am actually typing this poolside while my kids are swimming and I must admit I’m bit jealous right now. 

Our last outing was the Regional in Sonoma. It turned out to be way hotter than I wanted, reaching 98 degrees on Saturday. When we arrived to park on Wednesday it was a nice 70 degrees with a slight cloud cover. Thursday stayed about the same with the marine layer keeping it cloudy until around noon. We put the car together and were able to make a half track pass at 4pm. Everything looked great, a nice .931 sixty foot and good numbers to half track. Plus the leak down looked great so we were very happy. The next day we had a bit of a weather change and it wasn’t in our favor. The temp went up and we slowed down with each incremental. We threw some at it for Saturday as it got even hotter and ran basically the same run as the day before. In the last session we tweaked it some more and ran another 5.53 so we knew it was a better run because it was the hottest so far. 

First round paired us with Ray Martin and his blown car was running strong in qualifying. We hopped the Stumppuller up and it was about ten degrees cooler for first round, both helped out. We had him covered all the way to the 1000’ clock which is where we suffered all weekend. We were just too fat on the top end running a 5.41 to his 5.38. Congrats to Martin for making it to the final and congrats to Chris Demke for another win for 801Racing!

The best part of the weekend was that I was able to bring my wife Monica and two boys and stay at the track in the motorhome. Summer is great having the kids out of school! My oldest starts football for the first time tomorrow and he is really excited. He really wanted to play tackle so we’ll see how that goes. Mama’s gonna be a mess.

Now that we have Sonoma behind us I have a long list of summer projects which have been put off for racing. Some are at my Dad’s and a whole bunch are here at my house. I hope to knock some out before it’s time to prep the car. That’s about all I can think about right now so I will sign off till the next one.


Johnny Ahten is the driver of the Island Renovations/801 Racing A/Fuel Dragster. Find him on Facebook and Instagram (johnnyahten).

Maddern Racing Gets First Win at Sonoma

Courtesy of THR5 Communications
Photo courtesy of Aimee Maddern

Sonoma, Calif.  – After winning the Sonoma Regional race this weekend, Maddern Racing can now mark that off their checklist of things to do. You see, in the twenty or so years that Maddern Racing has been competing, they have won at every track in California except Sonoma. 

“It feels really great to get this win for Jerry Maddern and the team,” said driver Chris Demke. “We had the car to beat all weekend. Our car was the fastest car out there and that made it even better.”

The path to the winner’s circle was not an easy one. In Friday’s first round of qualifying the Peen Rite / OSI / 801 Racing Team posted a 5.388/269.67 which was good enough for the second place slot. On Saturday, the Team ramped things up and threw down a 5.308/272.17 shot that got everyone’s attention. It also put them in the number one qualifying position. Sitting on top, the Team decided to sit out the third session and remained at the top spot going into eliminations. The interesting thing is how they managed to do so well while the electrical system had a few issues and seemed to have a mind of its own.

Sunday’s first round of racing saw Bill Dunlap in the other lane. Dunlap’s forward driver cockpit dragster had a great view as Demke 5.394/252.47 was enough to take the win. All was not well in the Maddern Racing camp as the car continued to have some electrical hiccups.  The Team headed back to the pits and prepared for the next round against Don St. Arnaud. This time the race was over at the start when St. Arnaud lit the red bulb. Demke managed to get down the track with a 5.335/2693.83. It was now final round time.  Demke and the crew came to the line knowing they had to win this race. Ray Martin was in the other lane, and he too wanted to win. Demke sat in his Top Alcohol Dragster waiting for the light to activate. His mind wondered back to the Woodburn Regional final. In that race, Demke could only sit and watch as the other car won his race. This time it would be different.  Demke got the light, got down the quarter mile, and claimed his victory with a 5.444/263.10 to Martin’s 5.459/263.92.

“This is our first Regional victory with new sponsor OSI, and associate partners A1 Technologies, and Boninfante Friction Products,” added Demke. “They have shown their support of us, and this is the best way I know of thanking them.”

Electrical issues or not, the fact is that at the end of the day, Chris Demke and the Maddern Racing Team won the Sonoma Regional Trophy. They used every last bit of will, determination, and luck to get the job done. The win also moved them to first place in the Western Region. Valuable points aside, the win gave the Maddern Racing Team the ability to put that big check mark next to Sonoma.  There are other things on that list, and if the Maddern Racing crew and Chris Demke continue with the same Sonoma do-or-die-trying attitude, that list will have a few more check marks. 

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We believe true happiness comes from blazing down the blacktop with the pedal to the metal and our hair on fire. The whiter our knuckles get, the better. If it were up to us, cars wouldn't even have brakes, just two gas pedals. It's this never-ending need for speed that drives everything we do. We spend countless hours in the lab and lying awake at night plotting and planning how to get more speed by any means possible. After decades of research and innovation, we've developed a complete line of performance and car care products designed to ensure that your ride lives up to its potential on the street and on the track.  We know what you want. We got what you need. We are 801 Racing.  For more information on 801 racing, please visit: http://www.801racing.com/

Sonoma Regional Gives Ahten Racing a New Perspective

Courtesy of THR5 Communications
Photo courtesy of Ahten Racing

Sonoma, Calf. – The Ahten Racing Team picked up something special from last weekend’s Regional race. It was not a trophy, but it is still valuable. They now have their confidence back.  The new engine combination has been figured out, and they are now looking forward to their next race. 

“Sonoma was like a re-birth of our race team,” said driver Johnny Ahten. “Trying to get a handle on a whole new set-up is sometimes a tricky thing to do, but now we know what we have. I feel confident with the car. If we had a few more runs to fine tune the top end, I think we could have done very well.”

Qualifying started out with the Island Renovations / 801 Racing / Fireman’s Brew Team running a planned early shut-off 5.595/245.45 run. This was a big step forward because the last outing resulted in multiple tire-melting launches. Getting the car to launch and hook to the track gave them a set of data to work with. They came back on Saturday and laid out a 5.532/244.60. Spirits were up in the Ahten Racing camp. In Saturday’s final session, a 5.532/244.60 was put up on the board. The top end charge was the next project that needed attention. The Ahten Racing Team ended up in the number six position going into eliminations.

Sunday’s first round opponent was Ray Martin. Ahten did his job at the tree by getting a big staring line advantage over Martin and was leading the charge to the thousand foot mark. Martin came around Ahten at that point, and ran him down with a 5.384/266.90 to Ahten’s 5.418/248.25.

“It was a good close race, and a real treat for the fans,” added Ahten. “It showed our potential and gave us some juicy bits on the computer. The whole team worked really hard this weekend, as we were a bit shorthanded.  Chuck Costabile really stepped up. I also want to thank Nick Kruger, for helping out on the bottom end and right side of the motor. My Dad and Crew Chief Al Ahten, along with Howard Katano, and Bob Ahten were amazing.”

The Ahten Racing Team are back home now, with a new attitude, valuable data, and the spirit of a teenager with a brand new hot rod. They will rebuild, refresh, and wait. The waiting will be the toughest part, because with a re-birth comes anticipation. The cure will come when the Nitromethane Injected beast comes to life, and rockets down the track.

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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 http://www.islandrenovations.net/

We believe true happiness comes from blazing down the blacktop with the pedal to the metal and our hair on fire. The whiter our knuckles get, the better. If it were up to us, cars wouldn't even have brakes, just two gas pedals. It's this never-ending need for speed that drives everything we do. We spend countless hours in the lab and lying awake at night plotting and planning how to get more speed by any means possible. After decades of research and innovation, we've developed a complete line of performance and car care products designed to ensure that your ride lives up to its potential on the street and on the track.  We know what you want. We got what you need. We are 801 Racing.  For more information on 801 racing, please visit: http://www.801racing.com/ 

Fireman's Brew grew out of two Los Angeles based firefighter's vision to create premium handcrafted beers that would quench their thirsts after an exhausting day on the firelines. Originally created by firefighters for firefighters, Fireman's Brew is now available at bars, restaurants and retail stores throughout Southern California. Visit them at http://www.firemansbrew.com/

Demke, Whiteley Successful at Sonoma

Courtesy of the Pro Sportsman Association/Todd Veney

At the Western Region event in Sonoma, Calif., Winternationals and Gatornationals champion Chris Demke earned his first regional victory of the season in Top Alcohol Dragster and rookie Annie Whiteley her third in Top Alcohol Funny Car, both from the No. 1 qualifying spot.

Demke, shut out since his Gatornationals victory in March except for a Jegs Allstars win last month (which doesn't count for points), paced the field in qualifying with a 5.30 and in eliminations overcame the electrical gremlins that have plagued the team for weeks for his first win ever at Sonoma. "This team had won at every track in California – Pomona, Bakersfield, Sacramento, Palmdale, Fontana – except this one," he said.

Demke nearly remained winless at the picturesque facility in the wine country north of San Francisco but had just enough to take out Ray Martin in the final, 5.44 to 5.45. "The engine shut off and came back on twice on that run," said Demke, who survived a close one in which both drivers made their first runs out of the 5.30s all day.

Demke's engine shut off completely at the 5.2-second mark in round one, but he still coasted to a 5.39, 252 win over Bill Dunlap's one-of-a-kind, driver-forward car. A 5.33 in the semi's took care of past Winternationals runner-up Don St. Arnaud and set up a final-round match with Martin, who had qualified with a 5.40 and had run consistent times of 5.38 against Johnny Ahten and 5.39 against Joey Severance. Another run in that range would have been enough in the final, but Martin slipped to a 5.45. Demke was away first with a .068 light and won by half a car length with a 5.44.

"It seemed to shut off for a long time both times," Demke said. "I was saying, 'No, this can't be happening,' but it came back on both times. Now, that's disturbing – it feels like your head's going to hit the dashboard. It would have run another 5.30-something, no problem, if that hadn't happened, but it still ran just good enough to win."

Whiteley had no such problems, laying down the best runs of her young Top Alcohol Funny Car career in the semifinals and final. After qualifying No. 1 for a very fast field with a 5.62 and winning a tight first-round race with Clint Thompson, 5.62 to 5.63, Whiteley unloaded one of the great runs of all time in the semifinals, a track-record 5.508, against Steve Gasparrelli, who bowed out with an otherwise fine 5.65 at nearly 261 mph.

"They run a lot better when you hit your shifts," joked Whiteley, who considers Sonoma her favorite track. "Until that run, the car kept feeling like it was going to wash out on me, and I kept short-shifting. I told [crew chief Roger Bateman] that I didn't know why I couldn't get past that spot, and he said he didn't know either and suggested that we switch lanes. I had no idea that run was a 5.50. All I knew was that it was the smoothest run I made all weekend."

Whiteley stayed in the left lane for the final against Phoenix Regional winner John Lombardo Jr., who had been running low 5.60s all day. Lombardo, who had eliminated Keeter Ray in the first round and Shane Westerfield in the semi's with almost identical runs of 5.602 and 5.601, lost traction immediately and slowed to an 11.10 while Whiteley disappeared into the distance with a 5.53 – more than a half-tenth quicker than anyone else had run all weekend.

It was the third win of Whiteley's first full season behind the wheel of an Alcohol Funny Car and the first at which her husband, Top Alcohol Dragster points leader Jim Whiteley, didn't also score. "Las Vegas was special because it was my first win, and Tulsa was special because the final was my first full run at night and because Jim won right in front of me," Whiteley said. "This one was awesome because of that 5.50. Roger and the Strasburgs given me a phenomenal car."

Ahten Looking for a Thrill Ride in Sonoma

Courtesy of THR5 Communications
Photo Courtesy of Chuck Costabile



Sonoma, Calf. – Johnny Ahten and his Ahten Racing Team are happy to be descending. Not in their racing program, but they are eager to be racing closer to sea level. Their last three races have been at high elevation tracks. Racing at Sonoma Raceway in this weekend’s Regional race changes all that. 

“With good weather we could be racing at 1800ft, whereas we have been used to racing at over 3000ft,” said Ahten.  “We like Sonoma, since we seem to run well there. We have run in the 20’s, and even runnered-up.”

Some changes will have to be made to the Island Renovations / 801 Racing / Fireman’s Brew Dragster. The Ahten Racing team lead by crew chief Al Ahten, will use elements from their Tucson IHRA win, with changes for altitude. Assisting the elder Ahten will be Howard Katano, Bob Ahten, Kevin Colvell, and Chuck Costable.

“We are bringing just about the whole gang out here,” added Ahten. I’ll be in the motorhome with the wife and kids, and we might even check out Six Flags after the race.”

As if driving a Nitromethane Injected Dragster wasn’t enough of a thrill ride, Johnny Ahten is looking give it a ride in Sonoma.  “I want to kick people’s teeth in,” said a confident Ahten.  “We know our new engine combination can make gobs of power, we have to step up and apply it to the track. We have been studying the computer numbers from our last race and know what we have to do.”

This bravado from Johnny Ahten is somewhat of a departure for the mild-mannered Fire Captain.  The confidence comes from knowing he has the power to win, and the poise of a professional Drag Racer to keep focused. His crew behind him, Ahten has amped up his car, and his demeanor. That can only mean some heartbreak for the cars in the other lane. 

…  

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 http://www.islandrenovations.net/

We believe true happiness comes from blazing down the blacktop with the pedal to the metal and our hair on fire. The whiter our knuckles get, the better. If it were up to us, cars wouldn't even have brakes, just two gas pedals. It's this never-ending need for speed that drives everything we do. We spend countless hours in the lab and lying awake at night plotting and planning how to get more speed by any means possible. After decades of research and innovation, we've developed a complete line of performance and car care products designed to ensure that your ride lives up to its potential on the street and on the track.  We know what you want. We got what you need. We are 801 Racing.  For more information on 801 racing, please visit: http://www.801racing.com/

Fireman's Brew grew out of two Los Angeles based firefighter's vision to create premium handcrafted beers that would quench their thirsts after an exhausting day on the firelines. Originally created by firefighters for firefighters, Fireman's Brew is now available at bars, restaurants and retail stores throughout Southern California. Visit them at http://www.firemansbrew.com/

Westerfield Signs Fluid Sealing Products

 Courtesy of Westerfield Motorsports

Hot off a final-round appearance in his most recent start, fast-rising Top Alcohol Funny Car driver Shane Westerfield is embarking on a three-race Western Swing – not the Denver-Sonoma-Seattle trifecta of the NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series tour, but Woodburn, Sonoma and Seattle.

Westerfield, best known for his lightning-quick reflexes, reached the final at the NHRA Summer Nationals in Topeka his last time out, whipping perennial championship contender Jay Payne in the semifinals and strapping a holeshot on the top-ranked Alcohol Funny Car driver in the country this season, Tony Bartone, in the final. "The car is running well, and our goal is to be back in the Top 10 when we get home from Seattle," said Westerfield, who currently stands 17^th in the national standings despite having competed at just five events so far this year.

Led by crew chief Bob DeVour, who has worked with some of alcohol racing's all-time greats, including many-time world champions Frank Manzo, Brad Anderson, Gary Scelzi, and Billy Williams, Westerfield's team, backed by longtime major sponsor CP-Carrillo, has reached at least the quarterfinals in three of its four 2012 national event appearances. "Bob's always done well at Woodburn and Sonoma," Westerfield said. "He's got new stuff he wants to try, and we're always testing new parts for CP-Carrillo."

New associate sponsor Fluid Sealing Products Inc., a Houston-based manufacturer and distributor of gaskets, stud bolts, fasteners, and related sealing items, joins longtime Westerfield backers Coeste Design, Lucas Oil, MavTV, A1 Technologies, Goodyear, and Juice Plus. "Mike Blake from Fluid Sealing Products is going to be with us at Seattle, and we really want to do a good job for the Blakes and the company," said Westerfield, who also reached the final round at last year's Big O Tires Nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.