It's all still sinking in.
First off, Saturday was absolutely amazing for the Canuckleheads. We all did really well. Greg drove his best ever, period, and his enigmatic trim computer behaved...for the most part. He has put so much work into his boat and, as Jeff mentioned, it really showed. I think he's still 75 pounds overweight (the boat, not him), so winning races is even more of an accomplishment when everyone down there measures to the ounce. Good job, big fella! Sunday's draw didn't help him out because he got assigned a date with the devil. I have a few pics of his runs, but suffer from a debilitating affliction known as picturepostaphobia.
As for Archer, he was set on kill, and was no doubt one of the top four boats in his large field. He ran strong on Saturday and, as Jeff already mentioned in another thread, finished third on the day. Wicked! Unfortunately, he drew the two most feared killer OMCs one after the other on Sunday. His boat still ripped, but tough to compete against 500hp+ big-block power driven by some of the most notable competitors in Ray Leach and, uh, that other guy.
It was great to have so many Canadians attend. There is consistent recognition of the Canadians from the race announcers (Russ Rogers and Dave Berry, who are amazing), so feeling welcome was easy. Representing north of the 49th:
- Greg, Jackie, and Jacob Keeling: the godparents (and godson?) of Canadian drag racing. I owe them big. We all owe them big. - Rob Twible: already an outboard institution, now a conflicted father upset about restaurants burning down. - Blake Sewell: the man who proved Canadians could perform well at these World Championships and led Jason Famme to ask me three years ago, "If Blake can win at Jasper, why can't we?" I thought Jason was out of his mind to suggest we compete down there. Probably was and is, but we continue to attend anyway. Oh, and Blake's gonna be a papa in February! - John Archer: the prince, the gentleman. With more horsepower than his boat weighs, John is a pleasure to eat Chicken Fried Chicken with. And we know he has even more in the tank. Can't wait for next year, John. - Michael and Doug Winstone: Jasper virgins no more. With a river run experience that they should share with everyone, they were two kids in a candy store. Justifiably. - Brian Geiger: Geigertech was active peddling his cool wares when he wasn't sleeping in or making Jeff and I wet ourselves laughing on the way to and from Jasper. Ask him how he could possibly miss his original ride to Jasper by sleeping in until 1:00 p.m.! Brian, definitely, thank you for the laughs. Both long drives were made remarkably short. - Richard and Katie Bryck: possibly Jasper's Canadian attendee record-holder, Richard did his best to keep up with Katie's shopping. Difference was, her shopping was in a mall, while his was sniffing out parts deals at the race site. Huge thanks to Katie for taking so many shots with her "real" camera. Hopefully we can get a bunch posted here. You guys rule! - Jeff Williamson: Last but not least. A coach and crew not unlike Vince Lombardi. For the better part of three years, I have had to deal with equal parts counselling and equal parts ass-kicking from him. When I wasn't performing, he would dig in. When the squirrels ran, he would redirect. The Lake Racer victory is every bit as much his victory as mine. He really does know his stuff, and I tip my hat to him. Now, back off of me, alright, Williamson? At least until next year when we need to shave more weight for Super Stock...
|