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Back at the shop, Bob Ron, Steve & Jeff had plenty of work to do in 3 days before leaving for the next race in High Point, NC. Not only the usual unloading, cleaning, restocking and repacking of the trailer, but parts had to be ordered, motors gone through and reassembled. Sue kept busy doing 13 loads of wash which tore up the clutch on the washer, did the shopping, ordered and picked up parts, finalized reservations for High Point along with feeding the guys, repacking and working her regular job. But the team made it and was on the road headed for the race site by 5:30 pm Wednesday afternoon. What parts they did not have Roger Way was bringing to High Point in his motor home.
They arrived around 10:30 pm that night with an uneventful 5 ½ hour trip. It was good to be back at High Point again. The course is on a beautiful lake across from a golf course. High Point has a reputation of drawing a large college age partying crowd. The fuel pits sit across from the course with easy access for the crowd to wonder through the pits between rounds.
Ron parked the trailer and the four of them enjoyed their beers and then decided to take a nap until morning before starting to set up the pits. Steve would be driving up in the morning to help them finish setting up the pit.
Well it’s a good thing they did decided not to set the awning up Wednesday night, because the trailer had to be moved the next morning closer to Hot Licks to make room for all the boats that were coming. Five fuel boats in all for this race. Steve made it in and was kind enough to stop and pick up lunch for all. They spent the rest of the day setting up the pits area and completing the work they had started at the shop. Unfortunately there was no Outback restaurant in High Point, so they team settled for a nice restaurant on the way back to their motel and did enjoy a steak dinner.
Rick, Rexy, Randal and Roger Way would be arriving today. Even though it was a test & tune day, the Liquid Quiker pits would be busy tuning the motor for the 1st round of qualifying on Saturday.
Vince & Debbie Mondello of Horizon Boat Repair, Ron’s sister Sandra and Roger Way’s wife Karen & daughter Stacy would also be arriving to enjoy the race. Bob’s son Mark would also be driving down to help out for the weekend.
At the track we noticed Ron making a few phone calls and finally came up to Bob & Sue to announce he had an appointment with a chiropractor he found close by to fix the pain in his back. Now we know why his was late to breakfast. Sue needed to pick up few things at the store, so she rode along with Ron to the doctor’s office. Well, the doctor took care of Ron’s back pain and even gave out discount coupons for more visits. Ron took them back to the crew and they all wanted to go. Ron will be turning 50 years old in a couple of weeks and as Bob, who will be 60 in December always says “it don’t get any better”.
The team finished all their work up at the pits, at an early dinner and turned in for a good night’s sleep.
Saturday morning qualifying brought another adventure at the boat ramp. Apparently the ramp was in need of repairs and the lower than normal water level left big pot holes on the ramp. Since this was the in and the out ramp, you had to carefully pick a spot that would create the least amount of damage and hope for the best. The 1st round of qualifying, Liquid Quiker was paired up against Jarret Silvey in the Hot Licks boat. Ron cut a .164 light and ran through the timers in 4.853 seconds at a speed of 238.9mph. This run put Liquid Quiker in the number 2 qualifying position.
The crew brought the boat back to the pit to prepare for the 2nd round of qualifying. In loading the boat on the trailer, the trailer was damaged by one the pot hole in the ramp. Vince Mondello luckily had a chain in his truck and put it on the trailer to keep it together. Liquid Quiker was lucky; other teams had completely destroyed their trailers at the ramp.
While the crew got the boat ready for the next round, Ron’s sister Sandra helped out with the T-shirt booth and entertained the visitors from Canada who came down for the race. High Point is the closest race for Canada and also draws a lot of spectators and fans from the east coast.
2nd round of qualifying only 4 Top Fuel boats returned to the ramp. Ron is paired up against Darrel Erlich driving Problem Child. Again Ron cuts a good light with a reaction time of .177. The boat leaves good but looses power and goes through the lights in 5.38 seconds only running 175.14 mph. The motor wiped out a head and shredded a blower belt. This will be a long night in the pits for the team.
While the crew was working on the motor and every thing else that was tore up from the run, Bob cooked a supper consisting of kielbasa and sauerkraut. Ron and Roger worked on the wiring inside the capsule trying to find out why the computer was not working.
Vince and a couple of volunteers that Roger Way located worked on the trailer to make sure the bearings did not come out during unloading and loading of the boat.
The entire team worked late into the night but ready for Sunday morning.
Sunday morning the crew came out ready for the 1st round of eliminations. Liquid Quiker was in the 3rd slot of 5 boats and would run Hot Licks for the first round. Jarret left first with a reaction time of .144 to Ron’s .244 light. Unfortunately the Hot Licks boat breaks going through the lights and Liquid Quiker sails through the lights at a speed of 249.60 mph in 4.813 seconds. The crew did their job and Liquid Quiker makes it to the semi-finals.
The crew was anxious to get the boat back to the pits to get the motor disassembled and see if there had been any damage by the last pass. The last 2 races had been brutal on parts and they did not want to take any chances. The next round will be against John Hass in the Speed sports Special, who is always tough and currently has the points lead for the Lucas Oil East Coast Swing.
The crew worked hard and got everything ready for the next round. The boats were called to the ramp and Ron got dressed in his driving suit.
As the team watched from the shore, Ron fires the motor and the count down starts. Ron cuts a .680 light and makes his way down the course. John Haas has broken at the start and Liquid Quiker takes the win to the finals. The boat runs 253.66 mph, faster than it’s ever been in 4.815 seconds. Liquid Quiker is going to the finals at High Point!
Back at the pits, the crew has realized they have lost another clutch and this was the spare. Without a clutch Liquid Quiker won’t make it into the water for the final round. Roger Way cruises the Fuel pits and locates a compatible match under the Hot Licks awning. They agree to loan the clutch and will provide the manpower to get it installed and set.
The crew worked hard knowing that final round will come fast. Liquid Quiker will be facing Scotty Lumbert in the Spirit of Texas boat in the finals. Spirit of Texas has had their problems this weekend, but as always with fuel boats that can change at any round.
With the final call to the ramp, Liquid Quiker and the team head for the ramp. One more round and a hopeful win. After taking 2nd place last weekend in Augusta, winning here would be nice. The boats are lowered into the lake and towed down to the start line. With nervous anticipation the crew watches as the boats get lined up for the start. Scotty is always good on the lights, so Ron will have to his job on the clocks. The boats fire and the clocks count down, lids close and Scotty is first off the line with a red light and the boat breaks. Ron cuts a .121 light and sails through the timers in 4.923 seconds at a speed of 229.08 mph!
LIQUID QUIKER HAS WON HIGH POINT AND THE LUCAS OIL EAST COAST SWING!
What a great job the entire Liquid Quiker team did and not a prouder crew in the pits. Bob and Sue went to boat launch to congratulate Ron on a great job of driving. Returning to the pits Bob and Ron were met with a shower of beer from the crew.
As you all know this was Ron’s last race, He past away on October 21, 2009. His life ended with his racing career on a high note as deserving of a true champion that Ron was.
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