Full Throttle

Well its been awhile, two years since I first noted it, but it looks like NASCAR will have competition at 5,000 feet altitude. The People’s Commissar of NASCAR Affairs, (PCNA] Brian France won’t be happy.

The Rocket Racing League, a sort of NASCAR in the Sky, has announced its first exhibition rocket-powered aircraft races on August 1-2, 2008, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin at the annual Experimental Aircraft Association AirVenture air show.

One of the company’s founders and now CEO is Granger Whitelaw. Whitelaw was the team co-owner of a company that has twice won the Indy 500 (Buddy Lazier in 1996 and Eddie Cheever in 1998). The company backing the Rocket Racing League (RRL) is called Rocket Racing Inc.

The founders of the Rocket Racing League have already purchased an airframe-manufacturing company, partnered with two rocket engine builders, and set up subsidiaries for its sky racing business.

They hope their Rocket Racing League will be parallel with high-performance automobile racing, like NASCAR.

Rocket Racing purchased Velocity Aircraft, based in Sebastian, Florida, in order to build the airframes for the aircraft. The new subsidiary is called Rocket Racing Composites Corporation.

The will use a rocket engine that burns liquid oxygen and kerosene — spouting a bright ten to fifteen foot flame out of its rear. The rocket engines are being manufactured by Xcor Aerospace (Mojave, California) and Armadillo Aerospace.

The exhibitions in Oshkosh will involve two aircraft flying against each other at approximately 340 miles per hour. They will fly around a six-mile course (one mile wide and two miles long) four times, going from as low as 150 feet to as high as 1,500 feet above the surface.

Large projection screens will display three-dimensional videos of the race to the grandstand audience, and spectators will have personal display devices that show views of the cockpit, “on-track,” “side-by-side,” and wing-angle.

Each airplane competes against the clock but will also fly in pairs so each will have to maneuver in relationship to its competitor. Much of the action will be based on NASCAR competitions.

(Really? How do you toss a debris caution in the air? Must be those damn mythical hailstones again! - ed)

So far, six teams have signed up for the Rocket Racing League: Rocket Star Racing, Team Extreme Rocket Racing, Canada-based Beyond Gravity Rocket Racing, Bridenstine Rocket Racing, Santa Fe Racing, and Thunderhawk Rocket Racing.

In answer to the question posed, I haven’t a clue, but it’s a sure bet 15 year old Jessica Brunelli is close.

Very close.

Saturday evening she competed in the USAC California Ford Focus Pavement Midget Car Series event at the Havasu 95 Speedway in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

Qualifying fourth she was eligible for the Trophy Dash where she placed third. In the nights 30 lap Feature, won by 18 year old Ian Miille, Brunelli finished eighth in the season opening event for the 20 race pavement series.

The young lady seems to be no flash in the pan. In Dec. last year she tested in a USAC Focus Midget at Ventura Raceway in Ventura, Ca

This was her first time on the Dirt. Jessica tested with Midget and Sprint Car National and World Champion Cory Kruseman in preperation for the 2008 season. Jessica will be driving on Corys Team racing the Jr. Focus Midget at Ventura. Jessica also tested in a USAC Sprint car.

2007 was a banner year for Brunelli. Jessica competed at Thunderhill Raceway in Willows Ca. Finishing 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the 3 races she competed in earning her “Rookie of the Year” for the 2007 Skip Barber Race Series.

In mid-year she tested a Formula BMW machine at Michigan and Sept. had Jessica testing a NASCAR Grand American Modified at Altamont Motorsports Park in Livermore, Ca. The test was followed the next month with her first 600hp Open Modified race at Altamont Motorsports Park. She qualified 7th and finished 5th against an experienced field of 12 modifieds in the 50 lap Grand American Modified event.

Does this impressive résumé label Ms. Brunelli as America’s youngest racing “Diva?” Is she headed the way of Tony Stewart and J.J. Yeley as USAC Triple Crown winners?

Obviously that remains to be seen, and like all drivers she needs sponsors to get that far. It’s also plain to see she has an excellent start towards that goal.

John Shoemaker, 65, a veteran drag racer from Sacramento, Calif., died from injuries suffered when his nostalgia Top Fuel dragster went out of control and crashed during a qualifying run Saturday at the March Meet race at Auto Club Famoso Raceway.

Shoemaker was airlifted to Kern Medical Center were he was later pronounced dead. Shoemaker had competed in a variety of high-horsepower dragsters during his 42-year drag racing career and was a prolific chassis builder.

Shoemaker was a pioneer in blown alcohol racing and made the first-ever six-second run in Pro Comp at Irwindale Raceway’s Grand Premiere in January 1975 driving one of his own creations, Gene Gilmore’s Renegade blown alcohol dragster. Shoemaker was runner-up at the Winternationals and also set the national record that year with runs of 6.78 and 6.87 at NHRA’s championship series event at Sacramento Raceway, all in Gilmore’s Renegade.

Shoemaker drove the Shoemaker Clan rear engine ‘34 Ford B-fuel coupe to a win at the 1964 Bakersfield Fuel & Gas Championships. Twenty years later in 1984 he won the Fuel & Gas Championships in his blown alcohol dragster.

That same year he, with wife Judee, began campaigning their own Shoemaker dragster throughout the west. He finished second that year in the then combined NHRA Divisions 6 and 7, with two wins, two runner-ups and two semifinal finishes. Shoemaker finished second in Division 6 points in 1987 and 1988, won the Division 6 championship in 1989 and was runner-up again in 1990.

Shoemaker began 1992 with a new Shoemaker dragster and, inspired by the Gulf War, became the “American Eagle” with Shoemaker holding up the American flag as he backed up from each burnout. The Shoemakers continued to compete through 1998 with much success both divisionally and nationally with national event wins at the Winternationals in 1994 and at the Autolite Nationals in 1998.