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Luke Raymond 2012 Late Model Poster
Created by Stephen at SP Visual
Created by Stephen at SP Visual
Luke Raymond in action at Blue Ribbon Raceway Horsham (VIC) 22/10/11
Luke Raymond in action at Murray Bridge Speedway 11/03/12
Luke Raymond in action at Speedway City 17/11/12
06/04/13 Tough Easter at Mildura & Speedway City Results
Hello All,
I have been a bit slow with the results from our Easter $10,000 show at Mildura. But I have been on holidays and too busy to sit and write a report, so here we go. We had a rough start to the Easter show breaking a diff side bell in the first heat and finishing 6th. We missed the second heat because we were still working frivolously replacing the assembly with a spare provided to us by fellow late model competitor Matt Crimmins. Only to go out and break that one the last heat as well and so not a good night for us. On the up side we witnessed a 13.5 second lap by Craig Vosbergen and some really good quick late model racing. On night 2 saw us return with another borrowed diff, this time from the Steve Vaughan Race Team who unfortunately broke an engine on night one. With a 5th place finish in the last heat gave Luke a position 13 start in the 50 lap feature. Luke kept the car straight and came home to finish in 7th with a clean car.
Good racing from all the teams involved, pit crews and a top way to spend an Easter weekend at Mildura. Thanks to Timmis Speedway Mildura and SALMA.
Special thanks to Matt Crimmins and Steve Vaughan for lending us the parts to finish the weekends racing.
It was on to Speedway City last week 06/04/13 with a couple of the WA teams in tow where we had a better night taking it easy in the rather damp 1st heat race. Luke was able to stretch the cars legs in the 2nd heat race finishing in a strong 3rd from starting position 5. In the 20 lap final Luke drove well giving Steve Vaughan (in the borrowed Andrew Leach car) a good run for his money. But was unable to get past clean and had to settle for a 3rd place finish with Matt Crimmins hot on his tail for 4th.
Congratulations to Craig Vosbergen on the win and to be the first sedan to run sub 15 second laps at Speedway City in a late model, well done.
Thanks to Speedway City for allowing us to show you what we can do and hopes are up for future races at what I feel is one of the best tracks in the country.
Cheers and see you at the Murray Bridge Speedway on the April 20th.
Crew Chief Brian
I have been a bit slow with the results from our Easter $10,000 show at Mildura. But I have been on holidays and too busy to sit and write a report, so here we go. We had a rough start to the Easter show breaking a diff side bell in the first heat and finishing 6th. We missed the second heat because we were still working frivolously replacing the assembly with a spare provided to us by fellow late model competitor Matt Crimmins. Only to go out and break that one the last heat as well and so not a good night for us. On the up side we witnessed a 13.5 second lap by Craig Vosbergen and some really good quick late model racing. On night 2 saw us return with another borrowed diff, this time from the Steve Vaughan Race Team who unfortunately broke an engine on night one. With a 5th place finish in the last heat gave Luke a position 13 start in the 50 lap feature. Luke kept the car straight and came home to finish in 7th with a clean car.
Good racing from all the teams involved, pit crews and a top way to spend an Easter weekend at Mildura. Thanks to Timmis Speedway Mildura and SALMA.
Special thanks to Matt Crimmins and Steve Vaughan for lending us the parts to finish the weekends racing.
It was on to Speedway City last week 06/04/13 with a couple of the WA teams in tow where we had a better night taking it easy in the rather damp 1st heat race. Luke was able to stretch the cars legs in the 2nd heat race finishing in a strong 3rd from starting position 5. In the 20 lap final Luke drove well giving Steve Vaughan (in the borrowed Andrew Leach car) a good run for his money. But was unable to get past clean and had to settle for a 3rd place finish with Matt Crimmins hot on his tail for 4th.
Congratulations to Craig Vosbergen on the win and to be the first sedan to run sub 15 second laps at Speedway City in a late model, well done.
Thanks to Speedway City for allowing us to show you what we can do and hopes are up for future races at what I feel is one of the best tracks in the country.
Cheers and see you at the Murray Bridge Speedway on the April 20th.
Crew Chief Brian
Thanks to Linda Savage for providing the great shots of Luke in action at Speedway City.
09/03/13 "The Prince Of Darkness" Is Back With More Power
Hello All,
The SA 5 is back with a new 434 cubic inch Chevrolet power plant. The new power plant had its maiden run at Mt Gambier last Saturday and whilst taking is easy Luke found the extra horses made the car more predictable to drive. On what turned out to be a fast track after earlier rain Luke slipped to the rear from the pole but very quickly got into the groove and caught up very quickly and stayed at the back playing with thethrottle being careful not to over rev the new engine. We had a good night and are looking forward to the Easter show at Mildura. I must give my gratitude and big thanks to Cary McCarthy and Chris Milton Engine Developments for putting this great engine combination together in a relative short time, the after hours effort Cary put in is very much appreciated. We are now in what i think is a good position to give the boys a run for the money at Mildura so if you can get there it will be one great race meet. Thanks to the Mt Gambier track for what would have been a stressful night for giving us a run.
Cheers,
Crew Chief Brian
The SA 5 is back with a new 434 cubic inch Chevrolet power plant. The new power plant had its maiden run at Mt Gambier last Saturday and whilst taking is easy Luke found the extra horses made the car more predictable to drive. On what turned out to be a fast track after earlier rain Luke slipped to the rear from the pole but very quickly got into the groove and caught up very quickly and stayed at the back playing with thethrottle being careful not to over rev the new engine. We had a good night and are looking forward to the Easter show at Mildura. I must give my gratitude and big thanks to Cary McCarthy and Chris Milton Engine Developments for putting this great engine combination together in a relative short time, the after hours effort Cary put in is very much appreciated. We are now in what i think is a good position to give the boys a run for the money at Mildura so if you can get there it will be one great race meet. Thanks to the Mt Gambier track for what would have been a stressful night for giving us a run.
Cheers,
Crew Chief Brian
12/01/13 Australian Title Melt Down
Hello All
You might have heard that we had an engine let go at the Australian Late Model Title and at present in repair mode. It appears a rod bolt broke so with a few new bits and a bit of machining we should be back to run Murray Bridge on the 16th of February. Apart from that we had a great trip and were competitive. Collie was our first outing on Jan 5th where we ran well in the heats qualifying 11th in the A main we worked up to 8th when while trying to avoid a wreck tapped another car damaging ours and getting us sent to rear. After another restart Luke found it too difficult to steer and pulled out of the race.
The following week we lobbed in Bunbury and ran strong on the first night setting us in the top half of a very strong field. After a good start in the preliminary feature the engine let us down so it was all over red rover. The 2nd night we sat out and enjoyed one of the best nights of Late Model racing we have attended. Thanks go out to all the other competitors and the Western Australian tracks.
Special thanks to our mate John Chadwick who let us stay at his house and gave us some great entertainment while in Perth.
Cheers,
Crew Chief Brian
You might have heard that we had an engine let go at the Australian Late Model Title and at present in repair mode. It appears a rod bolt broke so with a few new bits and a bit of machining we should be back to run Murray Bridge on the 16th of February. Apart from that we had a great trip and were competitive. Collie was our first outing on Jan 5th where we ran well in the heats qualifying 11th in the A main we worked up to 8th when while trying to avoid a wreck tapped another car damaging ours and getting us sent to rear. After another restart Luke found it too difficult to steer and pulled out of the race.
The following week we lobbed in Bunbury and ran strong on the first night setting us in the top half of a very strong field. After a good start in the preliminary feature the engine let us down so it was all over red rover. The 2nd night we sat out and enjoyed one of the best nights of Late Model racing we have attended. Thanks go out to all the other competitors and the Western Australian tracks.
Special thanks to our mate John Chadwick who let us stay at his house and gave us some great entertainment while in Perth.
Cheers,
Crew Chief Brian
01/12/12 Strong Results for Luke Raymond at SA Title
Hello All,
Our SA Late Model Title race meet was held at Mount Gambier on Saturday night at the picturesque Borderline Speedway. And as we said last time we would make some changes and kick some butt, well we almost did that.
Luke went out for some hot laps and came in with a grin commenting he had never felt the car so good. So when we got the race draws we set about a race plan for the night. The track was moist and hooky so we had no problem setting the car and choosing the tyres.
With heat 1 pole draw V 055 withdrawing from the night Luke moved up to 2 next to NSW 99 Ben Nacastri and Mat Crimmins was from 3 so we were looking for a good result. Ben and Mat got the drive ant the green flag and slipped under Luke in turn 1 but, in the next 2 laps Luke slipped back under both of them to take the lead. Ben had a right front brake lockup and belted the wall knocking him out of the race so Luke cruised to the win.
Heat 2 saw Luke start from pole and lead from start to finish.
Heat 3 put us next to NSW #3 Ross Nacastri and with SA #67 Steve Vaughan on our tail. Both of them got a great start and while Luke conserved the car and tyres on a drying track. Ross went on to win with Cary McCarthy for 2nd and Luke for 3rd.
With a #2 draw for the feature and rain on the way we were undecided on tyre combination. As the previous race started (F500) the rain came down. As the race progressed and the rain stopped and the call up came, we made a decision to put a hard RR allowing for the track drying out quickly. At the start with Ross and Steve on 1 and 3 Luke very quickly slotted into 3rd and held his ground with plenty to spare for an opportunity to make a move. Three laps in (from 20) a caution came out and Luke quickly noticed a problem with the car. While trying to keep heat in the tyres a bone shaking banging was coming from the drive line. With no other symptoms he restarted only to find he had a severe reduction in straight line drive. With the car now a little unpredictable Luke was reluctant to push too hard, eventually finishing in 3rd place. On returning to the pits we found the 5th shock and spring on the hike bar had torn out of the car. Big thanks to the crew Dreggs, Vern, and Rae who put a great car combo together and to Borderline Speedway for again a great track. To all our sponsors a big thanks as you guys are the icing on our cake that make it just that much better. Next outing is this weekend in Mildura and then it's time to prepare for the Aust title in Bunbury in January.
Our SA Late Model Title race meet was held at Mount Gambier on Saturday night at the picturesque Borderline Speedway. And as we said last time we would make some changes and kick some butt, well we almost did that.
Luke went out for some hot laps and came in with a grin commenting he had never felt the car so good. So when we got the race draws we set about a race plan for the night. The track was moist and hooky so we had no problem setting the car and choosing the tyres.
With heat 1 pole draw V 055 withdrawing from the night Luke moved up to 2 next to NSW 99 Ben Nacastri and Mat Crimmins was from 3 so we were looking for a good result. Ben and Mat got the drive ant the green flag and slipped under Luke in turn 1 but, in the next 2 laps Luke slipped back under both of them to take the lead. Ben had a right front brake lockup and belted the wall knocking him out of the race so Luke cruised to the win.
Heat 2 saw Luke start from pole and lead from start to finish.
Heat 3 put us next to NSW #3 Ross Nacastri and with SA #67 Steve Vaughan on our tail. Both of them got a great start and while Luke conserved the car and tyres on a drying track. Ross went on to win with Cary McCarthy for 2nd and Luke for 3rd.
With a #2 draw for the feature and rain on the way we were undecided on tyre combination. As the previous race started (F500) the rain came down. As the race progressed and the rain stopped and the call up came, we made a decision to put a hard RR allowing for the track drying out quickly. At the start with Ross and Steve on 1 and 3 Luke very quickly slotted into 3rd and held his ground with plenty to spare for an opportunity to make a move. Three laps in (from 20) a caution came out and Luke quickly noticed a problem with the car. While trying to keep heat in the tyres a bone shaking banging was coming from the drive line. With no other symptoms he restarted only to find he had a severe reduction in straight line drive. With the car now a little unpredictable Luke was reluctant to push too hard, eventually finishing in 3rd place. On returning to the pits we found the 5th shock and spring on the hike bar had torn out of the car. Big thanks to the crew Dreggs, Vern, and Rae who put a great car combo together and to Borderline Speedway for again a great track. To all our sponsors a big thanks as you guys are the icing on our cake that make it just that much better. Next outing is this weekend in Mildura and then it's time to prepare for the Aust title in Bunbury in January.
Till next time.
Cheers.
Crew Chief Brian
Cheers.
Crew Chief Brian
17/11/12 Mixed Bag Of Results For The s5
Looks like we found the electrical fault as we found a weak connection at the distributor and it ran ok at Speedway City. We fitted a new set of Genesis shocks that Craig and Brent Vosbergen bought over with them and were unsure how the car would handle. We used our normal setup which had the car a bit tight but we were unable to get a good feel of the car till the second heat. So we took a bit of drive out of the car for the third and final race but it still is a little tight so we now have to get a few more laps to get a better feel for it. Luke is happy with the new shocks that have given the car a smoother ride on rough tracks and it won't be long before we are at the pointy end of the field again. Luke started from position 5 in the feature and worked his way up to 3rd before spinning and stalling only to rejoin at the rear of the field a lap down. Once again we had a good weekend's racing with no damage and some good clean races. Thanks again to our sponsors the crew and Craig and Brent for bringing over the shocks at short notice. Our next race is the SA title at Borderline Speedway Mount Gambier on Saturday Dec 1st, so fingers crossed we can make some changes to the setup and go and kick some butt. Thanks to the fans and Speedway City for having us.
Cheers
Crew Chief Brian.
10/11/12 A Strong Night's Racing Halted With An Electrical Issue
Cheers
Crew Chief Brian.
10/11/12 A Strong Night's Racing Halted With An Electrical Issue
Hey David, Hope you enjoyed the meet as much as we did.
We had a reasonable night finishing 2nd in our first heat and a strong win the second heat.
From pole in the feature we were looking strong and out at the sharp end of the field. But Luke explained the car had an electrical issue that caused a coming together with Stu Hill bringing out a caution. This caused a flat front left tyre and being sent to the rear of the field Luke continued circulating well back from the front runners. With Stu managing to pass a slowing Steve Vaughan who had a suspension issue to take his first feature win for the season in a Late Model.
So this week with a bit of dent knocking and a hunt for a leak in the electrics we will be revved up to hit Speedway City on the Saturday 17th November hoping for better results.
Thanks to all our sponsors and fans that come to watch us race and with numbers growing we hope to but on better shows for you guys to enjoy.
Also thanks to our Team and the crew at Murray Bridge Speedway and hope to see you on the 17th.
Cheers
Crew Chief Brian
We had a reasonable night finishing 2nd in our first heat and a strong win the second heat.
From pole in the feature we were looking strong and out at the sharp end of the field. But Luke explained the car had an electrical issue that caused a coming together with Stu Hill bringing out a caution. This caused a flat front left tyre and being sent to the rear of the field Luke continued circulating well back from the front runners. With Stu managing to pass a slowing Steve Vaughan who had a suspension issue to take his first feature win for the season in a Late Model.
So this week with a bit of dent knocking and a hunt for a leak in the electrics we will be revved up to hit Speedway City on the Saturday 17th November hoping for better results.
Thanks to all our sponsors and fans that come to watch us race and with numbers growing we hope to but on better shows for you guys to enjoy.
Also thanks to our Team and the crew at Murray Bridge Speedway and hope to see you on the 17th.
Cheers
Crew Chief Brian
2012 Easter Long Weekend Race Team Report - Mildura Speedway
Hello All,
If you go onto the SALMA web site you will see latest videos from Renmark and Murray Bridge after that we ran at Ballarat and finished a strong 2nd behind Rod Edwards Vic #21. We had a ball and the car and team are performing well.
The next stop was Mildura for the Cross Road Holiday Park $10000 to win show. As you know we have done a few laps of Mildura so we had a read of our notes and applied our knowledge to a setup we figured would suit the early heats. We didn�t anticipate being the first heat and the first race on the track for the night and the track was a little damp, never the less we manage to hold on and finish a strong 2nd. The 2nd heat we started off from 5, hooked the car up and picked up a spot to finish 4th. In the 3rd heat finished 4th behind a tough field of hard hitters, Vosbergen Moyle and Disney to round the night out in 9th in the points. Night 2 on a wet first heat gained us another 4th place finish in what was a race to see if you could say moving in a forward direction. Not much had changed for us so we were of 10 in the pole shuffle. From an inside start Luke went into turn 1 a little hot and backed it into a rut loosing a bit of speed allowing Stow to get a jump that Luke could not quite regain the momentum he had lost. With a top ten starting spot in the 50 lap feature we were all very happy. We sat and thought about the race and what changes to put into the car to do 50 laps and with a lack of data (not having finished one before). With a last minute gear ratio change to gain a bit better fuel economy Luke and the team were hoping for a top 10 finish. After a miraculous avoidance of a first lap pileup Luke restarted from 8 and powered into a strong 6th dicing with Disney,Grimson, Stow and others. On a fairly rough track Luke hooked a rut in turn 2 pushing to the fence allowing Ffrench under him. Another few incidents saw Disney and some of the other front runners drop back. After another yellow Luke resumed the race in 3rd spot one lap down on Vosbergen and Grimson with Oldfield ( 2nd ) sent rear and Ffrench (in 4th) at the back of the field but on the same lap as Luke. 11 laps remained and Grimson got passed with 6 laps to go and Luke hung on the back of him to be 4th over the line but 5th position (Ffrench 4th). All in all a great result for us and I am very proud of Luke, Dregs, Vern & Rea who all put in a top effort to keep the car in a presentable and performing condition all weekend. Congrats to Craig Vosbergen, Jamie Oldfield,Darrel Grimson and Michael Ffrench and there teams. Thanks to Mildura Timmis Speedway and SALMA for a great weekend.
Cheers
Crew Chief Brian
If you go onto the SALMA web site you will see latest videos from Renmark and Murray Bridge after that we ran at Ballarat and finished a strong 2nd behind Rod Edwards Vic #21. We had a ball and the car and team are performing well.
The next stop was Mildura for the Cross Road Holiday Park $10000 to win show. As you know we have done a few laps of Mildura so we had a read of our notes and applied our knowledge to a setup we figured would suit the early heats. We didn�t anticipate being the first heat and the first race on the track for the night and the track was a little damp, never the less we manage to hold on and finish a strong 2nd. The 2nd heat we started off from 5, hooked the car up and picked up a spot to finish 4th. In the 3rd heat finished 4th behind a tough field of hard hitters, Vosbergen Moyle and Disney to round the night out in 9th in the points. Night 2 on a wet first heat gained us another 4th place finish in what was a race to see if you could say moving in a forward direction. Not much had changed for us so we were of 10 in the pole shuffle. From an inside start Luke went into turn 1 a little hot and backed it into a rut loosing a bit of speed allowing Stow to get a jump that Luke could not quite regain the momentum he had lost. With a top ten starting spot in the 50 lap feature we were all very happy. We sat and thought about the race and what changes to put into the car to do 50 laps and with a lack of data (not having finished one before). With a last minute gear ratio change to gain a bit better fuel economy Luke and the team were hoping for a top 10 finish. After a miraculous avoidance of a first lap pileup Luke restarted from 8 and powered into a strong 6th dicing with Disney,Grimson, Stow and others. On a fairly rough track Luke hooked a rut in turn 2 pushing to the fence allowing Ffrench under him. Another few incidents saw Disney and some of the other front runners drop back. After another yellow Luke resumed the race in 3rd spot one lap down on Vosbergen and Grimson with Oldfield ( 2nd ) sent rear and Ffrench (in 4th) at the back of the field but on the same lap as Luke. 11 laps remained and Grimson got passed with 6 laps to go and Luke hung on the back of him to be 4th over the line but 5th position (Ffrench 4th). All in all a great result for us and I am very proud of Luke, Dregs, Vern & Rea who all put in a top effort to keep the car in a presentable and performing condition all weekend. Congrats to Craig Vosbergen, Jamie Oldfield,Darrel Grimson and Michael Ffrench and there teams. Thanks to Mildura Timmis Speedway and SALMA for a great weekend.
Cheers
Crew Chief Brian
"The Prince of Darkness" s5 Luke Raymond is set to return to Mount Gambier Speedway
"The Prince of Darkness" s5 Luke Raymond is set to return to Mount Gambier Speedway this Saturday night to contest the 2011 South Australian Late Model Title. And on current form will be hard to beat on the night as the car has shown good speed and Luke is getting a handle on driving these powerful cars.
Come to the pits after the meeting and say "Hello" to Luke & the team. They also have a brilliant new 2011 t-shirt for sale which were done by R&R USA.
So make sure you go to Mount Gambier Speedway this Saturday night and enjoy a good nights racing.
Luke is proudly supported by Hoolagators.
Come to the pits after the meeting and say "Hello" to Luke & the team. They also have a brilliant new 2011 t-shirt for sale which were done by R&R USA.
So make sure you go to Mount Gambier Speedway this Saturday night and enjoy a good nights racing.
Luke is proudly supported by Hoolagators.
Raymond Race Team would also like to acknowledge the following businesses who also have been long time supporters and sponsors as they are also back on board for the coming season:
Auto Techniques for our engine, S McLay Mechanical, The Maid of Auckland Hotel, Crane Services, ULX 110 Oils, Preferred Finance, Victory Lane & KLM Engineering.
Thanks to Steven Rice for providing the great shots of Luke in action at Borderline Speedway.
Hoolagators to Sponsor Luke Raymond for 2011-2012 Speedway Season
Hoolagators All American Diecast is proud announcing that we are once again a sponsor for the 2011-2012 season of the s5 Chevrolet Camaro Late Model to be driven by Luke Raymond. We have been involved with Luke and the team since he moved from AMCA Nationals to Late Models and have watch him mature into a pretty handy driver behind the wheel of these awesome looking and very powerful race cars. We look forward to be part of a professional run race team that should get some good results due to the hard work put in by Crew Chief Brian Raymond and by the pit crew.
The car has finally come from under wraps and I have a sneak preview of what the car will look like and man does it look good in black. It's a credit to Luke who does all the art work and vinyl cutting for his Late Model. And man all I can say is "It looks mean". Watch out in 2011 as "The Prince of Darkness" dressed in black is coming to a speedway near you this summer.
Raymond Race Team would also like to acknowledge the following businesses who also have been long time supporters and sponsors as they are also back on board for the coming season:
Auto Techniques for our engine, S McLay Mechanical, The Maid of Auckland Hotel, Crane Services, ULX 110 Oils, Preferred Finance, Victory Lane & KLM Engineering.
The car has finally come from under wraps and I have a sneak preview of what the car will look like and man does it look good in black. It's a credit to Luke who does all the art work and vinyl cutting for his Late Model. And man all I can say is "It looks mean". Watch out in 2011 as "The Prince of Darkness" dressed in black is coming to a speedway near you this summer.
Raymond Race Team would also like to acknowledge the following businesses who also have been long time supporters and sponsors as they are also back on board for the coming season:
Auto Techniques for our engine, S McLay Mechanical, The Maid of Auckland Hotel, Crane Services, ULX 110 Oils, Preferred Finance, Victory Lane & KLM Engineering.
A Night of Mixed Results from Tyrepower Sydney Speedway
Hello All,
We can't take a trick at Tyrepower Sydney Speedway as It is a very hard track to get a good handle on. Considering this is only the second time we have raced there Luke didn't do too badly.
Luke qualified 15th for the A Main after a time trial and one heat race.
In the 50 lap feature race he tangled with another car on about lap 8 and damaged the right front of the s5, breaking the bonnet pin on that corner. Luke then settled into a rhythm and had worked his way to 6th before on about lap 32 the bonnet flew up blocking his vision completely and forcing his retirement from the race. The car has some badly damage and missing panels from a heavy night's racing as you can see from the pictures below. As could say that Parramatta ate my car. All in all we had a reasonably good weekend but now the team has it's sights set on the Easter $5000 and bringing the cash home to South Australia.
Cheers
Crew Chief
We can't take a trick at Tyrepower Sydney Speedway as It is a very hard track to get a good handle on. Considering this is only the second time we have raced there Luke didn't do too badly.
Luke qualified 15th for the A Main after a time trial and one heat race.
In the 50 lap feature race he tangled with another car on about lap 8 and damaged the right front of the s5, breaking the bonnet pin on that corner. Luke then settled into a rhythm and had worked his way to 6th before on about lap 32 the bonnet flew up blocking his vision completely and forcing his retirement from the race. The car has some badly damage and missing panels from a heavy night's racing as you can see from the pictures below. As could say that Parramatta ate my car. All in all we had a reasonably good weekend but now the team has it's sights set on the Easter $5000 and bringing the cash home to South Australia.
Cheers
Crew Chief
Brian
An Update From The Team Of Late Model s5
After our good start to the year we headed to Mildura for the Australian Late Model Title. In what was very difficult conditions, Luke put in some good hot laps and was looking good for time trials. In the severe hot conditions the car developed a fuel vaporisation problem and we were unable to start the car for the time trials.
Starting from the rear as a result from no time recorded from the time trails. In the first heat Luke made his way to 4th. The 2nd heat didn't go to well as we would have liked as I had miss read the track and had way too much drive in the car. With some adjustments Luke salvaged a 6th place finish in the last heat.
Sunday saw us reset the suspension on the car with some valued assistance from Des and Nathan Disney (NSW 11) and Mick Lewis. With another 6th place finish in the dash put us off starting posistion14 in the A main. A 20 car field stood on the gas at the green flag (A sound that must of shook Mildura town ship) and all hell broke loose. Nathan Disney got a little loose as he nailed it and turned round in front of the field. Resulting in nine cars spinning on the start line and with Luke from 14th was on the gas as he headed on to the front straight and with the track blocked with stationary cars he had nowhere to go and T boned Kevin Stow (Q17) bending a steering arm and knocking us out for the night. Just a disappointing way to be taken out of the Aussie Title as the team had put in so much effort to get the car ready to race at the title.
The latest news is we ran Horsham on the 12th of February and we had an absolute ball. Both Luke and Mat Crimmins ran wheel to wheel and on three 3 wheels for a crowd pleasing night. We won the first two heats and Mat won the 3rd heat and the feature but only by a small margin as he was tiering. (Photos attached)
Next up for us is the meeting at Mt Gambier in the 12th of March. So for those of you who live down the South East or Country Victoria. Come and see some high powered, very loud and hard racing as we plan to put on a good nights racing for the paying patrons that come through the gates. Also drop down to the pits after the meeting and Say "Hello" to the team as we have some posters that Luke would like to sign for you as memento of the night's racing.
We are making the long trek to Parramatta on the 19th of March for the $5000 to win show, so I will try to keep the info coming.
Cheers.
Crew Chief
Brian
Starting from the rear as a result from no time recorded from the time trails. In the first heat Luke made his way to 4th. The 2nd heat didn't go to well as we would have liked as I had miss read the track and had way too much drive in the car. With some adjustments Luke salvaged a 6th place finish in the last heat.
Sunday saw us reset the suspension on the car with some valued assistance from Des and Nathan Disney (NSW 11) and Mick Lewis. With another 6th place finish in the dash put us off starting posistion14 in the A main. A 20 car field stood on the gas at the green flag (A sound that must of shook Mildura town ship) and all hell broke loose. Nathan Disney got a little loose as he nailed it and turned round in front of the field. Resulting in nine cars spinning on the start line and with Luke from 14th was on the gas as he headed on to the front straight and with the track blocked with stationary cars he had nowhere to go and T boned Kevin Stow (Q17) bending a steering arm and knocking us out for the night. Just a disappointing way to be taken out of the Aussie Title as the team had put in so much effort to get the car ready to race at the title.
The latest news is we ran Horsham on the 12th of February and we had an absolute ball. Both Luke and Mat Crimmins ran wheel to wheel and on three 3 wheels for a crowd pleasing night. We won the first two heats and Mat won the 3rd heat and the feature but only by a small margin as he was tiering. (Photos attached)
Next up for us is the meeting at Mt Gambier in the 12th of March. So for those of you who live down the South East or Country Victoria. Come and see some high powered, very loud and hard racing as we plan to put on a good nights racing for the paying patrons that come through the gates. Also drop down to the pits after the meeting and Say "Hello" to the team as we have some posters that Luke would like to sign for you as memento of the night's racing.
We are making the long trek to Parramatta on the 19th of March for the $5000 to win show, so I will try to keep the info coming.
Cheers.
Crew Chief
Brian
Great Results for the start of 2011
Happy New Year to all. Well at last I have a good report for you. New Years Day at Renmark saw 7 Late Models, 3 from Victoria and 4 from South Australia on a typical Renmark track. Our car (with a neutral setup) lacked a little drive and was a little loose, so the 2nd heat had better results and proved to be a better option in our setup data. Equalling points after 3 heats with Mat Crimmins saw a coin toss for pole position. With one lap down the Vic 95 spun and on the restart we leaped to the lead and stayed there to take the chequered flag making it Luke's first feature win. On Sunday we travelled back to Waikerie where we found similar track conditions. Struggling to find any traction a 3rd place in the first was the best Luke could do. A better draw in the 2nd heat resulted in a win that put us off starting position 2 for the feature. On a black slick track Luke had a hard time trying to get past Mat Crimmins and on aboutlap 15went into turn one red hot and washed up high letting Gary Bryans in the Vic 19 through into 2nd and finishing the race in third place. A great weekend was had by all and I would like to thank Renmark and Waikerie speedways for having us and a special thanks to our Victorian competitors for coming over to compete for the weekend. From Luke, the team and my self have a great New Year and we will see you at the Australian Late Model Title in Mildura on January 21st.
Cheers
Crew Chief
Brian Raymond
Cheers
Crew Chief
Brian Raymond
Special thanks to Michael from JDM Racing Photos for his photography.
Late Model s5 First Outing for the 2010 - 2011 Season
We debut the car at Murray Bridge on Saturday night as part of the program for the Tim Crouch Memorial speedcar race which was the first outing for the new chassis and complete new body work. With a tight car on a rough track, Luke had to work for his money. An issue with a sensitive throttle linkage and a little too much rear bias didn't help much either. We made a slight adjustment for the last run of the night to collect some data on the new car. As we were trying a setup that we had never been able to with the old car but found it to be way too tight so with a couple of turns here and there all should be good for this weekend racing. Of to race at Nyora Speedway in Victoria this weekend on the 340 meter track so we shall see how we go and will let you know how the new car is progressing.
Cheers,
Crew Chief
Brian Raymond.
We debut the car at Murray Bridge on Saturday night as part of the program for the Tim Crouch Memorial speedcar race which was the first outing for the new chassis and complete new body work. With a tight car on a rough track, Luke had to work for his money. An issue with a sensitive throttle linkage and a little too much rear bias didn't help much either. We made a slight adjustment for the last run of the night to collect some data on the new car. As we were trying a setup that we had never been able to with the old car but found it to be way too tight so with a couple of turns here and there all should be good for this weekend racing. Of to race at Nyora Speedway in Victoria this weekend on the 340 meter track so we shall see how we go and will let you know how the new car is progressing.
Cheers,
Crew Chief
Brian Raymond.
Sneak Preview - New Paint Scheme for the 2010 - 2011 Season
Here are the first release photos of the new car livery for the 2010 -2011 season.
Not quite finished just need to do the bonnet but you can get the idea.
More pictures to come and I feel a new fan card design coming from Stephen at SP Visual & Hoolagators.
We proudly support Luke and the race team as we know that the best is still to come from Luke.
Not quite finished just need to do the bonnet but you can get the idea.
More pictures to come and I feel a new fan card design coming from Stephen at SP Visual & Hoolagators.
We proudly support Luke and the race team as we know that the best is still to come from Luke.
Cheers,
Crew Chief
Brian Raymond.
Crew Chief
Brian Raymond.
New Chassis - New Paint Scheme - Primed & Ready for the 2010 - 2011 Season
Well the (no time) off season is over and as usual we are behind in our maintenance. The new chassis arrived and now it�s on to get it together in time for our first calendar event on the 6th of November at Renmark Speedway. We have had to make a few changes to some parts to allow for the later model chassis and have fabricated a whole new body and cock pit as shown in the photos. With nearly all new suspension parts this new 2010 Rocket should be a breeze for us to set up and for Luke to drive the s5 into first position. We are all looking forward to this season and will be seeking good results from this new chassis combination. The car also has a complete new colour scheme which Luke has designed and more pictures to come soon.
Cheers,
Crew Chief
Brian Raymond.
Cheers,
Crew Chief
Brian Raymond.
Luke's 2010 Season Finishes On A Low NoteOur season is now over as we had a heavy brush and impact with the wall at Whyalla Speedway (photos show some of the damage). The team has had an issue late in the season with the cars handling and after a few brushes with the outside fence it has been put down to a bad shock absorber on the right rear as it has been good during the heat races but for some unknown reason it goes off after at least half distance in the Feature Races. The Late Model all of a sudeden lays over on the right rear and launches towards the outside fence without warning. Then it will be good for a while and do the same again. The Late Model all of a sudden laying over was caught on camera. The team was chasing it as maybe a set up issue as a possible cause to this. During the off season the shockers are being sent off to be fully rebuilt and dynoed.
We have purchased a new chassis from the United States, from which we will make a jig and be able to repair the old chassis. The new chassis is a 2008 Rocket that has been re jigged with the 2010 updates. With a bit of luck it should be here in about 8 weeks time and we can get stuck into the rebuild for the 2011-2011 season. In other news the rebuilt Chevy power plant is now performing like it should and has caused not further issues and is certainly putting out good power and the torque is great. So a complete check over is all that�s required on the motor in the off season. I will keep you updated with the progress on the new car when it arrives.
Cheers,
Crew Chief
Brian Raymond.
2010 South Australian Late Model Championships - Mildura
Story by Crew Chief: Brian Raymond
Story by Crew Chief: Brian Raymond
The s5 ran well all weekend after the engine went through a rebuild and the addition of a dry sump which has cured the oil surge that the team had started to encounter because of the fast speeds that Luke was now going around end of the track. Luke said the car and motor combination was as strong as or stronger than ever and he was absolutely rapped with the cars performance all weekend.
In the1st heat we started out of position four and went to 2nd on the 1st lap and that is where he finished.
The 2nd heat he was off position five and on lap 5 had just passed the Late Model that was in 3rd to go into 2nd position but was penalised two spots for overtaking on the in field.
Heat 3 Luke started in position four and was held up by slower cars but gained two positions on the last lap and finished a strong 2nd.
By the end of the first night racing Luke five points behind 1st and only two points behind 2nd .
Sunday night continued well as with a front row start Luke showed everyone just how good the Monte Carlo Late Model and how well he can drive a Late Model as he show the field a clean set of heals and cruised home winning by half a lap putting him into 1st in the points. And a guaranteed front row start in the 40 lap feature.
The pole shuffle was a absolute ripper and on the edge of your seats affair with the track hooked up and the drivers were laying down 15.3 second laps. Luke hung back the start of his shuffle to keep the car clean and straight for the feature and to take advantage of the smoother high line by having a start out of position 2. The car was on rails and with Nathan Disney on pole and not looking like backing off in turn one Luke chose to roll off the throttle and drop back to 3rd position. Luke sat there patiently for 26 laps watching the front running cars get slower as the track went rutty and hooky as the race progressed. And just as Luke was about to looked for the outside run, the left font spindle and steer arm began to part company causing him to clip the wall. The car slowed and he went back a spot but it didn�t seem too bad to drive so he kept his boot in gas and began to reel in the front runners again. All looked well and as long as he held it on 3 wheels and the car was very fast. On lap 32 disaster struck when the steering arm broke on the back straight spearing Luke into the fence with enough pace to climb the wall and show the crowd what the under side of a late model looks like. Still not fazed Luke nailed it again and as before found that by holding the front left wheel in the air the car still went hard, but as he turned into turn 1 it headed for the wall again so Luke called it quits.
In the1st heat we started out of position four and went to 2nd on the 1st lap and that is where he finished.
The 2nd heat he was off position five and on lap 5 had just passed the Late Model that was in 3rd to go into 2nd position but was penalised two spots for overtaking on the in field.
Heat 3 Luke started in position four and was held up by slower cars but gained two positions on the last lap and finished a strong 2nd.
By the end of the first night racing Luke five points behind 1st and only two points behind 2nd .
Sunday night continued well as with a front row start Luke showed everyone just how good the Monte Carlo Late Model and how well he can drive a Late Model as he show the field a clean set of heals and cruised home winning by half a lap putting him into 1st in the points. And a guaranteed front row start in the 40 lap feature.
The pole shuffle was a absolute ripper and on the edge of your seats affair with the track hooked up and the drivers were laying down 15.3 second laps. Luke hung back the start of his shuffle to keep the car clean and straight for the feature and to take advantage of the smoother high line by having a start out of position 2. The car was on rails and with Nathan Disney on pole and not looking like backing off in turn one Luke chose to roll off the throttle and drop back to 3rd position. Luke sat there patiently for 26 laps watching the front running cars get slower as the track went rutty and hooky as the race progressed. And just as Luke was about to looked for the outside run, the left font spindle and steer arm began to part company causing him to clip the wall. The car slowed and he went back a spot but it didn�t seem too bad to drive so he kept his boot in gas and began to reel in the front runners again. All looked well and as long as he held it on 3 wheels and the car was very fast. On lap 32 disaster struck when the steering arm broke on the back straight spearing Luke into the fence with enough pace to climb the wall and show the crowd what the under side of a late model looks like. Still not fazed Luke nailed it again and as before found that by holding the front left wheel in the air the car still went hard, but as he turned into turn 1 it headed for the wall again so Luke called it quits.
Speedway City Virginia 09/01/10
Luke did some demonstration laps on the Speedway City clay way as a chance to bed in the new set of rings in his rebuilt Chevrolet power plant. The Monte Carlo Late Model looked and sounded great on the track as Luke gave us a small indication of the cars power and potential to be very competitive over the weekend of Jan 30th where they will be next appearing at the Mildura Speedway. There have been quite a few nominations received from interstate teams which should give the fans a good nights action, the thrills and spills that Late Model Racing can produce.
Timmins Speedway Mildura 28/11/09
We picked our new Chevy power plant at 4.00 pm on Friday 27th and took it home fitted and fired it at about 8.00pm only to discover the fuel pump had had cried enough. So a trip to OSE Saturday morning took care of that and we got to Timmins Speedway
Cheers,
Crew Chief
Brian Raymond.
25/09/09- 2009-2010 Season Update
The 2009-2010 season calendar is out and as always we are running behind.
The new 400ci bowtie 18deg head 700hp engine is almost ready and a special thanks to Brenton at Auto Techniques.
Chad Signs is no longer in Adelaide and we have taken over his vinyl signs equipment and we have done the graphics ourselves.
Luke has done a great job with the new look paint work and signage on the Chevy Monte Carlo SS Late Model.
This combined with us moving and finances has set us back about a month or so and we will be ready to race when the season starts.
We are looking forward to a more competitive season in both our performance and with the addition of more Mildura meetings and possibly more cars joining this class. You will see a good nights racing for the ever growing group of spectators.
This season the team will be focusing on building onto our resources with our stocks of tyres, suspension parts etc. while continuing to collect data on car setup and track compatibility.
The new 400ci bowtie 18deg head 700hp engine is almost ready and a special thanks to Brenton at Auto Techniques.
Chad Signs is no longer in Adelaide and we have taken over his vinyl signs equipment and we have done the graphics ourselves.
Luke has done a great job with the new look paint work and signage on the Chevy Monte Carlo SS Late Model.
This combined with us moving and finances has set us back about a month or so and we will be ready to race when the season starts.
We are looking forward to a more competitive season in both our performance and with the addition of more Mildura meetings and possibly more cars joining this class. You will see a good nights racing for the ever growing group of spectators.
This season the team will be focusing on building onto our resources with our stocks of tyres, suspension parts etc. while continuing to collect data on car setup and track compatibility.
Just a sneak preview of what the new seasons paint scheme will be and more pictures to come as the season kicks of and I can't wait to see the finished livery of Lukes new paint scheme.
Dave G.
To Find Out Where Luke will be Racing in 2011 - 2012
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