John Kilroy Footbrake Challenge & Mark Sarver Memorial 1/8th Mile Shootout

01 July 2018 Bremerton, WA – A bigger weekend would be hard pressed to find with the grounds packed for the John Kilroy Footbrake Challenge, the Mark Sarver Memorial 1/8th mile shootout and shootouts for the bikes and Jr’s.

190 entries divided into two groups going after the big money this event grown into since started a few years back. Hosted by the Sears Family Racing with a slew of sponsors this “one” day event could morph into a “two” day event with entrust growing rapidly as the first race had just under a couple dozen, can you say a ten-fold growth in just a few short years.

The idea of nothing but your brakes holding you on the line is every bit of “old school” racing, no trans brake and all electronics turned off or zeroed out to even have a dragster entered running with the door cars.

In what had to be everybody’s photo op every time he came to the line Jake Guadagnolo traveled from Linden, Ca. some 17+ hrs. to Bremerton Raceway toting his bumper dragging 70 Nova. Only going a few rounds in the footbrake race he redeemed himself putting on a show round after round in Pro and Super Pro on Sunday coming ever so close to winning both, in the end taking the trophy in S/P. In his words “I love this place and am coming back next year and bringing my friends with me”.

To cap off Saturday just hours before sundown a “wedding” broke out for Joe Grahm and Kathy Strong to say their “I Do’s” on the starting line. Congrats to the newlyweds.
Ending the day with the “Rolling Stones Concert Experience” put on a show back in the “Cul-De-Sac” racing pits, great way to end the day with great music.

Saturday’s winners are Jess Dale in Super Street, Emmett McKillop in Super Comp, Lane Cavar in the Sarver 1/8th. Mi. Shootout, FB Blue Peter Oliviero, FB Red Brandon Reaves, Footbrake Champion Peter Oliviero, Jr. Shootout Cooper Chun.

Sunday had the Bremerton Raceway E.T. Series in full swing with many of the “footbrake” racers now back in their normal race trim, IE trans brakes and electronics. In addition, the unfinished races from the National Open were also held with Tony Arthur getting the “Wally” in Super Comp and Todd Sims getting his “Wally” in Super Street, congrats to both on adding to the “trophy” case.

Sunday’s results are Jess Dale in Super Street, Tony Arthur in Super Comp, Jake Guadagnolo in Super Pro, Jim Were in Motorcycle, Gary Howe Jr. in Pro, Renea Berger in Sportsman, Sean Ryland in Jr. Street,Maurice Castro in H.S., Kort Holbrook in Jr. Thunder, Ian Theofelis in Jr. Lightning, Isabell Boardway in 2nd Chance Thunder and Jiovanni Collecchi in 2nd Chance Lightning.

Only Super Comp and Super Street were completed, stay tuned to details for the final rounds for the other classes.

Tons of images broken out into multiple albums – click here to go to them.

A Bremerton Weekend

02 July 2017 Bremerton, WA – Overcoming adversity. When machines break down in the factory where one line depends on another to function troubleshooting becomes the action. In the older days it was kind of easy, did the belt come off? Did it become unplugged? Is something jamming it? All easy to look for and fix if that was the issue.

Now days with computers and electrical parts are combined the task is not as easy. Multi-meters, and computer error codes are what you are looking at to find the source of what has stopped everything from working. In what amounts to better than a half a mile of wires and sensors finding the issue can be a daunting task.

Saturday was that day for Bremerton Raceway and their staff. Error codes on the computer system helps narrow it down but with so many things connected to each other, is it this one or that one? In what amounted to better than an eight-hour search and find and re-place the timing system is back running.

Now what was to be a “race” day has turned into a test and tune operation to run the system making sure everything worked properly. That now out of the way part two of overcoming adversity day.

Saturday and Sunday are “two” separate races, with the exception of the super comp and super street racers, they have one each day. The “heads” got together and moved the Sunday event to a new date and moved all Saturday to Sunday. This move created a “first” for the SC and SST racers as it is now a “double header”.

Two complete races in one day. For the “two” winners, that’s right I did say two they may want to have them all this way.

In Super Comp class Emmett McKillop grabbed both trophies in his ’14 M&M dragster. In the Super Street class Todd Sims powered his red ’66 Nova to the top putting a trophy in each hand.

Now to what was the “event” of the weekend. What started as “The John Kilroy Footbrake Race” now slated as the “Northwest Independence Shootout” brought 119 racers from near and far to get a pile of “cash”, and a “hand-made” trophy at the end of racing. The keyword here is “footbrake”. No Trans brake, nothing but your foot on the brakes.

Put on by the Sears Family Racing with help from many more this race has grown huge. Four thousand to the winner, two thousand to the runner-up, not a bad payday for nine rounds of racing. The total payout money nearly touched “ten thousand” dollars.

When money is involved the racers will come to try and put it in their pockets. I have to say watching a car that normally runs off a trans-brake switch to his foot instead of his finger really shows what “footbrake” racing is all about. Rett Berteilotti in his “first” attempt at this style of racing became a new passion in his own words “this is fun”. It was so much fun to him that “he” claimed the “runner-up” cash and trophy and stated, “I’ll be back next year” for more of this “fun” racing.

To the big winner we go and is not a newcomer to putting the cash in his pocket. Pulling this off in 2015 Dustin Ward did it again. His hard launching “hemi” yanking the front tires off the track just keeps on going this time after having to “buy” back into the race after beating all the other buybacks. The big fella knows his race car like a “glove” and the red Dart fits him like one. Thinking this may be a fluke winning two out of the past three, think again. Dustin has put the car in many a “winners circle” around the Northwest.

In the “Shootout” classes Mark Cavar driving the dragster for the first time this season got the win in the electronics 1/8th mile racing. The motorcycle shootout Jim Were and his ’12 Kawasaki made it to the winner’s circle. For the Jr’s in a combined class race Cooper Chun from Vancouver, Wa. Running out of the Jr. Lightning class claimed the trophy. Congrats to all the winners and hope to see you at next years race.

Lots of great images for both days of action – click here to go to the event gallery, where images are organized into two sections, one for the Test-N-Tune, and one for Sunday.