07/07/07 - Englishtown, NJ - All ohh-sevens for today's The Vette Doctors Pro 8 Shootout presented by Carroll's Rod and Racecraft. We were luck to get a better turnout for this weekend's race than last race. Four of our faithful heads-up racers in the single digits came out to do battle. For the first time, Michael Conway was going all out in the series as he just got his license signed off this week and that was all he needed to open it up. Bill Maloney was back from vacation and ready for action. Mark Shaw had his ride back together and was present and accounted for. The big one, Paul Major, was back with a fresh new paint job, still Silver but sporting a thick Orange stripe down the center front to back. These four men would battle it out for the title in the Pro 8 Shootout.
For today's Corvette Challenge bracket results click here.
Qualifying
Mark Shaw took the number one position with the '70 Monza Red Corvette with 511 cid motor and nitrous oxide getting it down the quarter to the tune of 9.580 146.24. He would be followed by Conway in the '97 Torch Red Corvette also sporting the laughing gas. This would be his first official nine-second pass in the Pro 8 and was in the second spot with a 9.680 @ 140.18. Paul Major would follow with the some tire blowing turbo power with only a 9.881 @ 153.07. Maloney’s attempt to qualify, while quick enough, was thrown out as his car lurched toward the wall and cross the out of bounds line disqualifying the pass so he needed to make the next one count to get in the field.
Maloney was straighter on this pass and clocked a 9.009 @ 166.87 to capture the number one position from Mark Shaw. Though bumped to the number two spot by Maloney, Shaw picked up some ET improving his qualifying time to a 9.394 @ 147.15. Conway held the three spot now and did not improve on his second pass. Major would hold the forth spot with his first round qualifying time.
Runner-up Mark Shaw
From L to R, Mike Conway, Runner-up Mark Shaw, Ben Shaw, Edgar Perez, Winner Bill Maloney, Maloney's dad, Joey. Rear L to R, Brian Hemmerly, Carmen Melillo and Dennis Hemmerly (The Vette Doctors
Winner Bill Maloney
Photo by Mike Roberts
Round 1
First pair on the track would be the Mark Shaw (2) vs. Mike Conway (3) in the two red Vettes. Shaw won the season opener and was looking for more after missing the show in the second race. Conway got out first with a .140 reaction time and Shaw trailed with a .223 when the .400 Pro Tree lit to get them started. Shaw's 511 cid motor proved to be too much for Conway's as he was able to take the win with a better ET of 9.383 @ 147.05 to Conway's 138.41. The next pair was the Black Corvette Coupe of Maloney's (1) vs. the Silver Z06 of Paul Major (4). Don't let the number qualifying position fool you, we all know Major has a lot more left in that 106 MM turbo car. Both these cars are similar with the turbos but Maloney sports the smaller 88mm version and standard Corvette independent rear suspension while Major, 106mm, sports the an f-body solid axle suspension. As the pair lined up for the race, spooling the turbos and carefully staging, Major's car jumped. Apparently he let go of the trans-brake too early and was off the line before the tree was activated. Maloney distracted by the jump, was late on the tree but it did not matter as it ended up being a single. He crossed the line with the first 8-second pass of the day with an 8.615 @ 169.19 mph.
Round 2 - The Final
So it would be Shaw (2) and Maloney (1) in the final as it should be. Maloney with the quicker pass in the prior round had the lane choice and went with left lane as the right had been troublesome today for most. Shaw was out of the gate first again with a .179 reaction time and Maloney would have to make up the ground with a .264 RT. Neither driver was able to keep under power and they had to peddle to keep them straight and going at all. As Shaw fought to keep the lead you can hear the whistle of the turbo and the boost building and the Black Corvette catching him. The turbo would take the win by a margin of .156. Maloney would cross the finish line with a 9.383 @ 147.05 and Shaw at 0.968 @ 138.41 which was not enough.
Congratulations to Bill Maloney on taking the win. This was a repeat of the final from the first Pro 8 of the season and this time he was able take the win. The event win also vaulted him in the standings above Paul Major into the second spot while Shaw takes the points lead. This is important because only the 1st and 2nd place drivers will be invited to perform in the 27th ANNUAL P.C. RICHARD & SON ALL AMERICAN JET CAR NATIONALS at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park, Englishtown, NJ. The event will be held on Wednesday night August 8, 2007. You should plan on attending to support our series and our racers while taking in one of the greatest shows in the automotive performance industry.
Awards and Payouts Today
Winner Bill Maloney earned a payout of $100 cash and a trophy
Runner-up Mark Shaw earned a payout of $50 cash and a trophy
Number 1 Qualifier Bill Maloney received a plaque for his 9.009 qualifying run
Mark Shaw received the Best Reaction Time plaque for the best winning reaction time in the first round at .223
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