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PDM RACING 510 (Part 3)
Here's Chris again... in goof mode. His
nickname is Ragman. (you can e-mail Don to find out why... hahaha) Chris
owns Proline Collision (604-987-2533) and is a high performance car nut and
motorcycle racing fanatic. He can only be labelled HARDCORE and HYPER. A
true friend and the best man at Don's wedding. |
The car was campaigned from 1992 through
1995 in the Nasport West GT3 and GT4 series. In those seasons, it raced at
Seattle International Raceway, Portland International, ThunderHill, Sears
Point, Laguna Seca, Willow Springs, and locally at Mission Raceways, Knox
Mountain and the Molson Indy Street course. The response of this car is beyond
imagination. It stops on a dime, turns in as fast as you can think and pulls
lateral G forces that would make most people physically sick. Words can't
explain what it feels like to drift the car off the apex at 80mph in a controlled
four wheel drift as you accelerate and grab two more gears. |
Inside B.C. Place Stadium for the 1993
Molson Indy SCCBC Sedan Race. How many times does an amateur team get to
compete in a support race for the Cart cars, Indy Lights and Formula Atlantics?
Jeff and Chris do a NBC. (Nut and Bolt Check) |
Don's dazed as he rushes to push the
car out for qualifying. He placed third overall this year, first in his class.
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Cool shot of the car braking and turning
in to the hairpin on the Indy course in the 1994 race. The in-car video footage
is like a video game - Don passes 144 cars during the race. |
Here's a classic shot of the 510 flat
and squatting, compared to an ACR Neon that's lifting its hind wheel.
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This race was one of the highlights
of Don's racing career. He came from thirty-fourth on the grid (had a fire
in qualifying) to pass 144 cars and finish third overall, first in class.
He was on cloud nine when he finished the race. |
Here's success going to his head! Haha...
signing autographs before a race. |
Good friend and crewchief Brent Wilson
and friend/starter Barb Moewes prior to the race. |
Don did as many car shows with the 510
as he could fit into his schedules. Here's the last All Nissan Show at the
B.C. Museum of Flight and Transportation. Shot of the car with its panels
on, and with them off. |
This is an interior shot. The car now
runs Autometer Procomp guages. Note the removable steering wheel with the
push-to-talk button on the spoke (the headset and mic is built into th helmet).
The orange round knob behind the steering wheel is the Tilton adjuster for
brake bias. The light above the adjuster is the low oil pressure light (later
switched to oil pressure and water temperature warning lights too). Above
the tach is the timer for the cool suit, and the water for drinking. The
car runs a pressurized water bottle, similar to the mountain bike guys only
the driver has to bite the nozzle and it squirts water into his mouth...
good for pace laps, long straights and yellow cautions. The cooler is for
the ice for the cool suit and the fresh air helmet. It's a tight but busy
cockpit, with race temperatures reaching over 180 degrees F! Don burns the
right side of his right foot almost every race - it rubs against the tranny
tunnel, and the heat from the tranny exceeds 240 degrees. |
Don's surprisingly happy after the race....
He won ! Good friend and fellow GT4 racer John Olson is beside Don. Greg
Mostardi smiles beside both racers. |
John gets his "revenge" as he douses
Don with champagne. That's all, Folks! |
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