Team hopes to make its mark in upcoming drag racing season with turbocharged Cobalt Top Sportsman
ABERFOYLE, ONTARIO (April 15, 2011) – He is not afraid of a challenge, and Quick 32 Sportsman Series competitor Fred DeJonge knows he will have his hands full when his 2008 Chevy Cobalt takes to the track this season.The DGR DeJonge Goddard Racing entry will be sporting a pair of 88-millimeter turbochargers on the 585-cubic inch Chevy big-block, and he is looking forward to not only the challenge with the new combination, but learning a whole new set of rules for going racing.
"To me this is one of the most intriguing and cool setups," he said. "It should be easy on engine parts and produce high horsepower levels."
DeJonge has raced for a few years, starting with street-based cars and building faster cars. He drove in the Quick 32 Sportsman Series part of last season, and then handed over the driving duties to Frank Goddard of Guelph, Ontario. The black Top Sportsman entry always qualified well in the pack, and the season was highlighted with a division runner-up finish during the season's third race, the Canadian Nitro Nationals at Cayuga Dragway.
DeJonge said he wanted to take a different approach from the nitrous-powered car of last season, and has spent the off-season building and preparing the twin-turbo engine.
Behind the new engine in the Jerry Bickel Race Cars product is a Wayne Sipos-inspired Powerglide transmission.
"Our main goal is to go fast," noted Goddard, who has raced for about 20 years, starting with an 11-second Vega. "We'll be doing a lot of tweaking and playing with it," he added. "Now we're going at it with more finesse."Goddard added that the turbocharged setup is still relatively new in drag racing, and a whole new approach is necessary for driving, as the turbos spool up the engine to create horsepower rather than generate the instant response from a supercharged-powered engine.
DeJonge will crew chief for the team, and will be assisted by Luke DeJonge, Colin Penney, Darren Skiza, Kelsey and Sam. He also wanted to thank his wife Lisa for her support.
DeJonge said the car and the team will be ready for the opening round of the Quick 32 Sportsman Series, the Victoria Day Weekend Challenge May 20-22 at the Cayuga Dragway of Toronto Motorsports Park.
"This series is awesome," he said. "It has brought a lot of cars out of the woodwork, and has made for full fields of cars."
