5/4/02

Ford Motor Company Crew Wins Second Straight F-USA Main on the VOR.

The Quality Checked Certified Pre-Owned Ford Racing Team made a second consecutive appearance at a Formula USA Pro Singles event, this time contesting the battle at the infamous Devil's Bowl in Mesquite, Texas, a half-mile banked oval.

Conditions were less than optimum, with moisture content changing throughout the program as the track crew battled the oppressive Texas heat and the thirsty local clay surface, but the QCCPOV team of Carr, Kenny Tolbert and Travis Smith made the best of it and put the VOR in front for the second straight race, winning easily after passing local hero Terry Poovey just past halfway.

Springfield is next on the schedule with the second annual Springfield TT and the venerable Springfield Mile fast approaching over the Memorial Day weekend.


"We won again. Well, we had to work a little harder for this one at the Devil's Bowl. The night started out pretty good. The track was really, really dry and dusty in qualifying. But the Devil's Bowl dirt has a aversion to moisture at times - it makes things a little greasy - especially when the sun is going down while they put the water on it.

"We had us a different racetrack for the heat race. We weren't really set up for it, however we were able to come from a fourth place start and move up to second - but JR Schnabel was pretty much gone and away from us. We really didn't have anything for him in the heat race.

"We made a few changes for the main event, allowed the bike to work a little bit better and run a bit stronger, and sure enough I got another lousy start.

"I was seventh, I think, after the first lap. I started picking guys off, and found myself behind Terry Poovey at about the halfway point. I worked on him for about three or four laps and was able to make a clean pass on the inside through turns three and four. We were able to get away from him at that point.

"I've always gone pretty good at the Devil's Bowl, and I knew we had a chance to beat him (Poovey), no matter what everybody else said.

"All in all, it was a great night for the Quality Checked Certified Pre-Owned Ford Racing Team, and another great showing for the VOR brand. It validates last week, and shows that the VOR is no fluke."

What's the VOR like to ride?

"It's not as easy as it looks. It's kind of like a two-stroke - the power comes on hard all the way to 10,500 rpm, then when you let off, it is still accelerating - it brings the rear end around right as you enter the corner because it is still pulling hard. It sounds really cool when you shut off going into the corner, just like a two-stroke."


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