Brazil Racing 5/19/2000

A day at the Sacramento Drags with Brazil Racing
5/19/2000

Brazil Racing
Blown Alcohol Dragster

Owners: Jerry and Betty Brazil, Eureka, California
Driver: Brad Hansen, Washington
Crew: Tommy, Jon, Paul
Innocent bystanders: Becky, Kaci and Mariah Mela - Shannon and Rob Elsemore

We arrived just as the crew was coming back from the pre-race weigh in.	Shannon, Becky, Kaci and Mariah enjoyed the nearby shade.	Tom's dog Emmy Lou dealt with all of the noise and commotion quite well.	Our friend Dave Koskela built several components for the Brazil car.
Jerry, Brad and Jon discuss some top secret racing strategies.	Brad gets ready to fire the engine and warm it up.	While running, the engine gets hot and the throttle body gets cold.	Jon stands ready with the deicer for the throttle body.
Jerry keeps an ear and an eye out for any problems.	After a few minor adjustments, Betty buttons the "skin" back on.	Tommy gives a hand with fastening the body from the other side.	Jon verifies the motor oil level after the warm up.
The nitro car next door also decided to warm up. They're VERY loud. Ask Mariah.	The Brazil car leaves the pits and heads for the staging area.	The car gets towed to the starting line before it is started again.	Betty helps Brad get suited up at the staging area.
Dang! The dog chewed a big hole in my sleeve! (just kidding) ;-)	The temp was 90 plus and the tires needed covering.	Betty buckled Brad into the cockpit just moments before the burnout.	Have I mentioned the Sacramento heat? It was HOT!
Jerry leaned in for a last minute discussion with Brad.	Time for the burnout. Jerry guides the car out onto the track.	The burnout and the start of the run are videotaped for future analysis.	And he's off! It all happens so quickly.
After the run, the car waits to be towed back to the pits.	The intake and exhaust immediately get covered to prevent dirt entry.	Kaci watches from the safety of the tow vehicle.	Before returning to the pits, the car must be weighed again.
Once back in the pits, the engine gets a minor teardown and thorough inspection.	Brad evaluates the computer data from the last run.	The inspection revealed one scorched main bearing and a possible crack in the block.	40 minutes later the engine was dismantled and out of the car.
	We called it quits around 10:15 PM. A fresh engine was installed the following morning and the next two runs were very successful. The picture/page names (i.e.: brazil23b) correspond to the negative number if you are interested in ordering regular 4x6 prints or enlargements. E-mail us at home@elsemore.com Shannon and Rob Elsemore