SOROKIN WINS GOVERNOR'S CUP
Adam Sorokin drove Bobby McLennan’s Champion Speed Shop dragster to a second consecutive win in Nostalgia Top Fuel Dragster at Sacramento Raceway Park’s 43rd Annual Governor’s Cup. Coming on the heels of his win last month in Boise, this victory vaulted Sorokin past Jim Young into first place in the point standings. With one event remaining on the 2012 Heritage series schedule, Sorokin has opened up a 61 point lead over number two Rick Williamson. Should Adam earn 58 points at the California Hot Rod Reunion in October, the team from South San Francisco would mathematically eliminate Williamson to win his second Hot Rod Heritage Series nostalgia top fuel dragster title.
When Champion Speed Shop and Adam Sorokin won the 2010 top fuel dragster title, they did it with a hemi-designed power plant. A Chevy-powered top fuel dragster has never won a HS championship, and Sorokin’s dragster is a mere 377 cid hybrid SBC. Bobby McLennan’s last championship season with a SBC came in 2001 with Rance McDaniel at the wheel. Affectionately called “The Batmobile”, McLennan’s current Stirling/Davidson dragster is reviving those glory days of 1999-2001 when Sammy Hale and McDaniel drove for Bobby and dominated the class with their SBC Stirling dragster.
At the Governor’s Cup, Sorokin wasted little time establishing that he had the car to beat when he ran 5.826 in the first pair of Q1, slowing to only 206.08 when the engine decided it needed to eject two rods out of the block. Rick White and Chuck Neal were right there, too, with a 5.836; followed by Boise runner up Rick Williamson at 5.921. The final qualifying after two runs Saturday was as follows:
1. Adam Sorokin: 5.826/206.08
2. Rick White: 5.836/245.84
3. Rick Williamson: 5.921/251.51
4. Terry Cox: 5.926/240.05
5. Jim Murphy: 6.022/207.32
6. Brendan Murry: 6.291/220.45
7. Mendy Fry: 8.487/88.58
An engine swap prevented Sorokin from making a second qualifier, but Adam got a single in E1 courtesy of his number one qualifying position. In the next pair, Terry Cox served notice that he would not be going quietly when he smacked down a 5.943 on Jim Murphy to oust the 2011 Governor’s Cup winner. Rick White then ran low e.t. of the event with a 5.822 to overwhelm a hapless Mendy Fry; and, Rick Williamson took a solo run when Brendan Murry failed to make the call. With the top four qualifiers all moving on, E2 was set for what turned out to be a doozy of a round. Sorokin started it off with a 5.831 to eliminate Cox despite doing a sublime imitation of “Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride” down the right lane. Then, Williamson showed that there was nothing wrong with the left lane either when he sprung a 5.867/259.79 pass to down Rick White. In the final round, Adam’s “mouse” snatched the cheese by leaving first (.040 to .086), evading Rick’s Rodeck trap, roaring all the way to the winner’s circle with a tasty 5.836 run.
Sharing the spotlight with the top fuel dragsters was a full field of the West Coast Outlaw Pro Mods (WCOPM), the Pro Slammers Door Car Association (PSDCA), 7.0 Pro, Pacific Pro Comp, West Coast Pro Gas, and for the first time at SRP, True 10.5 and Outlaw 8.5 racers. Testament to the close and thrilling racing at the Governor’s Cup was Rich Roberts’ victory in WCOPM. Roberts eked out a super close win with a 6.227 to defeat Rob Cacioppo’s game 6.232. In PSDCA, Jerry Jahnsen wrapped up the 6.90 Slammers title with a fourth win in the seven event series. Other winners were:
Bob Murphy-7.183 over Leonard Hain-7.207 in 7.0 Pro
Jesse Adams-6.677 over Steve LaBurn-6.73 in Pacific Pro Comp
Ray Dupree-11.57 in True 10.5
D J Reid—5.194 over Tim Rigby-5.797 in Outlaw 8.5
Mike O’Neil—9.022 over Ron Alves-RL in Drag Bikes
Cliff Boyles—8.785 over Miguel Lomas-BO in B/G
Chris Rea—9.617 over Jason Young-BO in C/G
Dan Ficher—10.604 over Mike Troxel Jr.-10.657 in D/G
John Victorino—11.589 over Ken Parks-11.584 in E/G*
Doug Rudd—12.676 over David Rudd-12.745 in F/G
* double breakout
RL-red light
BO-breakout
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