SONOMA RACEWAY
   

" Gone are the days of an easy win; gone are the days of when any one person can run away with an event. Racing is now a head to head battle of power, set-up, skill and whit. Every one thousandth of a second now seems like an eternity and is the difference between winning and losing. When it comes down to it, gone are the days of this sport being a hobby for it is now not only a job and a passion, but somewhat of an obsession. Being able to be a part of this culture event called sport compact drag racing is an honor and a pleasure and something that we here at Golden Eagle Mfg. take very seriously, and it show with our great family of drivers and teams.

 
  Hot Rod
JJ Olson ( JJ Olson Racing ) - All I can say is Congratulations!! JJ took home his first ever wally this weekend with a well earned win in the Hot Rod class. It was only a week ago when JJ first broke into the 8's and now seems to have the combination locked down. JJ qualified with an 8.997 @ 160.35 putting him in the number 6 position with 4 tenths of a second separating him from the #1 qualifier . It seemed like an all up hill battle for JJ. Round 1 put JJ against Andrew Bermea and JJ took the win light with a 9.135 @ 154.94. Round 2 was the race JJ was dreading by having to run the number one qualifier Kenny Tran. Luck was on JJ's side as he ran a 9.027 @158.07 while Kenny was battered with problems and broke. Round 3 JJ found himself with a bye run into the finals to face up against Bruce Mortensen in the Venom car. It was a race in the finals as JJ squeezed by Bruce running a 9.129 @ 158.28 to Bruce's 9.374 @ 167.78. JJ had the fairy tale ending and was very excited to take home his first NHRA win. We are all very proud of JJ and we hope he continues his success!!! Congrats and thanks for taking Golden Eagle Mfg. to a Hot Rod Victory! Bruce Mortensen ( Team Venom ) - Bruce qualified number 4 running an 8.779 @ 167.14. Bruce then made it to the finals where he fell to JJ. We thank Team Venom for the continued support of Golden Eagle Mfg. and the dedication to the sport itself. All the Venom 4 cyl.'s use Golden Eagle Mfg. exclusively for their engine blocks. We are proud to be part of such a great race team!!!

 

All Motor
Heather O'Conner ( Team Venom ) - Heather qualified number 12 out of 16 with an 11.553 @ 113.85. Heather made it all the way to the semi-finals where she was eliminated by the number one qualifier. Heather ran a weekend best of 11.197 @ 117.84 in round 1 of eliminations. We know that Team Venom will continue to make Heather's car go faster as she is also bettering her skills as a driver. We are confident to see some great times from the Venom all-motor car in the future.
Nick Novak ( Saturn Motorsports ) - Nick finally got his big motor together and is now in the process of ironing out all the bugs and getting the car to be consistent and reliable. Nick qualified number 9 running an 11.372 @ 120.20. Nick made it past the first round of eliminations as he took the win in round 1. Unfortunately nick was up against the number one qualifier in round 2 and was eliminated. We look forward to seeing the Golden Eagle Mfg. sponsored all motor car of Saturn Motorsports get faster and faster as every race passes. Great job to Nick and Kerry for the enthusiasm and dedication to racing. We are rooting for you!! Last, but definitely not least,

 

  Pro FWD
Lisa Kubo ( Saturn Motorsports ) - What else can we say. Lisa is on a roll. When we had the opportunity to be a part of this team, we didn't even hesitate. The Golden Eagle Mfg. sponsored Pro FWD car of Saturn Motorsports seems to amaze and astonish every time it hits the track. Lisa Qualified number 5 running an 8.918 @ 177.32 which is a little off her mark. The race that seemed to capture everyone's attention was during Lisa's run in round number 2 of eliminations where she found herself running 8.304 @ 188.33 This puts the Pro FWD class in the running not only for the 7 second barrier, but also for the 200 MPH zone. Congrats to Lisa making it to the finals and we are sure to see some more amazing things from this car.
Ed Bergenholtz ( Bergenholtz Racing ) - Ed told the world not to count him out of the running as he qualified number 4 running 8.572 @ 170.11. This put Ed up against fellow Golden Eagle Mfg. sponsored Lisa Kubo in round 1 of eliminations. Ed gave it his all but the Mazda 6 just doesn't have the power needed due to an insufficient cylinder head which Ed says will be fixed before the next race. There is no doubt in our minds that Ed will go faster. With a good head on top of the Golden Eagle Mfg. built block, the car will definitely be a fierce competitor in the Pro FWD class. We are rooting for you Ed and I can't wait to get the new head on and be able to make some real H.P.!!!
Charles Madrid ( Team Bergenholtz ) - What else can we say, Charles is one of a kind. He must have thought that he was at a drifting event as he went for his first and second qualifying runs. With the track not quite up to par, the Golden Eagle Mfg. sponsored CRX was like being on a wild ride as in round 1 it swerved into the opposite lane and nearly hit his competitor all while running a low 9 sec. pass. Round 2 was no better as Charles drifted toward the wall making his team mates s#!t their pants thinking he hit the wall. Anyone that saw that run has to agree with me that Charles is one hell of a driver. Going completely sideways toward the wall and having to pull the chute to get the car straight all while running a 9.039 @ 160.69!!!! Great driving kept the car from being a big pile of wasted metal. Charles qualified number 6 on that run. He was eliminated in round 1 by the GM team. The CRX is the oldest race car in the Pro FWD class and is still loved by all that see it. We hope to have that car running faster than it's best 8.7 very soon. Great job Charles!

All in all it was a great weekend. I would personally like to thank all my sponsored drivers and teams for their hard work and dedication to Golden Eagle Mfg. To John from M&H tires, you are the best!!! Thanks for your help, we would not be running as fast without your superior product and your advice!!! I would also like to thank Team GM for being such a great group of guys to be racing with. All of the teams and spectators in Sonoma were great and we hope you enjoyed the event. We hope to see you guys in NJ in a couple of weeks. Have a great time racing and be safe."