Grandbend Motorplex was a buzz with the sounds of Summer as competitors made their way to the famed drag strip, most for the first time this season as a host of well known racers came out to test their machines on Saturday’s Media Day.

The Motorplex offers free testing for all Top Sportsman/Top Dragster competitors as well as any Pro racers that want to come out and take a shot at the superbly prepped racing surface. Along with Pro testing there was also a Thunder Series points race as well as the first CanAm Stock/Super Stock race of the year. A new car that will see action in Super Stock was that of J.R and Monica Taylor. This FJ Smith built 35th Anniversary Camaro is definitely a quality piece. From its nicely detailed interior to the 502 crate motor sitting under the hood, nothing was overlooked during the build up of this beauty. Unfortunately J.R's beautiful ride was ousted early. Rob Becker and Rob Carpenter both had their wild wheelstanding Camaro’s in action too. Brian Clayton, Colin Wigle, Steve Novosel, just to name a few. It was an impressive field for the opening race of the season.

Some of the notable cars testing amongst the Pro ranks were Tim Martin, who’s wild Blown Altered was on hand making some shake down passes. Martin’s 5 second ride is For Sale for anyone that thinks they can tame the Bad Ass Altered. Tom Bene had his new Top Sportsman Camaro out as well. The car was beautifully done in orange with white racing stripes. The carbon fibre interior is equally as impressive. A 7.12 at 189mph is a sign that the team will be ready for the upcoming season. Darryl McMillen was another familiar face from Top Sportsman getting some test hits in before the Spring BlowOut at Grandbend Motorplex. McMillen acquired an already proven 63 Split window Vette during the off season and decided to step it up a notch this season opting to spray his 632ci powerplant. Wayne Nielsen will be staying busy in 2008 running his Lumina in a variety of classes. Having run Top Sportsman and Quick 8 in the past, Pro Mod is the next logical step for the team. Nielsen will be looking to improve on the already impressive numbers he has been laying down during testing. On their second test session the team was able to stop the clocks in 6.87 seconds at 204mph but it looked like there is a lot left in it. Jeff Roth, who is well known for his wild Fiat bodied Altered, has also stepped it up for 2008 running a wicked 57 Che vy BelAir Pro Modified. Al Hinds was also at the Bend making some hits with his new Quaker State sponsored Pro Mod Corvette. A pair of Alcohol Funny cars were on the grounds testing. Dylan Hache was behind the wheel of the For Wheels Auto Care funny car and TJ Schippling piloted the Kon Rodz Racing funny car. Ike Maier had his Pro Mod 69 Camaro launching hard in hopes of getting the set up dialed in for the first PMRA race of the 2008 season. One notable Top Sportsman test pass of the day was that of Darrin Grubb, piloting the 2003 Grubb Racing Cavalier. The team ran a best of 8.00 in 2007 and placed second in T/S points after holding the #1 spot right up until the last race of the season. On their second pass in 2008 the team ran their first ever 7 second pass posting a 7.75 at 176mph.

Along with all the Pro testing and high flying action of the Stock/Super Stocks, there was also a large number of Jr. Dragster competitors. The popular 7.90 class has had an influx of racers and has proven to be a very popular class for kids to compete in.

Be sure to check out the Grandbend website for a full list of the Thunder Series winners as well as information on the heavily anticipated Jet Warz at the Bend, Victoria Day Weekend, May 16-18.

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