RPM Magazine Smackdown 4

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Ross Racing Pistons Outlaw class champion Nick Agostino lights the hides in round one of competition.

By Ian Hill

572…. that’s a good round number!

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omentum was building for months leading up to the 2020 RPM Magazine SMACKDOWN4 Powered by Maxima Racing Oil and RM Racing Lubricants with Ross Racing Pistons. Once outdoor commercial events were permitted and lockdowns softened, the SMACKDOWN4 was locked-in!

This event was the flagship for Ian Hill Racing Productions (IHRP) and was scheduled to include heads-up no-time classes plus (for 2020) the final round of the Maxima Racing Oil Canada Heads Up Street Car Shootout Series.

And it would seem by the number of race entries and test session tech cards sold, 572, the September 24-27, 2020 race weekend will go down in the books as the largest race IHRP and its volunteers have ever pro-

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Street275 hitter Rick Tovey driving his dad’s small tire entry purges on his way to another wheels up low 5.50 pass. duced!

As we arrived to the track early Thursday morning, marking the first time IHRP has started a four day event, we found ourselves in a lineup to get in nearly two hours before the scheduled gate opening!

We knew right then we had a great event on our hands.

Having the track surface prepared on Thursday really hit home for our popular

november 2020 | RPM Magazine

Friday test session which saw some of the serious N/T players come out of the woodwork for what would be their first lick at the new St. Thomas Dragway asphalt surface.

Saturday September 25th was all Smackdown!

The RPM Magazine and Maxima Racing Oil racing banners were hung, the starting line area scraped and prepped and our limit

of 100 spectators prepaid long ago were in the house and ready to see some serious heads-up no-time drag race action.

Ross Racing Pistons Outlaw features any door car on a max 33x10.5w slick.

With borders closed to international racers, the area’s quickest street car style doorslammers were on hand to do battle for the $5000 in cash payouts

Mike Valvasori has the tune up a little spicey on his way to a first round victory in Ross Racing Pistons Outlaw. and the coveted Smackdown Championship belt! Joe Helps brought his awesome Square Body out and was having a blast turning it up each round. Helps launched hard, pulling a huge wheelie and carried it for about 150 feet, but his quarter finals run was cut short as Nick Agostino and his ’69 Camaro small block twin turbo entry took the win light! Frankie Doldo and Mike D’Stalfo advanced as well! As darkness covered the strip we moved into the semis. Agostino pulled the bye run, leaving the Doldo Racing ’67 Camaro to fend off Mike D’Stalfo’s ’99 Avenger. In what was surely the closest race of the day, Mike and his nitrous injected Dodge Wedge edged out Frankie for the win.

The finals were set and with

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Glenn Tovey sticks the tire in Wicked6.50 competition.

Joe Helps in another 150ft. wheels up launch takes his square body Chevy pickup to the semis.

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Limited28s Adam Bastarache laying down some radial tire rubber headed to class victory.

Agostino in the left and D’Stalfo in the right. Nick put the Cannoli Express on the chip and bumped in, Mike was right behind and treed Agostino, but it was all top end turbo power to take the victory! Nick and his crew had claimed the cash and the Championship Belt!

Limited28s, our most popular no-time heads-up class, is where it all started. Coming from the no-time grassroots Street class, we have molded Limited28s into what it is today. Stock roof, quarters, rockers and firewall mixed with stock style front suspension is where the “stock” ends! Add in

The voices of Small Tire Shootout racing in Ontario – Chris Biro and Kelly Cooper making the magic happen. www.rpmmag.com

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Chris Corrado’s nitrous powered small block Chevy on another perfect run headed to class victory.

Adam Bastarache flying the RP colors headed down the strip to ano

Real Street standout Mark Roberts and his nitrous powered BBC making another hit on his treaded DOT tires.

Vasylyy Lukivskyy on his GSXR 1000 based grudge bike.

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Steven Toth wheels up for his first

Damian Tong installed nitrous before the Smackdown and g

Agostino making burnouts look easy in his first gen SBC turbo Camaro.

PM Magazine other 4 second run.

round test pass.

s the weekend got the win!

Michael D’Stalfo lightens the bottle up before his 2nd Outlaw test pass.

D’Stalfo’s tune was on point in his wicked nitrous Mopar Wedge Avenger in the Outlaw finals! www.rpmmag.com

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any rear suspension, any hp you’d like to throw at it and do it on 28 x 10.5w slicks or 275 radials and just send it! Limited28s was filled with 15 entries and by the time we got to the semis some of the class favorites were already loading up! Darcey Cummins, right lane, one of the classes original radial racers, had his nitrous powered BB 3rd gen Camaro on the chip against Adam Bastarache’s 2004 Mustang Cobra small block single turbo entry. As the lights came down they were clearly even, but Darcy’s Camaro got loose under him at the 330 and he had to pedal, giving the win to Adam.

On the other side of the ladder Nico Cechet with his SB2 headed small block single turbo Chevelle took on EZ Street standout Matt Glassford and his ’70 Nova. As the lights came down, Nico took a slight advantage and once his radials were stuck to the track it was all Nico to the finish line. With 2 radial cars in the final round it was anyone’s game! The track temps were cooling down fast, Adam had drawn the left lane, which had Nico in the right. Mustang vs Chevelle… as the tree lit up, Nico looked to have a slight advantage but by the time the 660 was in sight, it was all Adam Bastarache for his first ever class win!

Our popular Real Street class is run at only two IHRP events per season and it all starts with the Smackdown! After a 15 minute street style cruise through the pits 16 cars made it to the lanes for their first round. We run the cars through a street cruise then send them straight to the lanes for their first round, they are hot, they are plated and insured, and they are some of the coolest cars on the property!

After another healthy load of glue dumped on the track by our local track prep guru Korey Herman, the semis stacked up with Ted Roshan Raja pulling EJ Gouveia. EJ, in his Fox Body hatch Mustang took the win. On the other side of the ladder Dean Carmine pulled Matt Searle. When the lights came down, Dean’s LS powered Fox lit the tires handing the win to Matt. The final was filled with a pair of turbo small block Fox Body hatches. Even at the hit, and what looked like still dead even at the 330, it was Matt Searle edging out the win for the cash and Championship Belt!

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Mike Valvasori’s ProCharged Wedge was truly one of the loudest and m on the property with its ProCharged Wedge Mopar with a blow-thr

Jay Misener ready to pilot Misener Motorsports nitrous powered Coyote Fox Body in Street275.

Michael D’Stalfo’s Ross Racing Pistons Outlaw entry ready for round one testing.

most popular cars ru carb setup.

After sitting in the shop for a few years, the Catalano Brothers, Emidio and Renato’s 67 Camaro was back out to hurt some feelings in Ross Racing Pistons Outlaw.

Long-time Super Street racer Ray Griffin brought his first gen Chevy II to run for the Championship Belt with his big block ProCharged combo.

The two-wheel warriors rounded out our No Time day. Stock Wheelbase Bike was filled with NA, turbo and nitrous powered bikes that all had to be within 2” of their factory wheelbase. After many pairings of the baddest bikes in the land making killer passes, it was Damian Tong taking the win the cash and belt in his Gen 2 nitroused Hayabusa. That weekend was Tong’s first time into the 8s. He put the nitrous on the weekend before the Smackdown and got the win!

The last minute addition Pro Bike class added an awesome show! These long wheel base bikes get off the line with everything they have thrown at the track! Landon Swain took the win over Jesse Vanbetlehem in what was easily the closest bike pairing of the day!

As night fell the grudge racers came out to play! In what was one of the most talked about clashes of the day, Joe Carlos and Vasylyy Lukivskyy had the buzz going strong. Joe was to get the back tire and the hit against Vasylyy. Vasylyy’s hot rod of choice – a Fuel Tech equipped 2004 Suzuki GSXR 1000 with a “slightly modified” engine coming in at 73” wheelbase, running on a street tire with no bars. Joe Carlos was riding an S1000 BMW, lowered, stretched, with lightweight body work and an air shifter! With more than a couple grand on the line, this was easily the most anticipated pass of the night’s grudge racing!

I was the lucky one picked to bring them into the beams and give the start signal! Standing at about the 40 ft mark, I first let Joe Carlos get his rear tire centered in the stage beams, then brought Vasylyy in to get up on his toes and ready. I crouched down and we all watched Vasylyy to see if he could hold his bike still until Joe cracked the rear tire. I still cannot believe how quickly both bikes passed me! The crowd was already cheering as both bikes got to the 330, and with both bikes near side by side at the finish line it was Vasylyy turning on the win light! Unbelievable!

The final Pro Category for the Smackdown was the Jr Dragsters. After 28 entries hit the burn-out pad for round one, it was Arnold Foxx collecting the hardware yet again from the Canada Heads Up headquarters! www.rpmmag.com

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Ted Roshan Raja was out with his New Edge bodied Mustang, better known as White Priviledge, on 235s for the Limited28s class.

Boomer Duquette was out testing his new ‘63 Chevy2/ 620ci naturally aspirated combo.

Past Smackdown Limited28s Champion Luc and Marie Ricard’s single turbo small block Ford 28” tire hot rod.

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5X Pano Moros and his Fulton 5.0 bore space for round one of the Ross Racing Pistons O

Top Sportsman racer Mike Le hand at heads up racing in t Outlaw cl

How do I get my car in RPM Real Street entries know exac the cruise complete, they ar

e GTO readies Outlaw class.

eger came out to try his the Ross Racing Pistons lass.

Magazine? These two ctly how it’s done! With re in cool-down mode.

Fuel Injection tuning wizard/ Limited28s racer Wajdy Kahlil giving the wrench to E.J. Gouveia’s 86 Mustang.

What an event… but to finish the race report here would be like ending the race in the semis. Where would we be without our supporters and marketing partners! A huge thanks goes out to: RPM Magazine, Maxima Racing Oil, RM Racing Lubricants and Ross Racing Pistons. Associate sponsors 369 Media, Boomer and Deb Duquette, Clear Shot Customs, Desserts Plus, Dilts Piston Hydraulics, Doldo Racing, Fab Mac Industries, The Fire Within, Perfect Image, Hoosier Tire, ICD Insurance Brokers, Jim McHarg, Katie Shaw Real Estate, Joe Van O, Marks Automotive and Heavy Truck, MGR Performance, Miller Welding Equipment, Misener Motorsports, Muscle Car Specialties, Facility Maintenance, Priority Collision, Power Tech Hydraulics, PSP Paul Silva Performance, RCR Race Cars and Golf Carts, Steeda.ca, Kared Custom Cable, Tony Starkey Construction, WK Performance, D’Sousa Performance, Warlock Transmissions, Dragstar/Fast Company, Pompilio Racing, Agostino Motorsports, Zarcone Racing, Armatool, Markham Auto Repair, Cesario Racing, 727 Auto, Brian Howard, The Shop, Unit 5, Vinton Precision, SpeedWire and Drew’s Autobody!

We would like to thank the following media partners for your posts, advertisements, photography and videography of the event: RPM Magazine, Dragracecanada.com, Jessie Sharpe, Blake Farnan, Tia Biro, Ty Henry, 5252, Alex Rocheleau, John Brown, Wicked Photography, Alyssa Reddick, Mark Ackert, Bruce Beigler and Pro Tree Video’s Ben Gonjanovich. Special thanks to St. Thomas Dragway for hosting our event, giving us the track prep and the facility to call our own for the weekend. To all of our series volunteers, we couldn’t do this without you!

With another Smackdown in the books I also can’t thank my long time marketing partners Chris and Trish of RPM Magazine… my how we’ve grown together! That being said, it’s time to start working on the RPM Magazine Smackdown5!

Please visit rpmmag.com, ianhillracing. com and Ontario Grudge Wars FB page for all your Smackdown4 race photos, video, information, links and stories.

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