6A = THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
NEWS
Racing: Dragsters gather at Heartland Park
FRIDAY,OCT.5,2001
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money to improve the quality of their cars. He went straight to the track when he got there, but he said people were comparing and tinkering with cars in a preparatory area near the track. Weigel said he hadn't done anything special to improve the speed of his car, a Porsche 944. But he has considered buying a faster car in the future.
Steve Bruce, general manager of Steve Bruce Race Cars, 9201 2/E. 28th St., said several things could be added to a car to enhance its performance.
Yesterday, Bruce was working on the car of Jerry Yeoman, professional race car driver, to enhance the performance of his race car, a Pontiac Grand Am.
Installing a bigger motor would definitely give a car more power and speed, he said. Yeoman said that his engine had almost eight times the horsepower of a factory engine.
Two additional ways to add speed are to use nitrous oxide or computer chips that change the shift points and fuel flow of a car.
"Superchips are the least expensive thing you can do to enhance the car." Yeoman said.
Bruce said that motors, computer chips and nitrous oxide, as well as other performance enhancing devices, could be ordered through catalogs and delivered to any house.
When looking for a car to drag race, Bruce recommended a Ford Mustang.
"The Mustang is one of the fastest cars right out of the box," he said.
Weigel agreed, saying that he raced against some Mustang Cobras and noticed how fast they were on the track.
Yeoman said that Hondas and Toyotaes were the best foreign cars to race.
"You definitely want something little and aerodynamic," Bruce said, adding that a manual transmission often was faster than an automatic.
Although Bruce and Yeoman said they didn't condone street racing, they said drag racing on a track could be a lot of fun if certain safety precautions were taken.
Wearing a helmet approved for racing is the No. 1 safety precaution.
Bruce said that most catalogs
offered helmets that provided good protection in an accident for about $150.
Seat belts are another safety device to consider. Most people who race at Heartland Park have factory cars with factory seat belts. Bruce said five-harness belts, like the ones used in professional race cars, should be installed to provide the most protection.
But having fun and being competitive were the most important part of racing. Bruce and Yeoman said.
"There's definitely a subculture of racing there," Weigel said. "It's a bunch of kids having a lot of fun."
n Contact Craigmile at 864-4810
Trafficway: Wetlands' fate to be decided Monday
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Highway planners broke ground in 1994 and completed the first nine miles of the trafficway, extending to the 3400 block of Iowa Street. But members of the Wetlands Preservation Organization, which is made up of Haskell students, filed a lawsuit two years ago, which halted the construction of the eastern leg.
Rees said KDOT would do whatever was needed to comply with laws concerning the wetlands. He said he wasn't sure if any legal challenges would result from 32nd Street gaining approval.
KDOT and Baker University are working on plans to convert some of KDOT's land into wetlands along the proposed 32nd Street route for Baker to oversee.
KDOT and the university are investigating how much money would be needed to build a 16,250-square-feet wetlands learning center, Rees said. He said the center was slated to be built near 31st Street, west of Louisiana Street.
Scott McKenzie, Salina junior and KU Environs member, said the task force had made the wrong decision.
"I think it's disastrous for the wetlands," McKenzie said. "The wetlands are a critical environmental area."
Neither Baker University officials nor the Wetlands Preservation Organization could be reached for comment yesterday.
Contact Mendoza at 864-4810
Lawrence man creates winning pro stock cars
By Courtney Craigmile Kansah staff writer
International Hot Rod Association racer Jerry Yeoman didn't have much luck in drag racing until he met Lawrence resident Steve Bruce.
Bruce, general manager of Steve Bruce Auto Racing, 920 1/2 E. 28th St, has since helped Yeoman win three races and set a world record with a car they built together.
"He never
"He never won a IHRA race until he got into one of my cars," Bruce said.
won a
IHRA race until he got into one of my
The two met through the IHRA racing series, which races pro stock
cars."
Steve Bruce Lawrence resident
cars. The events take place mostly on the East Coast but are starting to become popular in the Midwest, Bruce said.
Bruce first approached Yeoman at a race.
Bruce first approached Yeoman at a race. "I told him I could build him a better car than the one he had," he said.
The two have been working together ever since.
Bruce and Yeoman, both experienced racecar drivers, have built two vehicles in the last five years. Yesterday they finished construction on a 2001 Grand Am, a pro stock car that they built from scratch.
Yeoman said he started street racing as a kid
"I just grew up with it," he said. "You won one race, and then tried harder to win another. You worked on your car to make it better, and then you'd win even more."
Now, racing is a way of life for him.
Contact Craigmile at 864-4810
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