Boland wins Lancaster battle, but Lilienthal wins PMRA war
Bruce Boland wins final PMRA event at Lancaster Motorsports Park while Joe Lilienthal crowned Pro Modified Racing Association Champion
October 15, 2005
CLARENCE, NY – On a clear and cool night at Lancaster Motorsports Park, Bruce Boland of Hamilton, ON, won his first Pro Modified Racing Association event, the fifth and final PMRA race of 2005.
Driving his B&B Racing 1953 Chevrolet Corvette, Boland defeated the Jeep-bodied Pro Mod of Kenmore, NY’s Joe Lilienthal Friday night on the Lancaster eighth-mile strip in a race presented by: G-Force Race Cars, Jan-Cen Racing Engines and Oddy's Racing Inc.
And with his second-place finish at Lancaster, Lilienthal amassed sufficient points in the 22-car series to win the inaugural PMRA title.
Boland qualified third in the field behind number one qualifier Lilienthal, who took top spot with a 4.452-second, 162.02 pass. Next was Kasey Jansen of St. Catharines, ON, who qualified second in his KC Motorsports Lumina with a 4.537-second pass at 150 mph even. Boland was next with a 4.701-second, 134.26-mph run.
In the semis, Lilienthal got by fellow New Yorker Jack Grainy of North Tonawanda in the Grainy Brothers Beretta, while Boland put down Mark Mitchell of East Otto, NY, in his 1953 Studebaker.
For the final, Boland squeaked through with the win, with a 4.480-second, 150-mph run against the 4.500-second, 157.33-mph pass of the Lilienthal Jeep.
Boland said after the win he had to tune down the Corvette after getting up on two wheels bicycling on the ever-slick Lancaster surface.
“We had to back out the horsepower,” said Boland after his victory. “Sometimes you have to slow things down to go fast.”
With his Lancaster win, Boland places fifth in the 22-car line-up. Taking the 2005 title was Lilienthal with 1820 points.
It was a good night for the Jeep driver. Lilienthal also picked up the Darren Mayer Performance Engineering (DMPE) Low Qualifier Bonus with his 4.452-second time, and was the recipient of the Bear’s Performance Products Consistent Qualifier Bonus with 4.48-second and a 4.45-second runs.
The final point standings (top 15) for PMRA following the event at Lancaster Motorsports Park in the Pro Modified Racing Association Drag Racing Series are:
1. Joe Lilienthal, 1820; 2. Jack Grainy, 1660; 3. Kasey Jansen, 1600, 4. Dave Earhart, 1580; 5. Bruce Boland, 1440; 6. Larry Sinke, 1420; 7. Mark Mitchell, 1280; 8. Joe Boniferro, 1180; 9. Mark Nielson, 1140; 10. Mike Stawicki, 900; 11. Carl Spiering, 740; 12. Luciano Querin, 720; 13. Mike Janis, 700; 14. Fred Jacobs, 640; 15. Al Billes, 380; 15. Andy Jensen, 380.
In its first year of operation, the PMRA will provide fans in Ontario, Quebec, and New York the opportunity to see and hear popular Pro Modified racing in the class known as “the world’s fastest doorslammers.”
The PMRA is a self-governing organization with its own set of technical and safety rules based on the International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) Pro Modified division. Cars in the PMRA capture the true spirit of hot rodding, and the class offers a widely-diverse group of race cars with different types of 2000-horsepower engines propelling the cars down the quarter-mile in the 6.20-second range at 230 mph.
For more information contact Bruce F. Mehlenbacher mehlenbacher@promodifiedracing.com
Visit our main site: www.ProModifiedRacing.com
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