Thanks, Wheelz...I usually sleep between 4 and 8 AM...
My pick for Racer of the Week is Stacey Price, from Cambridge, New Zealand. Stacey was recommended to me by our friend, former Racer of the Week Dave W. Saunders. Thanks, Dave! Stacey sent me a fantastic technical analysis of her racing experience, operation and cars. Kick back and enjoy this ride, folks.
Stacey Koren Price was born on January 13th, 1992 in Hamilton, New Zealand. She currently resides in Cambridge, New Zealand. Stacey works as a Sales Rep at HomePlus in Waikato. Her favourite hobbies and sports are Drag Racing, Going to the Gym, and Reading. She is the daughter of our friend and former Racer of the Week, Greg Price of Price Motorsport. Her Local Track is the Masterton Motorplex. Her Favourite Track is Sydney International Dragway.
Her Current Race Car is Andy Chapman’s 23T Altered. It is an outstanding hot rod that runs in the Modified Eliminator Class. The Future Race Cars she Would Like To Drive are either a Pro Stock or Top Alcohol Funny Car. The First Drive Stacey Had Down A Drag Strip was at the Age of 8 in her Junior Dragster built by her Dad and Uncle.
The Persons Stacey Looks Up To are John Force and Courtney Force of John Force Racing in America, Alexis Dejoria of Kalitta Motorsports in America, and Shane Tucker and the whole Rob Tucker Racing team out of Australia.
People That Have Helped Stacey Start Racing and Further her Career are her Dad - Greg and her Uncle Malcolm Price, And Owner of the car – Andy Chapman.
Stacey’s Best Career Highlight was Running her personal best of 8.65 seconds and 153.26 MPH and placing third in both the New Zealand Nationals event and the NZDRA National Point Score Series for the 2014/2015 Season.
What she Likes In Drag Racing is The thrill of the speed and doing burnouts!
Stacey got her First Start in the 1999/2000 season.
Personal Vehicle: Mazda 323
Stacey’s history as she sent to me: My dad has been involved in Drag Racing in NZ for over 32 years. I was pretty much born in to it. But it has become my life now. I have been crewing on Price Motorsport’s cars for the past seven years, last year was my first year getting to jump in the driver’s seat of a full competition ¼ mile car. My first season was spent coming to grips with the car and ironing out a few teething issues, now for me it’s all about lowering the E.T’s and raising that MPH. This season I achieved a third place in the NZDRA National Point Score Series.
Thanks To: Thanks to my dad, Greg Price for all his help and ongoing support through the trying times to our successes. Thanks to my team, Greg Price, Jordan McMaster, Derek Fowler, Ken Marriott, Nakita Hart and Corey Buxton, for all their hard work and perseverance to get me to this point. Also a huge thanks to my sponsor HomePlus Waikato, engine machinists Kerry Lindsay Engine Reconditioners and the many people who have helped out in numerous ways this season, Malcolm and Kieran Price, Nick Tansey, Kerry Lindsay, Jody Dixon, Paul and Diana Nicol, Gary Davis of Replay XD Cameras, Steve Milliken of GSS Performance, Gav Wellborne, Grant Briffault, Chris Webb, Pauline Lane, Arran Brattle, Robin Silk, Graeme Bates at STR Ltd and to my wonderful friends who stood by me and supported me when times got tough.
And finally, I can never express my gratitude enough for the loan of the car. Andy Chapman, you always had confidence in me right from the start and for that I can never thank you enough.
The Engine in the altered hot rod is a 355ci Small Block Chevy. It has Collector Exhausts, a 7000 Stall Torque Converter and a 2 Speed Powerglide transmission. The car has a Full Tube Chassis, a 23T Altered body, and it sits on a 118 inch wheelbase.
The Front Suspension is New Zealand-Made A Arms. It has a Strange Engineering Differential; sitting in a Head and Custom Fabricated 9 inch housing. The controls are a Mag kill switch, an Electronics Kill Switch, Fuel Shut Off, Parachute Lever, and a Gear Lever
The cockpit features a Chassis Shop butterfly steering wheel with a quick release hub and steering box.The seat is Aluminium with a Seat Cushion. The car has an aluminium Fuel tank, Instruments include a tachometer and oil pressure gauge.
The car runs on methanol. The awesome paint job is by Taupo Panel and Paint.
The SFI Rollcage Padding is from Motorsport Connections Australia.
This hot rod is very conscious of Safety Equipment!
The Seat Belts are 3” SFI 16.5 with a Quick Release 5 point Harness. The Belts and mounting points must be covered with fire-resistant material. The Arm restraints are built into the driver’s suit, which is a Simpson SFI3.2A/20 custom. Stacey’s Helmet is a Simpson Carbon Drag Bandit SFI 31.2 with a Fresh-air breathing system. She is Fitted with an SFI 3.3/10 CarbonX fireproof drag sock and Centering Chin Strap. Her Boots are SFI 3.2A/5s. The Neck Brace is a Hybrid Sport Head and Neck Restraint System and a contoured padded SFI 45.2 Neck Collar. Her Gloves are SFI 3.2A/5s. The Parachutes are Simpsons, with Driver Operation. The Chute Pack and Unpacked Shroud Lines must be protected with Fire-Resistant Material.
Right now, Price Motorsports is in the process of building a brand-new Top Alcohol Funny Car. I have a pretty good idea who’s going to end up in the driver’s seat, but names haven’t been disclosed as of this feature.
The Engine is a 521ci BAE Hemi with a PSI Screw blower and 4 Port PSI Magnesium Injector. It has Smiley Headers from California. The Clutch is a Crower 10 inch, 3 Disc. The Transmission is a Lenco 3 Speed and Reverser. It’s Air Shifted and sits in a Browell Steel Bell Housing, 8 1/8 inch, with an SFI Spec of 6.3. The car is a 2014 model S&W Race Cars, Chevy Monte Carlo Carbon Fibre Kevlar body with a Chromoly chassis.It has a Wheelbase of 125 inches.The front Front Suspension is made by Price Motorsport with Removable A Arms. The Differential is from Strange Engineering, with a fabricated triangulated Sheet metal housing with billet brake callipers and rotors, 40 spline spool and axles. The Controls include a Mag kill switch, Wizard air shift buttons, brake lever, dual parachute release, fire system, fuel shut off, and reverse lever. The Steering is a Chassis Shop butterfly steering wheel with a quick release hub, Strange Engineering steering box and billet adjustable front spindles. The seat is a Price Motorsport Aluminium model with a Taylor Motorsport Nomex seat cover
The Fuel tank is Aluminium by S&W Race Cars. The Instruments are an Autometer Pro-Comp, Tachometer, Oil Pressure, Blower Boost, Mini Oil, and Shift Lights. RPM Performance Products Inc, USA made the Data Logger. The Tyres in Front are Goodyear Front Runners, 23x5x15 and the rear slicks are Goodyear 34.5x17x16s. The front rims are 15x3 1/2 Alumnastar Rims, and in the rear are Centreline 16x16 Convo Pros. It will of course, run on Methanol/Alcohol fuel. The Paint is Currently being designed by Warren Houston. The Roll Cage Padding is an ISP Head Support System, SFI Spec 45.2 The Racing Radios are a Chi Town Race Products Drag Racing Radio System with an On-Board Helmet Kit.
The Seat Belts are a 3” SFI 16.5 Simpson Camlock Quick Release 7 point Harness. The Belts and mounting points must be covered with fire-resistant material. The Arm restraints, Helmet, drag sock, Chin Strap, Boots, Neck Brace, Neck Restraint System, gloves and Neck Collar are identical to Stacey’s safety equipment on the Altered. The Fire Extinguisher System is a DJ Safety on-board unit with twin 10lb bottles which are manually controlled by the driver, directed to protect the driver and engine. They are Filled with Cold Fire Foam. The Parachutes are Simpson 12ft Dual Chutes, Driver Operation. Chute Pack and Unpacked Shroud Lines must be protected with Fire-Resistant Material and mounted with a Taylor Motorsport parachute tether system. The Fresh Air System is a Simpson On Board Fresh Air Breathing System plumbed to the driver’s helmet.
I can’t wait to see what happens with this car. It has the best of everything, same as the altered does.
Stacey was selected to represent Women in Motorsport at the annual CRC show in Auckland, which is sponsored by Century Batteries coming up next month. Along with 19 other ladies, she will display the altered and give information about her racing career. Good call by the committee, picking her for this, because She’s great. That’s Stacey Price, Racer of the Week, Racin’ and Rockin’ wishes you good luck, safe racing and the best of times.
With the passing of Chris Squire, another chapter has ended in the history of Rock n’ Roll. Chris was the only continuous member of the band Yes for 40 years. I got to see him play once in the mid-70s and he was absolutely fantastic. The whole band was, of course, but Chris Squire was at the dawn of what is termed “prog-rock” today. Along with John Entwistle, Roger Glover, Greg Lake, John Wetton, Mike Rutherford and a few others, including Felix Pappalardi, Dusty Hill and Paul McCartney. Yes, King Crimson, Argent, even the Who, and Genesis were all at the forefront of that genre. But Chris Squire, if put to the litmus test, was arguably the originator of the whole deal and a progenitor of the style that was later termed jazz-rock fusion.
As well as being extremely active for a bass player, he was also rock-solid. Anything I’ve ever listened to by Yes had the best bass lines I ever heard in rock music. He was completely self-taught, he played with a pick, in a style similar to a guitar player, and he had a signature sound that was unmistakable to my ear. He was one of a kind, a self-made man and a self-made rock legend. In my opinion it is a crime that he and the 18 members who passed through the band called Yes are not eternally enshrined in the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. I don’t understand how they can leave some of these guys out, but Chris Squire was one of a handful of master musicians who has been denied that status. However, in my mind, and in the minds of millions of his fans, he was the greatest. Chris, may you rest in peace. Your suffering is over now, and your legacy is solid gold for the world to enjoy forever.
Y’all be sure to tune in tomorrow evening at 7 PM Eastern on Racers Reunion Radio for Racing Through History. It’s Thee Goat Rodeo you don’t want to miss! Thanks, I’ll see y’all next week.