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| Contributed photo/Tom Hale Adrian Tauer of Caribou was one of the most successful local racers at the LTA’s Harvest Event held over the weekend. His Toyota Yaris with a turbocharger went 138.658 miles per hour in the mile and 147.234 in the mile and a half. |
By Tom Hale Special to the
Aroostook Republican and News
LIMESTONE — The sound of racing engines at the former Loring Air Force Base may have ceased for 2013, yet memories of the successful Harvest Event, hosted by the Loring Timing Association, live on.
“It’s fantastic … we have achieved our goal,” said Henry Paga of Detroit, Mich. and the owner of the fastest vehicle at the late summer event. “I had the opportunity to spend the weekend with my daughter, Jordan. We made lots of new friends. The weather up here was fantastic. The people who put on the event were spot on. We appreciate all their efforts.”
Paga is the owner of a Kawasaki 2000 A1ZX12R motorcycle driven by Scott Davis (25) of Astle, New Brunswick. Davis set a new record for normally-aspirated Kawasakis in the mile at 220 miles per hour and 226 mph in the mile and one half.
Fastest of the four-wheel vehicles was the belly tank lakester of Jim Cosgrove of Sudbury, Mass., who went 212 mph. His lakester body is a 30-foot long belly tank from an A-10 Wart Hog airplane. It is powered by an Audi 4 cylinder engine, displacing just over two liters with a turbocharger than can produce up to 790 horsepower.
Adrian Tauer of Caribou was one of the most successful local racers. His Toyota Yaris with a turbocharger went 138.658 miles per hour in the mile and 147.234 in the mile and a half just short of his goal of 150 miles per hour.
“I plan to work with [JRT Customs] Jason Theriault this winter putting safety equipment in the car to allow me to reach 175 mph,” Tauer said.
Theriault was unable to best his 207 miles per hour record set during the July event. He reached a speed of 203 mph after slowing down due to a side window blowing out at a speed he projected at 210 mph. He also battled a lean fuel condition which limited his power at top speed.
“The event was great,” Caribou’s Jesse Michaud stated after the event. “I’m a terrible engine tuner. You can be humbled very fast on a strip of asphalt. It [his Suzuki GSXR 1000] did not run anywhere near where it is supposed to, I only ran 150 mph with it.
“There were lots of records set. There are new members of the 200 MPH Club and everyone finished with the shiny side up,” Michaud added.
