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July 15th -
White Mountain Motorsports Park
150 lap, PASS North Super Late Models -
13th
(July
15, 2006 - North Woodstock, NH) On Saturday the
15th, the Ramstrom Racing Charter Communications #35
made its first visit to the high banks of the White Mountain
Motorsports Park for a 150-lap PASS race. The reason for the
trip to White Mountain was to gain additional seat time for
Derek, but it provided another first. That was running with
the PASS Super Late Model North teams.
White Mountain’s track is different from any track the team
has seen. Throughout practice, Crew Chief Jeff Ratoff,
worked set-up and gearing. By practice’s end, the driver and
team were happy with their car’s performance on the 1/4-mile
track.
The #35 Monte Carlo started last in the heat race. Spotter
(and team owner) Rick Ramstrom radioed instructions to Derek
to stay out of trouble and stay at the tail. Derek obeyed,
and following the heat the young driver said “that was the
most boring thing I’ve done.”
The Ramstrom Racing #35 started last in a field of 23 cars.
The first half of the race was an exercise in patience. The
car was worked in the back, with the driver learning the
track. During the second half of the race, Derek moved the
car up into the top-ten. A restart with 11 laps to go, with
the car in the number seven spot, proved troublesome. Too
much throttle on dirty tires caused Derek to loop the car.
All the cars behind the #35 got by. Derek completed his 360,
and continued on without bringing out a yellow flag. The car
finished 13th, and was brought home whole.
While Saturday’s race was not the best finish for the
Ramstrom Racing West Boylston Auto Parts Team in 2006. It
was the team and driver’s best race of the year. Throughout
the race Derek Ramstom was competitive within a field of
very experienced drivers and teams. In a post race interview
by Speed51's Bob Dillner, Derek offered up his view on his
late race spin. In a display of youthful honesty, Derek told
the interviewer it was his own fault, and that no other car
touched him. Thankfully, no other cars got gathered up in
the mishap. |
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July 9th - Unity
Raceway
100 Lap, PASS North Division Outlaw Late Models
3rd Place
(July
8, 2006 - Canaan, NH / July 9, 2006 - Unity, ME) The
Ramstrom Racing West Boylston Auto Parts #35 team toughed it
through another two-race two-track weekend. The hard work by
team and driver provided a third place finish in the 100-lap
PASS feature at Unity on Sunday. The previous day, late in
the 40-Lap weekly series race at Canaan, Derek Ramstrom had
his ride solidly in the top five when a two-car spin with
the #55, and a resulting cut tire, sent the car to the pits.
The car returned to the race and was able to salvage a 12th
place finish.
Following Saturday’s heat race at Canaan, driver Derek
Ramstrom felt he had a strong car, and the opportunity for a
good run. The starting positions were handicapped by points.
This caused the #35 to start in the middle of the 19 car
field. Nonetheless, Derek was able to move his car up to
fourth, right behind points leader Donnie Lashua’s #08,
before the two-car mishap with Jimmy Renfrew in the #55.
Following a restart, Derek was on the outside and Jimmy had
the inside, both drove hard into the turn. The cars just
touched, but it was enough to sent both around
While the damage to the #35 from the spin did not keep the
car from finishing, there were still repairs that had to be
made for the car to race on Sunday at Unity. Following their
race, the team worked in the pits to make the needed
repairs. The Ramstrom Racing team members were the last to
leave the track. They shut off the lights, locked up the
track, and set out for Maine
Sunday at Unity Raceway started out well for the Derek. He
won his heat race, and started on the pole. The #35 held the
lead for the first 7 laps. During the middle of the 100-lap
race Derek displayed some smart side-by-side racing with the
Mike Harnish, Jr’s #22, and with Ben Erskine in the #29. At
the checkered flag, the Ramstrom Racing #35 was running
third, tailing two strong cars and able drivers. |
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Photos by Chris Roy |
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July 2nd - Canaan Fair
100 Lap, PASS Central Division Outlaw Late Models
Derek WINS!
PASS Story and Finishing order
HERE
(July 2, 2006 - Canaan, NH ) First place in a 100-lap PASS
Outlaw Late Model race that started 25 cars! Certainly, a
proud moment for driver Derek Ramstrom and the Charter
Communications Ramstrom Racing #35 team. Following the race
Derek said his first win of 2006 was at once “fun and hard”.
During Sunday’s practice, Derek suggested some adjustments
be made to the car. Crew Chief Jeff Ratoff used the driver’s
feedback, and after some team discussion, the changes were
made. By the end of practice car owner Rick Ramstrom summed
their chances up with “the car is good”
The #35 started 8th (tail) in the heat race. With Rick
spotting, Derek passed the necessary couple of cars and
finished 6th in the heat. With more than 25 cars trying to
qualify for the race, some teams did not make the starting
field. The heat finish led to an 18th place start in the
feature.
The first PASS Cental race saw the wreck of a ton of cars.
However, for the first three quarters of the race Derek was
able to both work his Monte Carlo towards the front and stay
out of all the trouble. There was a lot of opportunity for
trouble – accidents and restarts. One restart, with the #35
hung on the outside, lost Derek several hard fought
positions. Following a late race mishap involving the lead
cars, the Ramstrom Racing #35 threaded its way to the lead,
and did not give it back. During another restart, with Derek
leading the field to the green flag, a little to much
throttle turned the #35 sideways, but the driver
straightened the car, and held onto first place.
In the post race interview, when Derek’s recent graduation
from the ninth grade was brought out, the crowd roared. The
driver fielded the interview well, thanked his team and
sponsors, the Canaan facility and PASS. As the team waited
for tech, members of other race teams took time to offer
their congratulations on the win. Finally, the Ramstrom
Racing team can not say enough about the support and
encouragement which many other PASS racing teams have given
the #35 team thus far in the 2006 season.
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June 16th & 17th -
Doubleheader
Saturday at Canaan - Weekly Show -
2nd !
Sunday at Unity
- PASS Outlaw Late Models
Hight Chevrolet 100 -
4th !
(June 17, 2006 -
Canaan, NH / June 18, 2006 - Unity, ME) This past weekend the
Ramstrom Racing Team showed its best racing of the 2006 season. On
Saturday at the Canaan Speeday, in the closing laps Derek was
chasing down the leader Donnie Lashua. The second place finish in
the 40 lapper was the team’s best this year. On a hot Sunday at the
Unity Raceway, the Ramstom Racing #35 finished fourth in the caution
filled 100 lap race.
During Saturday’s heat race at Canaan, as cars were slowing due to
stopped cars on the track, a car got into the left rear quarter of
the #35. The hard hit broke the rear end away from its left side
trailing arm, bent the rest of the rear suspension, and stuffed the
driveshaft and seal into the transmission. The rush to make repairs
in time for the feature gave the #35's team its first big test. The
team, consisting of Crew Chief Jeff Ratoff, and Crewmembers Chis
Hallback and Greg Savignac passed the test. The crash cart provided
the suspension parts, but a new rear transmission seal was not
available. With no replacement seal on hand, the group brainstormed,
and was able to jury-rig (using tin snips to modify and a large hose
clamp to hold) a seal in place.
With all the damage the car received in the heat race, there was
some question as to how the car would handle when the green flag was
dropped for the feature. However, Crew Chief Jeff Ratoff oversaw
repairs that were good enough for a nice 40 lap run and the second
place finish.
The story at Unity on Sunday was the weather, and perhaps last weeks
trip to Florence, SC helped Derek prepare for the hot ride. While
the race was 100 green flag laps, team owner and spotter Rick
Ramstrom suggested that with all yellows the cars were on the track
for over 200 laps.
Derek stands
3rd in points
in the PASS Outlaw Late Models North Division:
1) #00 Matt Lee with 653 points 2) #36 Jay Sands 636
3) #35 Derek at
623
4) #02 Gregory
Morse 609 5) #01 Joe Decker 608.
Photo by Mary Lima
Photo by Chris Roy
Photo by Chris Roy
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Saturday, June 10th
Florence Motor Speedway - Florence, South Carolina
15th place after an race restart pile-up |
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6/10/2006 –
Florence Motor Speedway, Florence, SC) On Friday afternoon,
with a forecast of another rainy weekend in New England, the
Ramstrom Racing Team set out for the PASS South Carolina
Clash. However, the long distance traveled to make the event
did not translate into a long run in the race. Early in the
race, Derek Ramstrom got gathered up in a restart mishap,
and his damaged car was unable to get back into the event.
The decision to travel south was made late in the week, and
there was not time to make changes to the car. But running a
“crate” motor against cars with a lot more horsepower was
not the huge disadvantage it might at first seem to be. On
the 4/10 mile track it was not possible to use all of that
horsepower help all the time. Derek could get out the
corners smoother and quicker. Also, permitted chassis
changes could be made in time. Despite the advantage held by
the regular PASS South teams, Derek was able to pass a
couple of cars during the 12-lap heat race.
Derek Ramstrom participated in the pre-race fan appreciation
session. The fourteen-year-old driver from the North was
well received by the crowd.
Despite the bad luck in the race, the team and driver felt
the trip south was worthwhile. Meeting the PASS South Teams,
and observing how the southern teams go about their business
was a valuable experience.
Finally, Crew Chief Jeff Rattoff expects to have the
Ramstrom Racing #35 in race shape by the weekend.
Race Results & Story HERE
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Previous 2006 Results
and Photos HERE |
