The BME Bulletin
#5 GOT TO ADMIT IT'S GETTING BETTER Although it's unlikely that the Beatles had the Bill Miller Engineering Okuma Top Fuel dragster in mind when they sang "Getting Better," Lennon and McCartney's lyrics are certainly appropriate: For the BME Team, it is, indeed, getting better, a little better all the time. The Mac Tools U.S. Nationals saw another strong performance from the upstart team from Carson City, Nevada. The BME machine qualified 12th with a 4.557-second elapsed time in the quickest Top Fuel field ever assembled. Driver, Alan Bradshaw, posted a career-best speed at 326.32 mph. Moreover, the BME/Okuma/Red Line Oil Dragster carded two elapsed times in the 4.50s and three in the 4.60s over the long Labor Day weekend in Indianapolis. "It was a really good weekend for the BME team," said Bradshaw. "The car was very consistent, and there was no drama. This season has been very productive in terms of gaining information and experience, and it showed in the car's performance at Indy." The BME transporter rolled into O'Reilly Raceway Park with a stockpile of new aluminum blocks and cylinder heads. The race car which rolled out of the transporter was 20 pounds lighter, the result of a steady diet of titanium and carbon fiber parts. "We put aside all of the old blocks and heads, and built brand-new engines with larger intake valves and new valvetrain components," Miller revealed. The first run down the Indy quarter-mile on Friday evening produced a 4.606/304.25 time slip. That was bettered by a 4.557/326.22 mph run in Saturday's second session that put the BME machine solidly in the field. "After that 4.55, I said to myself, 'I think we just qualified for the U.S. Nationals,'" Miller recalled. "In fact, we were right there with some of the full-time, professional teams. "Best of all, the engines looked perfect after every run. The bearings looked as though they were new. We've made huge strides in the last few months." Bradshaw's opponent in the first round of eliminations was No. 5 qualifier Melanie Troxel. Bradshaw was first out of the gate and went 4.597/323.50 but was just edged-out by Troxel's 4.527/326.71. BME ON DISPLAY The BME rig then went to Chicago's McCormack Place, the largest convention center in the U.S. and the site of the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS), where the Bill Miller Engineering Dragster was featured in Okuma's impressive display. IMTS is the country's largest manufacturing show and draws about 85,000 visitors. "The people who attend the IMTS show are into machines and technology, so there was a great deal of interest in our Top Fuel dragster," Miller reported. "We were very pleased to be a part of Okuma's exhibit and to have an opportunity to showcase the sport of drag racing." The BME team will finish the 2006 season with races in Dallas, Richmond, Va., Las Vegas, and Pomona, Calif. This O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals at the Texas Motorplex near Dallas on Sept. 21-24 kicked-off the team's autumn campaign. "I'm looking forward to racing in Dallas because the Texas Motorplex and Houston Raceway Park are my home tracks," said Bradshaw, a resident of Odessa, Texas. "It's a great opportunity to perform in front of my family, friends and customers. "I'm very enthusiastic about the BME team's fall schedule," he continued. "We'll be racing every two or three weeks, and that will be good for our consistency. I think the next four races could produce strong results because we'll be in a regular routine. It's a great way to finish the season and prepare for next year." BME RACE RESULTS
NEXT RACES O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals, Dallas, Sept. 21-24 Torco Racing Fuels NHRA Nationals, Richmond, Va., Oct. 6-8
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