WHAT a weekend for Koester Racing & the two Shell Rotella mini modifieds!
Raleigh proved to be the perfect way to end our 2010 season!
Saturday afternoon, Larry & the Shell Rotella T Footloose WON putting an
impressive FIFTY feet on the rest of the competition! We've been
saying all year long that we were due for a really good outing, & it
finally happened! Adam & the Shell Rotella Double Play had a
little bad luck on Saturday afternoon, though. Apparently, four
out of the nine tractors in the class found a rut in the track & were
literally catapulted out of bounds. Unfortunately, Adam was one of
those four. :( Regardless of the bad luck for Adam, we were
still THRILLED with Larry's perfect pass & his big WIN!
Sunday afternoon, Adam & the Shell Rotella Double Play came out with
a vengeance! He wasn't about to let that bad luck follow him to
day two! Both Adam & the Shell Rotella Double Play & Larry & the
Shell Rotella T Footloose made AWESOME passes! Adam went an
impressive 375 feet, while Larry went 371 feet! Those two
distances were good enough for the win & second place!
Tuesday September 7th, 2010
Well, this weekend didn't go too badly for Adam & the Shell Rotella Double Play, but for Larry & Shell Rotella T Footloose, things didn't fare so well. Friday night was our last grand national event in Wauseon, OH. Typically, Wauseon has a really good track, so it makes things very interesting wrapping up the season there. Anything can happen! Larry & Adam both went to the track Friday night thinking they had made some huge improvements to the two Shell Rotella tractors, & they were right in Adam's case, but not so much in Larry's! Larry was up 1st of the two tractors & had issues right away. He wasn't able to pick the front end up (which means the tractor wasn't hooked in to the track at all) & because of that, the motor didn't run like we KNOW it's capable of. Sadly, his 276 foot distance was only good enough for 17th place. Obviously, Larry was beyond frustrated, but he knew that Adam & the Shell Rotella Double Play still had the capacity to do much better, so they put their heads together & made some last minute changes. Adam went out & made a MUCH better pass, going 294 feet! This would be good enough for 7th place. We were extremely thankful for a top ten finish, but it was a little bittersweet. Larry's 17th place finish cost him a lot of points & moved him back to 6th place in the final points standings. Adam finished close behind in 7th for the 2010 season. Needless to say, there were still TONS of fans that flocked to the trailer after the pull was over to visit with Larry & Adam. Visiting & talking with all of those people that didn't mind whether we got first or last was definitely uplifting!
The weekend wasn't quite over, though, & the Koesters had full intention of ending it better than it started. So, off to Findlay, OH they went for the regional national event there. Larry's Shell Rotella T Footloose was up first of our two tractors again, & although the tractor did run quite a bit better than the night before, Larry was only able to make a pass of 263 feet. Larry did comment that he felt he had made some improvements from the night before, but had full intention of continuing to work at improving from that point. His pass ended up being good enough for 10th! Again, we were thrilled to have gotten Larry back in to the top 10, but there was still the opportunity for Adam & the Shell Rotella Double Play to make his mark, as well! And, he did just that! Adam came out & made a full pull in the first round! It was truly a gorgeous pass...exactly what we had been looking for! But, then it was time for the pull off! Adam came out again & had the beginnings of another perfect pass when an oil line blew off (if you remember, this also happened to Adam in New Hampton, IA at the grand national event back in July). Rather than hurting his motor, Adam backed out it at the 81 foot mark. As we said before, we truly believe that these kinds of issues are a true testament for the Rotella oil! Not only did it save Adam's motor once, but now TWICE! Adam ended up getting 4th place, but was thrilled to have made the pull off!
For the end of the year, Larry & Adam plan to attend the North Carolina state fair at Raleigh, NC in October. There are also a few other state level events that may have the mini modified division, so we plan to try & hit as many of those as possible. We will keep you updated on any events we are able to attend. The Koesters are also thrilled to get to attend the Oceana Air Show in two weeks & would like to thank Shell for inviting us.
Monday August 23rd, 2010
This past weekend, we were in Bowling Green, OH for the National Tractor Pulling Championships! Not only do I have a lot of pulling to report to you about, I also have some other very exciting happenings to tell you about!
On Friday night, we missed our mark on the setup of the two tractors by
a little bit. And, unfortunately in the mini modified division,
the competition is so tough that a little mistake can turn into a 13th &
16th place finish in no time at all. That's exactly what it did.
Adam & the Shell Rotella Double Play were up first out of our two
tractors. Adam truly made a good pass! The motor ran great &
he did a fantastic job of driving, but as I said earlier, we missed our
setup by leaving too much of our movable weight on the front of the
tractor. The Shell Rotella Double Play didn't get the front end up
in the air nearly enough to get hooked into the track like it needed to.
Adam did go 287.495 feet, though, & actually led the class with that
distance for about a quarter of the class of 29 tractors.
Unfortunately for him, the track got better & better as the sun went
down. And, luckily we had enough time to make a few changes to
Larry's Shell Rotella T Footloose. We moved several of our movable
weights from the front of the tractor to the back. But, even that
wasn't quite enough. Larry did make a stronger pass than Adam, but
still wasn't able to get his front end off of the ground enough to truly
get hooked into the track. Larry went 296 feet, which would be
good enough for 13th. As I said before, the track got A LOT better
as the evening progressed, & both of our tractors were early hooks.
With a class of 29, sometimes the luck of the draw (literally - the
pulling order is a random draw) can be a blessing or a curse. Adam
& the Shell Rotella Double Play ended up 16th behind Larry & the Shell
Rotella T Footloose, but we weren't about to let that change a HUGE
weekend for Koester Racing & our Shell Rotella tractors.
Saturday was our day off from pulling, but Larry & Adam were far from
"off". :) They spent most of the morning & afternoon coming
up with a strategy for getting those Shell Rotella tractors back in the
top 10 where we know they belong & making the necessary changes!
In the meantime, though, they were also able to spend over an hour at
the Shell Rotella Road Show trailer signing autographs for TONS of fans!
It was amazing to see the number of people lined up wanting to talk to
them & get an autograph...even in the RAIN! The Rotella Road Show
trailer also fared well this weekend, as they spent most of the weekend
with people either in the display or waiting to get in!
Saturday evening was also a huge night for our team...especially Larry.
Saturday is always the night that our class has off from pulling, but
Larry doesn't waste any time making himself VERY visible in the crowd
raising money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation! Being a spokesperson
for the MAW Foundation, he spends the entire Saturday evening session of
pulling dedicated to going out through the crowd raising money for them!
TONS of fans are so generous, & they truly love him for his cause!
It is unbelievable the amount of money he is able to raise for the
Foundation! It is truly amazing! Larry was also presented
with a plaque in front of the grandstand on Sunday afternoon from the
MAW Foundation for his support! What an honor!
Sunday afternoon, it was back to the grindstone & time for a couple of
much overdue GOOD finishes! And, we were more than ready!
After making the changes we felt confident in, we headed to the track
with the Shell Rotella mini modifieds in tow! Larry & the Shell
Rotella T Footloose were up first of our two tractors & went an
IMPRESSIVE 304 feet taking the lead & qualifying him for the
pull-off!!!! He led the class for more than half of it & would
only later be surpassed by one other tractor in the first round of
competition! Adam & the Shell Rotella Double Play were up
2nd-to-last in the class of 29 tractors. He also made an
impressive pass, getting the front end up in the air like we were
hoping! He went 294.215 feet, which would not qualify him for the
pull-off, but did end him up in 8th place! We were truly thrilled
with the way both tractors ran, but we still had one more huge feat!
Larry & the Shell Rotella T Footloose were in the pull-off! Larry
made another great pass for the pull-off, going 299.225 feet! This
would be good enough for 3rd place! We were COMPLETELY THRILLED
with the improvements we made from Friday night! And, just as we
knew we could...we got BOTH of the Shell Rotella tractors in the top 10!
Larry now sits tied for 4th in the NTPA Grand National points race, &
Adam has a 12 point deficit from 4th & 5th, sitting in 6th place!
We are extremely excited about our next hook Tuesday night in
Greenville, OH after the great improvements made this weekend! We
will fill you in on the results as soon as possible!!!
Monday August 16th, 2010
As far as the weekend in Saluda goes...I wish I had more than just one night to report to you about! Unfortunately, Saturday evening's session was rained out! We were lucky to have even gotten Friday night's session in. It rained almost the entire weekend down there! Nonetheless, the crew in Saluda, SC worked their tails off & were able to get Friday's pull in...very late, but in! :)
Larry & the Shell Rotella T Footloose were first of our two tractors.
Since the pull didn't get started until super late, & there was more
rain in the forecast, the NTPA officials decided to set the 'Full Pull'
mark at 330 feet (which is an extremely LONG distance, but it was what
they called for). Larry was able to pull the Shell Rotella T
Footloose 324.065 feet...just shy of the Full Pull mark, but a great,
strong run! Thankfully, Larry was able to pass along some valuable
information about the track & how his tractor hooked up because Adam &
the Shell Rotella Double Play were up shortly after Larry. Adam
was able to pull the Shell Rotella Double Play 328.080 feet...still not
quite a Full Pull, but as I mentioned before, that 330 foot mark makes
for a really long pass! Only a few other tractors were able to get
past Adam & Larry, putting Adam in 5th place & Larry's run held up for a
strong 7th. Thankfully, Koester Racing's engine builder, Bob
Miner, was able to make the trek to Saluda & gave us some really
insightful advice...just in time to head to Bowling Green!
Although, we realize 5th & 7th are definitely not 1st & 2nd, we were
able to come away from Saluda having learned a LOT about some of the new
changes that were made mid-season to try & keep our Shell Rotella
tractors in the running for the top five in the Grand National points
chase! Both tractors did run great, but now we're just making
little minor changes to get that extra 10 foot on each run & bring home
a couple more W's for KR!!! We look forward to a good, strong
weekend in Bowling Green! We'll keep you informed on how it goes!
Monday August 2nd, 2010
Hello all! Hope you had a fantastic weekend! Ours was pretty
good for the most part...here's how it went:
Friday night, Adam & the Shell Rotella Double Play drew the first hook
in the class of 22 mini modified at Fort Recovery, OH. Being
first, or "test hook", the driver gets the option to "take" his pass or
"drop" it & come back to try & make a better pass. Adam went 303 &
change, which is a pretty strong run, so he "took" it! We were
really excited with the way the tractor ran, but unfortunately for us,
the sun started to go down shortly after his run & the track started to
get better as the class progressed. What we thought was a good run
was unfortunately only good enough for 12th place. Luckily, Larry
& the Shell Rotella T Footloose were later in the class, which seemed to
be an advantage. And, it was! He made a strong Full Pull,
qualifying him for the pull-off. Seven other tractors also
qualified for the pull-off, so Larry & crew went to work on getting the
Shell Rotella T Footloose ready for another pass. The track
officials decided to add weight to the sled to stop the tractors a
little sooner, so Larry went 287.320 in the pull-off...good enough for a
6th place. As always, we were pleased with that top 10 finish, as
our class is LOADED with strong competitors! At any given time,
there are more than 15 competitors capable of pulling off a win!
Saturday night proved to be a better night for Koester Racing!
Both Adam & Larry drew numbers that put them early middle & late middle
in the class. As Friday night proved, it was a good thing to have
later numbers because the track always gets better as the sun goes down
in Fort Recovery. Adam & the Shell Rotella Double Play were up
first out of our two tractors & made a Full Pull, qualifying him for the
pull-off! Since Adam's tractor ran so well, we knew exactly what
needed to be done to the Shell Rotella T Footloose to get it out there &
qualify for the pull-off, too! And, that's exactly what Larry did!
So, both Koester Racing tractors were qualified for the pull-off along
with 4 other tractors. Adam & the Shell Rotella Double Play were
up first, again, for the pull-off, & went a strong 293.215, which would
be good enough for 5th place. And, again...since Adam was able to
play the "guinea pig", we knew the changes that were necessary for the
Shell Rotella T Footloose, & Larry was able to come out & make a
stronger pass, going 305.775 feet, which would prove to be good enough
for 3rd! We were thrilled to have TWO top five finishes on
Saturday night! Although there was a slight upset with the 12th on
Friday night, Larry & Adam were able to make up for it with GREAT
finishes on Saturday night!
Next up...Saluda, SC on August 13th & 14th! In the meantime, the
KR crew will be busy testing & tuning to get ready for the next month of
pulling which will also include the National Tractor Pulling
Championships in Bowling Green, OH! We'll pass on the results as
they come in! :)
Tuesday July 27th, 2010
We had a pretty good weekend at the Lions Super Pull of the South in
Chapel Hill, TN! On Friday night, Larry & the Shell Rotella T
Footloose were 2nd hook in the class & made a near perfect pass getting
a full pull & qualifying him for the pull off. Adam & the Shell
Rotella Double Play were a few tractors later in the class & also made a
great pass. He also got a full pull & qualified for the pull off.
So, we rushed both tractors back to the staging area & got them ready
for the pull off, while two other tractors qualified for the pull off,
as well. There were four total tractors that qualified.
Larry & his Shell Rotella T Footloose were first up & made yet another
perfect pass, going 308.085 feet. The next tractor came up & went
269 feet...so we had dodged one bullet! :) Adam & his Shell
Rotella Double Play was 3rd up in the pull-off. His tractor hooked
up great out of the hole, but towards the middle of his pass, he was
forced to hit the brakes a few times to keep the tractor in bounds which
took away some of his momentum, allowing him to go 287 feet. Last
up was Phillip Fairbanks, who is our current points leader. He
also had to get on his brakes & went 304 feet. Larry's 308 held
up! We pulled off a win with the Shell Rotella T Footloose, & to
make matters even better, Adam & the Shell Rotella Double Play managed a
3rd! We were thrilled! After tons of frustration & trying to
work out a combination on both tractors that would make them run
strongly, it FINALLY paid off!
Saturday afternoon, while checking both tractors over & getting them
ready for Saturday evening's pull, we found that the Shell Rotella T
Footloose had a broken ring gear in the rear end. Apparently all
of the stress from the two STRONG passes caused the rear end to break
(thankfully it held up long enough to get through those two passes)!
So, we were forced to put in our spare rear end, which completely
changed the set-up on the Shell Rotella T Footloose.
Unfortunately, our spare rear end is heavier than the original one,
causing Larry to lose out on 15 extra pounds that we had for extra
weight on the front of the tractor the previous night. When the
weight setup is changed, it changes the entire chemistry of the tractor,
so we were back to square one on getting a combination that would work.
The Shell Rotella Double Play checked out perfectly in the meantime.
Adam & the Shell Rotella Double Play were up first (out of our two
tractors) on Saturday night. Adam was able to lay down a GREAT
pass, going 307.450. Since he was 2 1/2 feet short of 310, he
didn't qualify for the pull-off, but thankfully that pass was good
enough for 5th! Larry & the Shell Rotella T Footloose were up a
few tractors later, & unfortunately, just as we had suspected, the new
rear end completely fouled up our entire setup. Larry came off the
line perfectly & got the tractor hooked in to the track, but it
apparently hooked TOO good & made a direct left turn. Although
Larry salvaged the run somewhat by getting on the brakes & keeping it in
bounds, he still took a REALLY rough ride getting the front end WAY too
far up in the air & then when he had to hit the brakes, it slammed down,
which broke the two front spindles & bent the front wheels. As I
said before, thankfully he was very smart about driving, as he was able
to salvage a 12th place finish.
As you can imagine, we are in the process of getting a new rear end for the Shell Rotella T Footloose before we head to Ambassador's Park in Fort Recovery, OH this weekend!
