STREET/RACE Issue 2, Spring 2018 | Page 57

THE KING SPEAKS the tire range. That’s about where we are. If you take the top four or five cars, yeah, that’s the kind of power levels you’re talking bout. Also, as you know, when it comes down to any race, when you’re down to the last four or the last six or so, anything can happen because these are the cars that have made it to the end and they’re fairly equal. It’s no different in NASCAR or in drag racing. It’s all the same thing. When you’re right down to the end, the race is won a lot at the starting line. So these cars are all close enough that anything could happen depending upon the jump. SRM: What’s your perspective on this whole roll-racing format, espe- cially coming from being a hard-core drag racer since the ‘70s? BH: Man, I’ll tell you the truth. I am so sick of destroying transmission, clutches and rear ends, and you do that a lot from the dig. And when it happens, and you put bigger and better and more expensive parts in - you still tear them up constantly. You’re getting some parts that are kind of unbreakable but you’re still taking out clutches or changing clutch and pressure plate setup, and rod, cylinder head, intake. Never. Not sometimes even damaging your once. More folks could drive their engine. This is definitely different. car out and race and actually drive Yeah, some of that stuff still happens, it home (racing this style). That’s an but when you’re in a roll, you’re not important thing at this point in time. hitting the same way as you do from To be able to go out and race - at a the dig, so when you’re in the roll very high level - and still have a car and you let off, it’s not the same that could be driven home. thing as being at a dead standstill and having a semi hit you in the rear. SRM: With that, where do you see It’s a little bit different and so it goes this headed? Would you be good easier on your car. It doesn’t mean with another entry-level type class that it’s completely gentle. If you’ve being added and even having this ever been in those things and you become a small tour or points series? feel them shift, they shift pretty hard and that’s why you need a big dog BH: Right now, what we do, our box transmission to make them work entry level is about 175 mph. That’s at the level that we are. But I like it an actual class. We have a new 190 much, much better. It’s just so much mph bracket type class, and we have easier on the start, it’s easier on your the rear-wheel drive class. But it’d parts and (in) my whole term of be great if we had like a 150 mph doing this type of racing, I’ve torn class, and then the guys could spend up a couple of synchronizers. I have a little bit but not go broke and sell damaged no rear differentials, I de- those cars and be able to drive them stroyed one front differential, but to the track and drive them home. once I changed that out to a billet There needs to be the entry level unit, I’ve had no more issues there, because what happens - I know it and then I’ve done minor engine happened to me but it would happen damage. I had one lifter come loose to anyone - as soon as you go and on me and beyond that, I’ve done you compete a couple of times in some minor, very minor stuff. But the 150 class, you become bitten, I’ve never really blown an engine. and all of a sudden, ‘Hey, man, I want I’ve never damaged a crank, piston, to go faster.’ So you graduate and you spend some money and now you’re doing the 175. Well, you grad- uate again and maybe you stop somewhere in the 175 or 190, but you opened the door for others to come in where you were and step into where you were and start moving up, and it would help the sport if we had that, the other class, more of the entry level class. It’d be neat if they had a little circuit, if the guys could cooperate in their circuit and do four or five of these, not more than one a month, but do four or five of them and let people go and gather together and actually treat it more like a little circuit, it’d be a lot of fun. SRM: You’re obviously having an in- credible time doing this and have had a lot of success. As a lifelong racing guy, what continues to be the draw for you? BH: I can’t turn it off. It’s been in me since I was about 12 years old build- ing model cars, converting them all to hot rods of some sort and com- peting. It’s been with me forever. I didn’t start with Lamborghinis, and so it’s been a progression over a life- time to be able to actually step up and own and race one of these Lam- borghinis. Had I not discovered Un- derground Racing and if Under- ground was not so much a part of this racing life for me, I wouldn’t be doing it. It takes more than just me stepping up, but it takes folks of a like mind with the great skills that they have and the ability to work with people. I like that very much, and I don’t see it ending any time soon. // SPRING2018 57