I for one had a great time last night. I would like to thank Tom Welch for inviting me to ride shotgun with him during last nights festivities. I had no idea what to expect. But, after all the little rice burners and chop breaking cops left, things got interesting.
Tom's first race of the night was with a supped-up Camaro on Nitrous. Tom rolled up behind him and you could smell the Nitrous as we pulled into the right lane and walked about 4 or 5 car lengths away from him on the motor only. Tom then slowed down and did it again just for good measure. The guy in the Camaro was a real nice guy and later came over to Tom and commented on how fast Tom's snake was.
The next race was with a Super Charged Mustang GT. This guy followed us out of the parking area and onto the bridge. Tom waived for him to hit it and once the guy took off, Tom dropped the hammer and put a solid 3 to 4 car lengths on him as he shifted into 4th gear.
After that pass Tom mention it was time to get serious. So, he pulled down a side road and jumped out to turn on his Nitrous/Propane system. We then drove up to the Tampa side of the bridge and parked on the side of the road and waited for the next victim.
I was hoping that we would run into one of those TT Supra guys that talk so much smack on some of the other boards. Well, we didn't have to wait long before a Red/Burguandy TT Supra with a wing on the back came across the bridge from the St. Pete side and made a U-turn right in front of us. I pointed him out and Tom fired his snake up and moved in for the kill.
Once again, Tom waited for the guy to hit it and I must say that I was really disappointed with the TT Supras performance. I don't know if it was a BPU+++ or Single Turbo Supra that we were looking for. But, the results were the same. Tom put a solid 3 to 4 car lengths on him before shutting it down after shifting into 4th gear.
After that race we went back to the parking area and Chuck and Tom did some racing. The big finally of the night came when this guy with a built motor in a Chevy Nova challenged Tom to race for money. Tom declined his offer to race for money. But, said he would be happy to make a pass across the bridge with him for fun. Everyone there cautioned Tom not to race the guy and commented on how bad the Nova was going to beat Tom's Viper. The Nova driver told Tom that he would race him later because he was hoping to find a better race.
Well, by this time it was almost 3:00 AM and Tom walked over to the guy and mentioned that we were going to leave and if he was interested he should follow us out. All of the guys hanging with the guy with the Nova were joking around about how bad the Viper was going to lose. The guy with the Nova even told Tom that he would disconnect his Nitrous bottle and spot Tom one full car length in order to make it a fair race. Tom declined the offer and told the guy to keep his bottle hooked up. Tom said, lets just roll up on the bridge at about a 20 MPH and then we can hit it.
Well, that is just what we did. When the guy in the Nova hit it, Tom dropped the hammer and when the Nitrous kicked in I was thrown back into my sit. The Noise coming from the Nova was almost deafening and as I looked back Tom was pulling him really hard. The Nova was quickly losing ground and once again when Tom shifted into 4th gear he had put a solid 3+ car lengths on the guy. I couldn't believe it... especially after everyone had so confidently told us we were going to get smoked by the Nova.
Well, I don't think the guy in the Nova could believe it either and he rolled back up beside us and motioned that he wanted to try it again. Once again Tom waited for him to hit it and the results were the same. I almost felt bad for the guy driving the Nova. He and all of his friends were so confident that he could beat Tom's snake. As he drove by again, Tom gave him the thumbs up and thanked him for the race. The guy looked completely devastated as if he couldn't believe what just happened.
I know this post has been long and I apologize for rambling. But, it was a great night (after the cops and rice burners left)and I really enjoyed meeting all the guys from Tampa (Chuck, Gerald, Antonio, Lee, Joe, Mike and his son).
As for Tom Welch, in my opinion you are the real deal my friend. Not only am I totally impressed with your car and driving skills. But, you have earned my business as well. Just let me know the next day you have available and I will drive my 2001 GTS from Orlando to your shop in Ocala for the complete BTR Performance Package. I don't know what all you have done to your snake. But, what ever it is... I want it on mine.
Byron
