Signing Off

We are very grateful for the support you have given us over the years. As we have concluded our Top Gun category racing activities here in Curaçao and shipped the Chevy Cobalt back to the states, the PISS'D OFF PETE chapter has been closed. Accordingly, this blog will no longer be used to inform the fans about PISS'D OFF PETE.

To maintain yourself up-to-date with the our racing activities stateside, we kindly request you to visit the following blog: http://sddkm.blogspot.com.

Thanks again and see you at the races!

Happy Holidays

Mac Happy Day

Today, November 14, 2014, fast food chain Mc Donald's will donate all of their Big Mac sales revenues to the Ronald Mc Donalds House Charties Foundation (RMHC). This foundation is an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well being of children.

The local chapter has a room in the St. Elisabeth Hospital where children who very ill can spend quality time with their families away from a hospital like setting. They are also working towards having a bigger presence in the new still to be build hospital. Trust me when I say that the work these folk do is very important to ill children and their families in Curaçao.

Please support the foundation by dropping by your local Mc Donalds Restaurant and buy a Big Mac. You can also just donate to the cause.

Thanks for reading.

2nd Annual Wine & Cheese fundraiser - Updated

As first announced on September 11 last, after having been part of Curaçao's drag racing family for almost three years, the time has come to turnover the page. As such, we will be sending the pro stocker back to the U.S. where the Chevy Cobalt will compete most probably in IHRA.

As we have done in the past, our racing operation will continue to be funded by donations, sponsors, fundraisers, and own funds naturally. For 2014 we have one more fundraiser planned.

Roof-top terrace at The Triangle

The time has come to have ourselves another fun night out at our second annual roof-top "Wine & Cheese fundraiser". Last year we had a full house with everybody enjoying themselves immensely so this time we are aiming even higher with a great selection of wines and cheeses. For those who prefer something else (Wally & Co.), we will have a well stocked premium bar, just in case.

Date: Thursday, October 30th 2014
Time: 19:00 - 22:00
Place: The Triangle, Hoogstraat 18, Otrobanda
Fee: Ang. 100 (all inclusive)

There is plenty of parking space on the property along with security.

Kindly call or email me at daniel@dekortfamily.com to reserve or purchase your event tickets.
For more information, just call +599 9 511-5615.

Thanks for reading and see you soon!

UPDATE:
We are very happy with the turnout. Everybody had a great time and most stayed well beyond the time service at ceased. We just put a couple of wines bottles chill nearby, sat down and chatted away. Boy did I hear some good stories. We left some three hours after the event was supposed to end. Wouldn't have it any other way.

We want to take this opportunity to thank everybody who came or supported this event in one way or another.

4th annual RMHC Golf Tournament - Updated

Don't forget to sign up for the upcoming 4th annual RMHC Curaçao Golf Tournament, to be held at the beautiful Old Quarry Golf Course, on Saturday September 6th 2014.

The funds raised will be used for operations and maintenance purposes of the Ronald Mc Donald Family Room located in the Pediatrics wing of the Sint Elizabeth Hospital. Proceeds will also go to a special fund that is dedicated to the construction of their future Family Room in the new hospital.

The 4th annual golf tournament is open to all level golfers, who will play on Saturday September 6th in 2 flights of 20 teams with prizes for the morning flight and winners of the afternoon flight. Prior and during the event there will also be fun activities for all golfers and non-handicap golfers in addition to their families, with great prizes.

There will be an optional practice round on Friday, September 5th. Call for special rates.
Sta. Barbara Beach & Golf Resort has standard rooms starting at USD 149 per night plus 21.98 % service charge. Call 5999-840-4100 for reservations.

For more information:
Ronald Mc Donald House Charities Foundation Curaçao Foundation,
Tel: 5999-736-2599.

During our last fundraiser, the Porsche 911 50th anniversary, we allocated 50% of all participating Porsche entry fees to the RMHC Curacao Foundation. As a proud supporter, we have decided to allocate additional funds so as to contribute to this charity golf tournament as a hole sponsor.

See you soon at the Old Quarry.

UPDATE:
Though the official recap of the event hasn't been published yet, it is safe to say that it was success. As a "hole sponsor" we are very happy to have been able to contribute to this golf tournament benefiting the RMHC. Below a picture of the winning team.

Below a card presented to us by the organizers. Just great to have been part of this.

Piss'd Off Pete has made its last run.

Dear fans, fellow drag racers and motorsports enthusiasts, I have had a great time driving and racing the Chevy Cobalt pro stock named "PISS'D OFF PETE" on the island of Curaçao. Many fond memories have been etched in my brain. And though we did not get to race as often as I would have liked, I can honestly say that all I set out to do has been achieved.

I am very grateful for everyone who has supported us along the way, especially to our sponsors: Asogas Fuel Services, Tramm Imaging, Valvoline, Medina Cargo, Heavy Mix, and Tech Welding;
and to all of our fundraiser event sponsors. Of course, couldn't have done it without our crew.

I'd like to leave you with a video of our last full pass, click here. That was a great night!

What a Pro Stock chassis looks like

Unlike any other form of motorsports, drag race fans get unrivaled access to the pits and often see the cars from just a few meters distance. Even so, the best case scenario has one imagining what goes where on a car, especially if it's a Top Fuel or a Funny Car.

A decade ago the folks at Rick Jones Inc. came up with an innovative way to illustrate what it is they do as chassis builders. They basically cut out half of a 2002 pro stock car, of which I've included a couple of pictures below. Even though the car, and its technology, is more than a decade old, it still gives one a decent idea of the internal components of such a car. 

The main objective of the pictures is to highlight the chassis underneath the fiberglass body. At first glance, one of the main differences between this and the newer models is the type of chrome-moly tubing used and the shapes in which they are bend, in order to form the chassis.

Needless to say, having a well built professional chassis is crucial at this level in order to qualify to race, let alone win the event.

Thanks for reading.

Photo credit: Rick Jones Inc., QuarterMax

Porsche 911 50th Anniversary at Seru Boca Marina

Keeping the tradition started in 2013 with Hot Cars & Hot Cakes, we held the Porsche 911 50th Anniversary at Seru Boca Marina on Saturday, August 9th last. The Porsche turnout was great as the group of spectators.

Although it was a bit warm in the early afternoon, the moment the sun slid behind the neighboring hills the shade allowed for everyone to fully enjoy themselves. With a well stocked bar and a BBQ grill that was kept full of meat, chicken-and shrimp skewers, more than a hundred people soaked in the beautiful area of the Seru Boca Marina and admired a larger-than-expected Porsche 911 turn out. From the Porsche aficionados getting their fix, to the children choosing their favourite models and the wine being savored the event was truly a success.

The Porsche's were divided into two groups: one of 911's and the second area of other of notable ones, which included of a couple of Boxters and one 550 Spyder replica. In keeping with International standards, documentaries of the famed Porsche 911 and related videos were presented. Also a 12 page event booklet was handed out ensuring everyone went home with more knowledge about the 911 and our sponsors.

Below you will find some pictures taken by Priscilla to give you an impression of the event. To watch a video please click here.

As a token of gratitude to all the Porsche owners who assisted we promised to donate 50% of the entry fee (Ang. 50,00) to the Ronald Mc Donald House Charities Foundation Curaçao. This amounted to Ang. 325,00.

We would like to thank our sponsors for their support. They are PROWIN MOTORS - ADOLFO DOMINGUEZ - BOB AUTOWAS - CASTROL - DUNLOP - FULTROT - JUICE BAR - MOTHERS - SANTA BARBARA PLANTATION.

Photo credit: Priscilla Lotman.

Crab mentality

Tonight there's a race we could have at least made an exhibition pass in. Unfortunately, our transmission is still stuck in local customs, courtesy of Complete Cargo. It appears they did not file a request with customs before exporting the transmission stateside for repairs. Another lesson learned!

Why is it that islanders love the crab mentality so freaking much. For those of you who are lucky enough not to know this term, here you go... from Wikipedia:

Crab mentality, sometimes referred to as crabs in the bucket, is a phrase that describes a way of thinking best described by the phrase "if I can't have it, neither can you." The metaphor refers to a pot of crabs. Individually, the crabs could easily escape from the pot, but instead, they grab at each other in a useless "king of the hill" competition which prevents any from escaping and ensures their collective demise.

See you in the bleachers.

Source: Wikipedia

Exclusive wine night - fundraiser

Back by popular request, we will be holding another fantastic evening in the wine cellar at the Triangle. So if you are one of those not going away on summer vacation or will already be back from one, and you love tasting well crafted wines or just like an exceptional evening out, then kindly consider the following:

Date:  Thursday, July 17, 2014,
Time: 19:30 - 22:00
Place: Wine cellar at The Triangle, Hoogstraat, Otrobanda,
Fee:   Ang. 150,00 p.p. (fundraiser benefiting our foundation)

This time around we shall focus on wines from South America and our good friend and wine connoisseur Paul Jonkers will guide us through the tastes and distinctiveness of each wine, while Priscilla will be in charge of the kitchen.

Seating for this fundraiser is very limited so book your tickets early.

Please email us at: daniel@dekortfamily.com to book your tickets.

UPDATE:
The evening is sold out. Thank you!
We are so looking forward to it. The wines have all been selected and delivered. All is set. There is plenty of parking along with security. Two thumbs up to our event sponsors: "La Martina" (DLG stores) and "El Gaucho".

Thanks for reading.

For one last time

This picture was taken during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Int'l Drag Fest. As the dignitaries, sponsors and track operator were all busy giving their speeches, I made my way onto the track to soak it all in. And since we hadn't raced for more than a year, I made use of the opportunity to visualize the starting line area for one last time!

Thanks for reading and see you at the races.

Photo credit: own files

Sad to miss the races

As I feared, PISS'D OFF PETE will not be able to make next weekend's National Flag day races. Our Lenco transmission has been repaired by Jeff Dobbins but he is in Michigan racing and will only be able to ship it out to us next week. It took a while to get it fixed since parts had to be ordered from RAM and Lenco. Also, getting the Lenco out of customs in Miami took much longer than usual.

But hey, we will be there in the bleachers at the CIR, and so should you, for I believe the races will be great once more. Below you will find the promotional poster of the event.

Thanks for reading and see you at the races!

How to Pack a Drag Parachute

Occasionally I write about topics that are not about PISS'D OFF PETE, but that do concern it in some way. The idea behind this blog is not only to inform about the car but also educate our readers.

As Eric didn't get the chance to pack the chute after our last run, and the fact that I have never done this myself, I thought it worthwhile to find me a video about it, and of course, I am sharing this with you.

The video below is by Quarter-Max, which is also our chassis builder and provider of race components.



For more detailed information from the people at Stroud Safety, please click here to visit a report on Drag Zine.

Thanks for reading/watching.

Video credit: Quarter-Max.

Pete's Drag Fest photos

Now that I've gotten the Lenco on its way to Jeff Dobbins in Wilmington, NC, for repairs I got around to uploading some pictures. We only got to participate in the first day (of the 3 day drag fest) as I had a problem with the Lenco racing transmission. As soon as Jeff takes a look at it we'll know what happened.

The pictures below are of: passing technical inspection - our little pit area - always fun when the reflective tapes come to life and spook people - the car in the staging lanes -  and trouble shooting (last four). Click on the picture to enlarge.

Thanks for reading

Picture credit: own files (Priscilla Lotman)

Lenco ready for shipment

As there is an upcoming race scheduled in July, I am sending the Lenco 5 speed transmission via air to Jeff Dobbins for repairs. Finished the crate late last night and it is now ready for pick up.
I hope that the folk at Complete Cargo and Eric can get this on the next flight out, which is on Thursday.

Please support our fundraisers for without it we would not be doing this.

Thanks for reading.

What more can I say

Well, as we exhaust the limited solutions, I am slowly realizing that we've come pretty much to the end of the rope. Even though we've gotten the support from so many, even from our sole competitor Pat & Frankie, this level of performance is extremely unforgiving.

In a nut shell, due to a combination of factors attributed to the limited exposure to racing on the island and my limited seat time, I burned the Lenco gearbox's 1st gear last night. Also burned the clutch disks and floater but those we have replacements for. Never thought to burn 1st or any of the other gears, so do not have replacements for all of them.

Needless to say, I am extremely disappointed in the situation, cause it truly isn't anyone's fault. I would have really liked for the fans to see PISS'D OFF PETE make a couple of solid runs, in the low 6.70's and then try to avoid giving Frankie Brandao a chance to enthusiastically call out: "Danny, good night".

Though I am not racing in the old Whathehell team of my father Eddie, the spirit of not going down without a fight still lives in me. Very much so!

Thanks for reading and see you at the races.

Drag Fest promo

Click on the image to enlarge.

Update test day

We dodged what would have been a "killer" bullet last night when Stephen encountered a nut that had seized on the clutch assembly. In the end the only "solution" was for me to grind it off.

What is so cool about the sport of drag racing is that it is in moments like these that you experience the beauty of good sportsmanship. Being that we are just two cars running in this category in Curacao and the other guy is, none other than legendary door slammer driver and EFI innovator engine builder, Pat Musi, we were able to not only get the part from him, but one of his crew put his experience to good use and gave us some pointers. So, the guys that we will be racing on Saturday night helped us out and kept us in the show.

We are very grateful to Pat and his crew for helping us out.

Today's race schedule has us making test passes around 9.15 and 11.15pm, so if you want to see PISS'D OFF PETE and King Kong IV stretch their legs, be sure you are at the track by nine.

Thanks for reading and if you happen to bump into Pat and his crew, do not forget to give them a "pat on the back". Truly great people.

Update 30/4

The Brionplein drag car show organized by the FAC last night was a blast. Everybody seemed to be having a good time until a couple of the cars started their powerful engines. That really got the crowd excited. Even met Clemson Lourens who introduced me to Kirsten van Croonenborgh and her husband, who drives the Nostalgia F/C. I am really looking forward to that car!! Maybe they will let me climb into the cockpit...

Unfortunately, we could not take Pete to the event, even though he was all dressed for the occasion. Our guy (R&J Towing) who helps us move the car had so much work with hauling the cars from Holland from the track to Otrobanda and back, that we decided not to have him come get us. Besides, the public know Piss'd Off Pete already.

Today we will pass tech inspection in the afternoon. If all goes well and the track has enough bite, we will attempt a pass. Let's see.

Thanks for reading and see you at the track.

Update 29/4

Dear fans, a quick update on the preparations for the 2014 Drag Fest. Although I started very late, pushed hard yesterday and got through most of the chassis' nuts and bolds, including Pete's new shoes!

Changed for the first time the rear tires. Since Eric wasn't available I had to go at it on my own. We have gone back to Goodyear's (2922's). And although their roll out are 109, 5 which is a bit on the long side, one or two good burnouts should do the job and get them to were they need be. Lets hope the switch pays off in better runs.

Also had to do some minor repair work on the right cylinder head. I must say, it was pretty cool working on those massive HEMI heads. The fact that we run PISS'D OFF PETE on such a tight budget often seems like a herculean task, however, this all disappears when I spend some time on the car.

Finally, removed the accumulated dust from the body and wiped it clean using our magic potion (Formula 409). Pete is ready to roll.

Thanks for reading and be sure to check back for more updates.