Rodney Rosenstiel’s 1970 Opel GT apparently weighed not much more than 2,100 pounds at Houston Motorsports Park, where the Florida-based racer took the ADRL’s first-ever Extreme 10.5 event title.
That said, while I have no doubt Extreme 10.5 will take off as a welcome addition to ADRL’s racing menu, I have to admit the inaugural event was a bit anti-climactic. Any time you have a spread of more than 1.1 seconds in qualifying over just an eight-car field that’s to be expected I suppose, but only the final round between Rodney Rosenstiel’s Pro Mod-style, blown Opel and Marcus Birt’s traditional, nitrous-assisted Outlaw 10.5 Camaro (racing at 2,848 pounds according to Birt) provided any true drama.
As has been well documented elsewhere, Rosenstiel took a predictable win over a game effort by Birt in his clearly overmatched and overweight (for Extreme 10.5) entry. That final round, combined with Kirk’s qualifying dominance, graphically illustrated the difference between Extreme 10.5 and Outlaw 10.5 racing. But just to be clear, one is not “better” than the other; they’re merely different from one another.
Regardless, ADRL will have to draw from the Outlaw 10.5 racer base to fill its fields, at least until enough dedicated Extreme 10.5 entries like Kirk’s and Rosenstiel’s hit the track. ADRL president Kenny Nowling recognizes this, too, though he was admittedly disappointed at the low turnout for the class at Houston. But I suspect that had more to do with racer wariness at what they’d be going up against than with a reflection of how well the class will draw participation. Now that there’s at least a performance baseline I think the ADRL will see several more Extreme 10.5 entries next month at Montgomery, AL.
Nowling pointed out, correctly in my opinion, that Extreme 10.5 will gradually establish its own niche in the 10-wide world, one quite distinct from its Outlaw 10.5 cousin. He referred back to the early days of Pro Extreme, the ADRL’s marquee supercharged class, when established Pro Mod teams simply trotted out their NHRA/IHRA-legal cars, but were summarily dismissed by outlaw Pro Mod regulars who didn’t concern themselves with such arbitrary limitations as minimum weight or maximum blower overdrive. Now, several top teams campaign one car in the HRA’s and another in ADRL action—just as Kirk already is doing with his Extreme 10.5 Vette and the 2000 Camaro in which he’ll defend his ORSCA Outlaw 10.5 championship.
Nowling also has going for him the relative cost effectiveness of reconfiguring an existing tube-chassis car to Extreme 10.5 trim. Where a new Outlaw 10.5 roller easily can top out at more than $100,000 from a well-known chassis shop, a race-proven, professionally built, ex-Pro Mod or Pro Stock car often can be had for far less than half that figure. That has to bode well for future Extreme 10.5 fields.
On the other side of the equation Nowling did ORSCA and all the other Outlaw 10.5 series a huge favor by initiating a class that eventually will preclude entry from traditional 10-wide racers. It means Outlaw 10.5 should be able to retain its own identity with the quickest and fastest “street-appearing” cars in the country.
In the end, the fans will vote with their interest and dollars spent attending races, buying T-shirts, and reading magazines. I suspect both classes will eventually flourish, especially once everyone recognizes each for the distinct competition and entertainment they provide.
Race safe,
