Taking home the championship!!!

Hey Everyone,

We are just getting back from completing our first full season with the IHRA Nitro Jam!!  Things started out a little ruff in the beginning, but once we found our footing, all of the hard work really paid off.  This was the biggest season for Larsen Motorsports.  Not only did we expand to a 4 car team, we took on the task of traveling to the 12 Nitro Jam shows that cover North America.  Every mile we traveled, every pass down the track has made Larsen Motorsports closer, stronger, and more focused than ever.


We finished up the season in Memphis, TN.  We started the weekend doing press and PR.  The schedule for the weekend was first a morning TV show, then to set up 3 of the rigs at the track and finally on the Beale Street where we would light up the streets firing up the Miller Jet Dragster.  It always is a good time to expose new people to the sport of drag racing.  We had a great time and I don't think Beale Street will ever be the same!!!  I left my mark!!!



Finally, what we have been waiting for, the World Championship at Memphis International Raceway!!!  The teams are ready, the rigs are set up, now we look to mother nature to behave for us to get our runs in.  Friday looked good, and we were able to get one pass done.  I was lucky to get #1 qualifier for the evening.  Race day and the skies are cloudy and full of rain.  The IHRA tires their best, but Mother Nature came out the winner for Saturday.  So now we have to look at the points and see where we stacked up.  At the end of the day, the Miller team wasn't always the fastest or the quickest, but we proved consistency pays off.

Now it is time for the banquet.  I have to say that 11 years ago, Chris and I never imagined we would be at this point.  We both are farm kids from Michigan that had a dream.  Our dream is to love what we do and hopefully leave the racing world a better place after we are done.  Chris is amazing at this.  Just his passion for the sport and the wiliness to teach these young kids the important "hands on" skills that so many kids never get the chance to learn makes me so proud of what our company has become.

So my team, Miller Welding Jet Dragster, took home the championship.  It was such an honor to stand on the stage with my son and husband and hold that trophy.  It meant so much to us and we can't thank the IHRA enough for what they have done for our category of Jet Racing.


No time to rest, we headed home in order to load into the Daytona Speedway to work Biketoberfest. We also came home to announce that we had separated with long time sponsor Embry-Riddle.  We have been with ERAU for over 10 years and all of the kids we have worked with has forever changed Chris and myself.  We have decided to go in a different direction and we are very excited to keep promoting the development of new drivers and crew in the Motorsports industry.  There will be many more press releases to come!!!


Finally, I have to
address something that has been weighing heavy on my mind.  I totally understand that everyone doesn't have to like me and our teams.  That is what is so great about our country, we do have the freedom of speech!!  But it has been brought to my attention, that Chris and my morals have been brought to question  our true reason for this development program.  I can only let our actions speak for who and what we stand for.  Promoting young ladies to reach for their dreams, is a huge part of who and what I am.  It isn't always easy, and trust me it sometimes would be easier to just do it ourselves, but the satisfaction that both Chris and I get from helping these kids do things that only dreams are made of is the entire reason we keep fighting the battle!!!


So on to new and exciting news!!!!  IHRA has hired a film crew to document the Nitro Jam events and the professional teams that race at
each event.  The series premier is November 6th on MAV TV!!!  We are so proud to be a part of this show and let people in our lives.  We hope you enjoy and can't wait to see you at the races!!!

luv ya,
e

Countdown to a Championship!!

Well here we are, after 11 races with the IHRA Nitro Jam, it all comes down to the last race of the series in Memphis, TN for the very first IHRA World Championship.  It has been a very exciting year for the Larsen Motorsports teams.  We have had our ups and our downs and we have defiantly learned who is cheering us on!!!  All of the teams have done such a great job at the races.  We push each and every team so hard at every race, we give 110% every time we load in to a race.  It has been an interesting year.  We had our share of growing pains adding new drivers and crew.  I think we have figured out that winning combination and can't wait for this last race to show how far we have come in 2014!!!

So the stage has been set, the team are ready.......who will take that final win light to be the very first IHRA Jet Dragster World Champion!!!!  You won't want to miss this for anything!!!  Here is a video your you to decide!!!

The Count Down is ON!!!!

See you at the races,
luv ya,
e

Western Swing Packs a Punch!!!

Hello out there, we are two races into our 2014 season and Holy Cow it is nothing like I thought it would be!!!  First for those of you that have not been following along, we have gone from a two car team to a four car team this year.  We expected some growing pains, but OUCH!!!  Tucson, AZ was our first stop.  Full of expectation, the teams hit the road.  The trip out went flawless.  Rigs were set up, press was done, now it was time for us to show the world what we were made of right??  

The stage is set the cars are loading in, drivers are nervous.  First pair out was Kat and myself.  We fire the cars up.  When I spun mine over I heard something strange, but all gauges looked good, I got the thumbs up so we started the first show.  Kat did amazing.  I knew her heart was beating so fast, but she hung right there with me.  Fire show, burner pops.  Now it is time to get down the track.  Both cars stage, Kat's car starts to slide through the beams.  We see this and both of us light the burners.  I make a nice pass for the Miller Welding Jet Dragster and when I get out of the car to look for Kat, she is not there.  I get on the radio and I heard "Kat has scrubbed the wall"  My heart sunk!!  First thoughts were for Kat and her safety, but Chris quickly assured me she was fine.  Then unfortunately, the show must go on with Dawn and Marisha in the water box, the next pair was set to go down the track.  

You would think that this is where our bad luck would end right??  WRONG!!  Dawn's car had an electrical short and shut off after the burner pops.  With only Marisha and I making it down the track what else could go wrong.....this is where it gets good.  Upon returning to the pits, and during the inspection of of my engine, we found out that my engine had been "FODed"!!  What you may ask is FOD?  Foreign Object Debris, in other words, NOT GOOD!!!  I thought what the heck just happened?  From hero to zero so quick.  But in true Larsen Motorsports fashion, we did not look at the problems, we look at the solutions.  First a team went to look at Dawn's car to determine what was the cause.  It took less than 2 minutes to address the issue and fix it.  Next on to my car, engine - needs to come out and new one put in.  No problem, we brought a spare. We would be unable to make the second pass of the night, but we would get it back together for Saturday's race.  Lastly, Kat's car.  We found that the damage was minimal, but we would not be able to completely fix it for Saturday's race.  Time to roll our sleeves up and get to work.  

Friday's second pass went well and then the work started, pulling my engine and getting the new one ready to roll.  We worked until 5 a.m. Mountain time which was 8 a.m. for us.  Went back to the hotel to shower sleep for an hour and get back to the track to keep up the fight.  At 2:00 p.m. we rolled the car out to test fire.  With fingers crossed we spun her over....waited ....waited....and she purred to life!!!!  First pass out I laid down a 5.79 at 276 mph!!!  

Dawn Perdue took home the win in Jet Dragster that weekend, but let me tell you, the entire team was the winner.  One of my favorite movies is Rocky.  A quote from the movie " It ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward.  That's how winning is done!!"  

Our team took a hit, but we didn't even stumble!!  We kept moving forward to the next race, San Antonio, TX. There in Texas, Larsen's shined.  Did we make mistakes, sure!  Was everything perfect...NOPE, but guess what.....WE ARE BACK!!!!  

Our next race is in Bradenton, FL  Kat's home town and one of my home tracks.  It is sure to be an epic race that you will not want to miss. If you haven't ordered your First Edition Blaze comic go to AdventuresofBlaze.com today. See us at the races!!!  

luv ya,
e

2014 Here we come!!

Well I hope this finds everyone healthy and happy for 2014.  Larsen Motorsports is getting ready to explode!!  2014 is going to be a huge learning curve for not only the drivers of LMS, but the teams that make sure we get to the track and down the track safe and sound.

Getting you up to speed, in 2012 we hired Marisha Falk to pilot the Embry-Riddle jet dragster.  We also made the move to Daytona Beach to the Larsen Motorsports Research and Development Center.  For the past two years, we have been working hard to get ready for the next expansion.  In 2013 we announced the opening for two additional jet teams.  We hired two drivers and began to build their teams.  Trailers were purchased, graphics were applied and now here we are in 2014 locked loaded and ready to go.  February 8th in Orlando, FL at the Orlando Dragway we will unleash the power and rock the house.  Are you ready??  We are!! Don't be late.