Fantasy of Flight ACE Camp

The FAA and Larsen Motorsports has been planning an event for about 3 months. It is called the ACE Camp. It is a camp geared towards careers in Aviation. The FAA and Embry-Riddle invited us to come out and help with the kids that had to write an essay in order to be a part of this two-day camp. We brought the Miss Ta Fire jet dragster over to Fantasy of Flight which is very close to us. What a pleasant change to drive 20 minutes to get to work.

It was fun to watch the kids and parents faces when they pulled in and saw the dragster sitting out front. When I told them we were firing it up, I think they were ready. Other in the Aviation Community gave their speeches, and then it was our time. We fired the car up and had a lot of fun. They had a lot of questions, and then it was time to wind down and enjoy the rest of the day, or so we thought. Mr. Ben Coleman from the FAA and Mr. Kermit Weeks, the owner of Fantasy of Flight had a special surprise for Chris. It was our 20 year anniversary and they wanted it to be special for Chris. Mr. Weeks was doing the Flight of the day in a P-40. This is the only one in existence that is up and flying, and he invited Chris to go along for a ride. He did some pretty cool maneuvers and the kids at the camp and I voted if Chris was going to loose his lunch. I lost and Chris kept his lunch.

The next day was more of the same. We pulled out the car and waited for the kids to arrive. We had to pull out at 12:00 on Thursday in order to make it to Atlanta for the night of fire.

We had some special visitors this week. Tom, a guy that stood up for Chris in our wedding, and his family came for a visit in sunny Florida. We also had another visit from Curt Eierdam from AZ. He was here for a working conference. Curt came out to Fantasy of Flight to check the place out. We are racing against each other in Kennedale, TX.

Have fun and check back later.

Elaine

R & R for Larsen Motorsports

After not having a vacation for 3 years, we decided it was time to get away. I booked a cruise a couple of months ago and we have been counting down ever since. We have found that if we stay close to home we end up leaving early and coming home to work. Not a good thing for vacation. So a cruise it was. We went with some friends and left out of Miami on a Carnival Cruise ship the Valor. It stopped in Nassau Bahamas, St. Thomas and St. Martin. We then were at sea for the rest of the 7 days. I have never eaten so much in my whole life. I have to get back to my normal weight for the up coming race in a couple of weeks.

While we were in Nassau, we swam with the dolphins. Now it sounds really nice, but they are a little intimidating. This coming from someone who isn't afraid to blast down the quarter mile at speeds over 270, but when it comes up to you and makes all of that noise, you think it is going to peck your eyes out with its nose. Over all unfortgettable.

Then in St. Thomas we went to a beach to snorkel. What beautiful water and the fish were everywhere. We also did some shopping. Then to St. Martin. Chris and his friend Jim got off the ship and did an excursion where they raced sailboats on a team. Of course their team won.

Then we headed out to sea for a couple of days getting back to Miami. All in all a wonderful vacation. But by the last day, we were starting to get antsy and ready to get home and get back to work.

It is overwhelming all of the work that just sits and waits for you. I started the new website www.lmsjets.com before we left. If you haven't checked it out, make sure you do so. We also received a phone call that the Horsepower TV show that we filmed back in March aired the first weekend in June. I of course missed it, but have a copy coming from my good buddy Frankie!!! There also was a press release made about our new Embry-Riddle jet dragster. We have received so much positive feedback. I can't wait to take it out to the track.

I guess that is it for now. Check out our schedule. I would love to see you at the races.

Elaine

A Week in the Life Of Larsen Motorsports

Okay again as the age old saying goes "Be careful what you wish for" well, two years ago I wished to be busy. It doesn't even come close. Lets see, since my last post we have traveled to Ft. Lauderdale for our sponsor to open up a new location for an extended campus, debuted our brand new Embry-Riddle Jet Dragster and went to a gala in West Palm Beach. Where to begin...

Ft. Lauderdale May 16th. The Embry-Riddle sponsored Miss Ta Fire headed south to help celebrate the new location of the extended campus of Embry-Riddle in Ft. Lauderdale. You can find out more information about this campus at http://fusion.erau.edu/ec/wwc/centerinfo.cfm?CODE=03 We pulled onto the campus and the weather looked questionable, but we unloaded the dragster and set up the display. It didn't take long for the weather to change. One of the the employees from the building described it best "I tried not laugh when I saw your husband go out and cover the car, but when he went airborn trying to keep the canopy down, I lost it" I don't know how the bad weather surprises us, but it always seems to catch us off guard. But, what makes us strong is how we handle the situation. First we repositioned the car under the covered entryway, then we proceeded to greet the guests and had a wonderful time drawing attention to the new location. It made the day worth it when a couple of guys driving by stopped because they saw the trailer, when they asked why we were there, we told them about Embry-riddles extended campus and they said they had heard a lot about it and were very interested in more information in continuing their education. WOW. We ended the day on a high note.

On the way home we dropped the car and trailer in West Palm Beach at Moroso Motorsports Park until Saturday, headed the rest of the way home. On Wednesday we cleaned up the brand new Embry-Riddle Jet Dragster and the trailer for its debut the next day. This is something we have been looking forward to for many many months.

May 18th, THE DAY IS HERE!!! We travel to Daytona Beach to Embry-Riddle. On the way we stop by Andrew's school to pick him up. The kids in his class came out to see what was going on. As we got closer to Daytona I started to get more excited. They had not seen the car, trailer or uniforms and as we drove through the entry we were not disappointed. When we pulled in, you could see heads turn. We pulled to the Aviation Maintains Building where it all started, and unloaded the dragster. FINALLY!!! We Made it!!! We were scheduled for a photo shoot and then for a party they were hosting for local community colleges. It was wonderful. We loaded the car and left the car and trailer in Daytona for a a display we will be doing on May 24th. Let me tell you it was hard to leave the new baby!!!

Now we are on to May 20th. We were invited to help celebrate Moroso Motorsports Park receive the Providencia Award for Palm Beach County. This was really a honor for Larsen Motorsports. It was time for us to dress up and have some fun. We picked up the Miss Ta Fire Jet Dragster and headed for the convention center to put her in her place for the evening. After that it was time to relax. It is not often we get to dress up in formals, but it is fun. We went to the party and stood by the car to help describe the dragster to the guests. Then it was time to go to the party. I was proud to be there to witness Moroso Motorsports Park receive the award. After we headed back to the hotel and get some deserved sleep. The next morning we headed home. What a wonderful week. The highs with the debut of the new car and the lows of the rain. Keep checking back for our next trip on the road.

Home Sweet Home in West Palm Beach

Home Sweet Home, that is how I feel when I pull through the gates at Moroso Motorsports Park with the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Miss Ta Fire jet dragster. We were asked to come in a day early for a display. They have had the honor of winning the Providencia Award. Which means that they have been a leader in trying to advance tourism in Palm Beach County. They were having a get together at the race track. Moroso is involved in a wide variety of racing, from their Road Course, Kart Track and of course their Drag Strip. This is a complete motorsports facility.

We were there on Friday night to help promote their Drag Strip portion. After everyone arrived, it was time for us to show off a little. We were scheduled to make a full pass down the track, but mother nature had other plans. Instead we did a line show complete with smoke, fire and burner pops. It was just a teaser for the following evening.

Saturday morning and the track doesn't open until noon so we went to one of our favorite restaurants The Boulevard for breakfast. We had invited a lot of our Embry-Riddle family to come out to the track that evening so it was time to get to work.

ESPN was on hand to help with a Girls truck race that evening. They asked if I would give some suggestions on how to win the race on camera. Our Embry-Riddle friends started to show up and it was almost race time. Everyone made great first round passes. We went back to the trailer and was met with wonderful fans. Our friends that had come out for the event were very impressed. In the middle of all of this, of course no race could be complete with out a bikini contest. Sparkplug wanted to be a judge, but I pulled the MOM card and said NO!!!

For the second pass we were all in the staging lanes suited up and in the cars when the first rain drop hit. It didn't take long for the others to follow, so sadly we went back to the trailer to pack things up for the night. But the up side is we all met at another of my favorite places Abby Road for a late night dinner.

Sunday morning and it was time to get down to business. We had three passes to complete and things were going to be rushed. Of course it had to rain just enough to make us worried, but things dried off, heated up and it was time to race.

Everyone made all of their passes with no problems. It is nice when things come together. We finished up the day packing things up and saying goodbye to our racing friends that we won't see again until the next races in WPB. I will however face up against Mark Smith in Nashville this July.

Thanks a lot to all of the track personal who always make us feel at home, to Chris and Chuck who came out to help this weekend, to the Embry-Riddle family, and of course last but not least to the fans that take the time to stop and say HI!!! WE LOVE YOU!!

Elaine

Douglas Race

Time to go racing!!!! April 14 & 15th. While others were scrambling to finish their taxes, the Miss Ta Fire team was heading out of town to Douglas, Georgia to go have some fun. We decided to leave home on Thursday night as Sparkplug was off from school on Friday. It was a great decision. We made it to Lake City and pulled in for the night. Chris and Andrew watched some TV and we all went to bed early to get some rest for the weekend. My crew chief E. Lowe (who loves to get up at the crack of dawn) left home with the crew car and caught up with us before we could get out of bed. We had breakfast and headed out.

We made it into town at 12:00 and met up with Paul Miller and his crew. Paul was one of the two jet drivers that signed off on my license, so it is always fun to run up against him. He is now driving the Dream Machine 3, that is owned by Dale Keesee. You might have seen this car before, it has been on display at most of the Super Chevy's across the country. We all hooked up and met Tim (the track manager) at the Golden Correl for lunch. Paul is always trying to fatten me up!! It didn't work this time, just salad for me thank you.

We then headed to do a display in front of the local Burger King. At 4:00 I was picked up and taken to do a radio spot. After promoting the race, it was back to the display to load the car. We were scheduled to each do a qualifying run on Friday night. One of the highlights of the night was when the announcer talked about Paul and his crew which was driving the Barbie Car. They tow the car with a Pink Tracker and we like to tease Dale that it is the Barbie car. We both made great passes. I had low et. and Paul had the top speed. After the runs, it was time to get some food. Yes, this is all I think about!! Huddle House, the best place to go after a race. Okay the only place still open. But hey I love their loaded hash browns.

The next morning Chris and E. Lowe went to the display and unloaded the car while I stayed back at the hotel to give Sparkplug some extra time to sleep. (It is good to pull the Mom card) they picked us up and we finished the display and headed to the track for race day. I got to meet some really cool people. That is my favorite part about racing. You get to hear so many cool stories and make friends all over the country. We also had the pleasure of having some of the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Family come out to the race. Terri who works in Risk Management decided to see what all of the fuss was. I think she thought it was worth the risk.

The first pass went great. I was lucky enough to get off the starting line first to win on a whole shot. The next pass Paul decided to beat the light and I chased him down. All in all every pass was over 200 mph and the fans went wild. I want to thank Terri for taking the time to come check us out.

We spent Easter driving home from the race. Came home and started preparing for this weekend where I will be in West Palm Beach racing again. Thanks for stopping by at the races. Hope to see you all again.

Elaine

Sun-N-Fun 2006

The title says it all. It was Sun-N-Fun for the entire week. The Miss-Ta-Fire crew was invited to join Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to help with their display at the Sun-N-Fun airshow in Lakeland, Florida. We headed to the event on Monday morning to drop off the truck & trailer and get everything into position. While we were there, Chris received a phone call from his former auto teacher Mr. Button. (it is hard to now call him Larry even though we are in our late 30's) He came into town for a short visit and made us a top priority. Pretty cool. He was a huge influence on Chris's decision to go into the aeronautical field as well as sharing his love of drag racing.

After meeting with Larry and his brother, it was early to bed to get ready for the big week. We were on display from Tuesday until Sunday evening. I was worried that the beginning was going to be slow and the days would drag on. I don't know if we were just lucky, but everyday the show was swamped. It just kept getting busier and busier. The days just flew by. I can even begin to guess how many photos I signed and how many times I told people how fast my car was.

Every afternoon we were treated to an airshow from 2-5. Not a bad way to end the day. Each day built up to the main events on the weekend. People say what I do is crazy, they don't even know what crazy is until you see how they make the airplanes dance in the air. These guys are nuts!!!!!

On Thursday we saw a big puff of black smoke and heard two loud bangs. My stomach sank, I just knew the worst had happened. Well it turned out to not be as bad as we had thought. It hadn't rained for 41 days in central Florida so the grass was really dry. A low ground clearance sports car pulled into a grass parking lot and and the hot exhaust system caught the grass on fire. The fire proceeded to burn down 24 cars. Can you imagine coming back to a charred and burnt car???? Luckily we received some well needed rain early Sunday morning.

I believe the final count on the jet car handouts was almost 2500. We had a great week and had the opportunity to meet a lot of really cool people. One that comes to mind is Matt. This 15 year old was pretty cool. He has a great attitude and I can't wait until our race in Commerce, Georgia where he is planning to help crew our car.

My Spring so far.....

Hey guys,

I got some flack about not posting to my blog from a friend (Curt) in Arizona. So here I am to fill you in of all the stuff that has been going on. We have been going crazy trying to get things finished up with our new jet dragster. Graphics are going on, Trailer has been painted, new uniforms have been ordered. I also had to get fit for a brand new firesuit. All of this takes so much time. Just making the right decisions.

In the middle of this my buddy from Arizona took time to stop in and help me celebrate my birthday. He gave me what every girl wants for her birthday...jet car parts. Which is pretty nice considering he also races and I am sure he could have saved the parts for a rainy day. We are meeting up for the first time on the dragstrip on August 4th in Kennedale, TX.

This week has been spring break for Sparkplug. We headed out with some friends to the west coast of Florida to Homosassa Springs and Crystal River to see the Manatees. The weather turned cool, but we had a GREAT time. I lost my cell phone in the river, and Sparkplug caught a fish. Those are the highlights.

Today has been a pretty cool day. We had a lunch meeting with the people of Fantasy of Flight. It is almost in Lakeland Florida. We are going to be doing a display there in June and wanted to work out the details. This place is amazing. It is just 30 min. from our house, and we have never taken the time to stop by and look. I couldn't believe it. It is first class all of the way. You need to have at least 3 hours to do this place justice. If you do stop by and visit, make sure you eat there. GREAT onion rings!!!

Miss Ta Fire

Hey guys. I hope everyone had a great time last weekend at Moroso Motorsports Park. We will be back April 22 & 23 to race there again.

Horsepower TV came out to film us. It was really cool.

I had the chance to meet Jessie Harris, the Queen of Diamonds. I have been waiting to meet her for a couple of years. She was everything I was told. We are racing again in May at Kanawha Valley Dragway.

I will check back in soon.

Elaine