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If your not on the edge, you're taking up space

If your not on the edge, you're taking up space

Upcoming ORR Events:

Big Bend Open Road Race
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NEWSFLASH

2018 TPR Sponsoship

katch environmental logo

We wish to thank Katch Environmental for sponsoring Team Pantera Racing in this year's Sandhills Open Road Challenge and Silver State Classic Challenge.  This marks their fourth year of sponsorship.

2016 Race Prep PDF Print E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Tuesday, 02 August 2016 19:35

The year 2016 is past the half-way point and brings with it the resurgence of urgency among Team Pantera Racing members to get their cars prepared for another dash of solitude down a lonely highway; challenging man, machine and a two-lane road.  This year's team includes Bob Radefeld, Bud Hower, Frank Cirrincione and Mark Skwarek from the TPR Central Division taking on the Sandhills Open Road Challenge.  In the Pacific Division, Dennis Antenucci and Central Division visitor Mark Skwarek will put the Silver State Classic Challenge under their tires.

Mark Skwarek has been gunning for the $10,000 prize purse in the Team Pantera Racing Challenge for a few years.  This has been an ongoing challenge to any Pantera driver who can finish the Silver State Classic Challenge at a higher speed than Dennis, ... and trophy in their class.  (yea... the rules keep changing).  Hey wait a minute... that would mean last year's first place finisher in the 120 MPH class, Asa Jay Laughton, would have qualified and won!  Since Mad Dog himself only ran 115.  :)

Be that as it may, Team Pantera Racing is still looking to Mark Skwarek to take it up a notch and bring his orange and black race prepared Pantera in for a great finish this year in both the SORC and SSCC races.  Mark has been hard at work preparing his Pantera.  Here, he is found working on the brakes, photo by Forest Majors.

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Mind you, that Mark is well over six feet tall and he has a roll cage that interferes with half his door opening.  I believe he had Forest there to make sure the pretzel could be extracted.

In another part of the United States, Bob Radefeld and his groupies have been making sure all preparations are going well for his car.

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Note the unique shop-light used in an outdoor setting.  Meanwhile in Tennessee, Frank has been getting help putting a new roll bar into the Pantera that he raced last year.

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And Bud Hower is doing similar work to "Lolita," his Pantera, in preparation for the Sandhills Open Road Challenge.

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Meanwhile in California, John (JB) Bentley has been extracting the engine from his Pantera as he prepares a recently sourced original 351C 4-bolt main block.  John has a history with these blocks and searched for some time before finding one.  Although not in perfect condition, JB has a shop that he trusts to do the work necessary to bring it up to race-ready condition.  Here, Mad Dog, the past president of Team Pantera Racing is helping with the engine extraction.

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They don't normally let Dennis touch any tools but that doesn't stop his pervasive urge to lead as shown above, always willing to help out and add muscle to any job that needs it.  Team Pantera Racing groupies will also recall that JB bowed to better judgement 30 miles into the SSCC course in 2014 as oil temperatures began to rise and oil pressues began to fall.  An initial forensics exam appeared to show a cam lobe or two might have been wiped so the engine comes out to be replaced.  Here, John assesses the recently pulled engine.

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Other TPR members currently scheduled to attend but not race include Asa Jay (AJ) Laughton and Peter (The German) Menyhart.  Peter has been coming along on the return of his Pantera and is very close, though will probably miss being ready for the 2016 race.

Team Pantera Racing isn't just about flashy cars, hot Brazilian Girls, going fast and letting some other mechanic caress their women.  These boys aren't afraid to get down and dirty with thier svelt Italian beauties to personally make sure all needs are satisfied.

Stay tuned for more information as the Central Division members shortly travel to Arnold Nebrask for the Sandhills Open Road Challenge.

Last Updated on Wednesday, 03 August 2016 18:10
 
2015 Post-Season at Button Willow PDF Print E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Saturday, 14 November 2015 19:03

Team Pantera Racing isn't just about Open Road Racing, sometimes they take out their testosterone on the track.  Paul Katchadourian who helped sponsor TPR in 2014 and 2015 began to get the itch himself.  After returning from the race in 2015 he found and purchased a really nice Dodge Viper.

Paul's new Viper

Afterward and with a little prep, Dennis (Mad Dog) Antenucci took Paul and some friends to Button Willow for some weekend fun.  Dennis had the only Pantera at the event with nearly 50 cars entered; Dennis' boss brought a Porsche and Paul brought his new Viper.

Dennis' Pantera

You can see more photos in the Gallery, here.

 
2015 SSCC Success! PDF Print E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Monday, 05 October 2015 17:11

Hope against hope and with nothing more than the Grace of God, Team Pantera Racing managed to take home a first place trophy in the 120 MPH class at the 2015 running of the Silver State Classic Challenge held in Ely Nevada.  Three Panteras started and three Panteras finished.  Mark Skwarek led the pack of cats by entering the 140 MPH class, Asa Jay Laughton in the 120 and Dennis "Mad Dog" Antenucci in the 110.  It was all for fun until the awards banquet got the team excited.

The 2015 TPR entries and a fellow TPR interloper

Mark Skwarek took fourth in his class which doesn't earn a trophy but was a very respectable showing against the other finely prepared cars in his class.  Mark was pretty near the third place standing considering the spread of time differentials.  Mark's new engine and the Pantera overall ran very well and the team think's Mark will definitely return for 2016.

Mark at the finish

Newly elected Team Pantera Racing president Asa Jay Laughton was destined to take at least third place since only he and two ZO6 Corvettes were entered in the 120 MPH class.  One Corvette finished with a time variance of 1.4679 seconds and the other with 0.7346 which are both very close finishes to on-time.  However, in a surprising upset, Asa in the Racing Against Autism Pantera  finished with a time variane of 0.2731 ensuring a First Place finish.  Team Pantera Racing members and a small group of other underdog fans were elated at the win.

Asa at the finish

Mad Dog finished with a time variance of about 10 second from perfect time.... for the 115 MPH class.  Unfortunately, being in the 110 MPH class it gave him an actual time varience of 147.8224 and put him in last place.  Unphased by the loss, Dennis was simply out to have fun on course (having won a share of trophies in years past) and just happened to find his foot a little heavy.

Mad Dog at the finish

The Team was joined by Peter (The German) Menyhart from The Whitehorse Ranch, David (The Pope) Adin from Durango Colorado who showed up in the Yellow Pantera to hang out with the boys, and once again Paul from Katch Environmental.  John (JB) Bentley who drove in 2014 again brought the Team Pantera Racing headquarters RV for the duration of the event.

The 2015 Team

Not only did everything seem to go smoothly for Team Pantera Racing this year, the entire event was a great success.  Of the 95 cars that started, 94 finished.  The only DNF was in the unlimited class and only because the driver felt the engine was not performing and stopped his race.  The weather was also beautiful for all days of the event.  2015 will go down as a great year for racing in the Silver State Classic Challenge.

Check out more photos in the gallery in the following links:

http://www.teampanteraracing.com/index.php?option=com_g2bridge&view=gallery&Itemid=57&g2_itemId=6858

http://www.teampanteraracing.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=6812

 

 

Last Updated on Monday, 05 October 2015 17:56
 
2015 SORC - TPR is There PDF Print E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Friday, 07 August 2015 20:10

Once again, Katch Environmental is the primary sponsor of Team Pantera Racing.  They were the primary sponsor for the team in 2014 and Team Pantera Racing is happy to have them aboard again this year; looking forward to their sponsorship and participation as crew.

For this year's Sandhill's Open Road Challenge, Team Pantera Racing is fielding four Panteras:

  • Bob Radefeld
  • Frank Cirrincione
  • Mark Skwarek
  • Bud Hower

2015 SORC Team

The team arrived safe and sound but ended up having to do a few little things before being completely race ready; however, Mark Skwarek arrived with a fresh engine that he became very pleased with after his loup-to-loup run.

  • First run - 161 MPH
  • Second run 161.7 MPH with 7,000 RPM shift point
  • Third run abandoned due to air in the clutch hydraulics
  • Car ran straight and true at 161 MPH

Mark lining up for the loup-to-loup

Bud Hower's ZF began to fail going into reverse, second and fourth prior to the parade, but with the help of Kirk Evans and Lloyd Butfoy, they got the problem solved and the car now shifts well.  Frank and Bob's car are all ready to go.  We should have more to report from the SORC TPR team later this weekend.

 
Dick Drenske Passes On PDF Print E-mail
Written by Administrator   
Wednesday, 04 March 2015 20:46

It's with great sadness that Team Pantera Racing announces the passing of one of our most valued members; Dick Drenske, who succummbed to Leukemia earlier this week.  He was a great guy to be around, shoot the breeze or have dinner with.

Dick owned and raced a 600 HP Pantera for 30 years.  He was a skilled master welder and fabricator, building many roll bars and cages for TPR members still used to this day.  He also fabricated or worked on suspensions, brakes, cooling and even helped occassionaly with EFI systems.  Dick eventually retired from his engineering Vice President position at Murray Company (also know as Murray Mechanical) in Long Beach in addition to owning his own shop for 20 years.  His experience helped many TPR members over the years understand the best modifications to make to their Panteras.  In addition to participating in various racing events including open road racing, he also rode as navigator for TPR President Dennis "Mad Dog" Antenucci in the La Carrera Internacional de Ensenada in Mexico.

Dick is survived by his wife Cathy, his son Derek and daughter Christina.

He will be sorely missed.

Dick Drenske's race Pantera

Last Updated on Wednesday, 04 March 2015 21:10
 
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