PMRA News

By Bruce F. Mehlenbacher

HAMILTON, ON – Staying home this winter has given PMRA driver Bruce Boland a chance to get his 1953 Corvette-bodied Pro Modified ready for the upcoming season.

“Usually we’re down in Florida racing at this time, but not this year,” explained Boland, who in the past two years has run a limited Pro Modified Racing Association schedule, topping off with a win at Lancaster in 2005. “But I’ve had lots of time to get things in order for this year. I plan on running the entire PMRA schedule.”

Driving the B and B Automotive entry out of Hamilton, Ontario Boland has a brand new engine in his Corvette, and has spent a lot of shop time getting the rest of the car hooked up to the new Hemi.

“We’re going down to Carl’s this weekend to dyno the engine,” said Boland, referring to Carl Spiering’s ERD (Engine Research & Development) engine facility, who built the 2500-horsepower engine. “I’ve spent a lot of time changing the transmission, clutch, and rest of the driveline to match up with the new Hemi. Just about everything had to be changed over from the Chevy engine.”

In other news Brantford, Ontario’s Mark Nielsen’s new Pro Modified may not be ready for the PMRA opener in May, but when it’s finished, the car will be a top contender.

“We’re getting there,” said Nielsen, who will drive the new 1968 Chevrolet Camaro-bodied car. “We should be ready for the second race at Cayuga (Toronto Motorsports Park).”

Nielsen said he is looking forward to the new car. G-Force Race Cars in western New York was commissioned to build the car, which is sporting a Cynergy Composites body from Pro Modified ace Murray Anderson and Scott Jahren paint.

The new car is based on a 1968 Camaro, but as a Yenko edition. These were semi-custom GM cars built by Don Yenko and the cars were some of the fastest and most famous muscle cars of the 1960s.

“This car will be as close to a Yenko as possible,” explained Nielsen. “It will have the original-type emblems, stripes and colors.”