Profile... Steve Bolan - Auto Racing Memories

webby · 04-16-2009, 05:31 PM

Super Modifieds have long been known as the wildest, fastest short track race cars in the world and this creation was the epitome of 'WILDEST'. Steve Bolan of Scottsdale, AZ. brought this Turbine powered 'Roadster' to the 1985 Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway. It's hard to imagine this race was held almost a quarter of a century ago! The 'Copper World' was a wonderful event for many years at PIR that always occurred in January or February. It drew such name drivers from open wheel ranks as Gary Bettenhausen, Chuck Gurney, Ken Nichols and Johnny Parsons just to name a very few. The list is almost endless. Stock Cars were also a featured division at these events and drew such names as Bobby Allison, Jim Thirkettle and Rick Carelli. Again, the list is almost endless. Anyway, back to Mr. Bolan. Here, he is rolling down pit road on his venture out to the 1 mile paved oval of PIR for his qualifying laps.

Steve Bolan at 'whisper quite' speed just coming out of turn 4 and heading down the front chute at PIR on one of his two qualifying laps. I say whisper quite because you could barely hear this thing as it 'whooshed' by. Especially when in a pack of thundering V8 Chevies. Consider an engine much like this, at one time powered Andy Granitelli's STP sponsored Indy Cars of two decades earlier, and one would think this would have to be a race winning combination. Especially in a SuperModified. However, Bolan failed to qualify this car into the SuperModified field, which by the way was known as the 'Roadster' division in 1985 but did put it in the Sprint Car field. He ran a fast lap of 123.035 mph or 29.26 seconds around PIR's 1 mile dog legged oval. That time and speed was good enough to give him a sixth place starting position outside of Harold Evans (another open wheel legend) of Littleton, CO in the Sprint Car 35 mile event. When looking at the 'old' wooden grandstands and Armco barriers, that was the front chute wall at PIR in the background of this photo, I guess it makes it easier to remember this WAS almost 25 years ago.

Yeah, OK, so it only has one intake and one exhaust, but really, when was the last time you've witnessed a power plant like this in ANY race car?

- Written by Rick Wasilko

04-16-2009, 05:31 PM	#1
webby Administrator Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Lakewood, Colorado Age: 55 Posts: 1,063	Steve Bolan Super Modifieds have long been known as the wildest, fastest short track race cars in the world and this creation was the epitome of 'WILDEST'. Steve Bolan of Scottsdale, AZ. brought this Turbine powered 'Roadster' to the 1985 Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway. It's hard to imagine this race was held almost a quarter of a century ago! The 'Copper World' was a wonderful event for many years at PIR that always occurred in January or February. It drew such name drivers from open wheel ranks as Gary Bettenhausen, Chuck Gurney, Ken Nichols and Johnny Parsons just to name a very few. The list is almost endless. Stock Cars were also a featured division at these events and drew such names as Bobby Allison, Jim Thirkettle and Rick Carelli. Again, the list is almost endless. Anyway, back to Mr. Bolan. Here, he is rolling down pit road on his venture out to the 1 mile paved oval of PIR for his qualifying laps. Steve Bolan at 'whisper quite' speed just coming out of turn 4 and heading down the front chute at PIR on one of his two qualifying laps. I say whisper quite because you could barely hear this thing as it 'whooshed' by. Especially when in a pack of thundering V8 Chevies. Consider an engine much like this, at one time powered Andy Granitelli's STP sponsored Indy Cars of two decades earlier, and one would think this would have to be a race winning combination. Especially in a SuperModified. However, Bolan failed to qualify this car into the SuperModified field, which by the way was known as the 'Roadster' division in 1985 but did put it in the Sprint Car field. He ran a fast lap of 123.035 mph or 29.26 seconds around PIR's 1 mile dog legged oval. That time and speed was good enough to give him a sixth place starting position outside of Harold Evans (another open wheel legend) of Littleton, CO in the Sprint Car 35 mile event. When looking at the 'old' wooden grandstands and Armco barriers, that was the front chute wall at PIR in the background of this photo, I guess it makes it easier to remember this WAS almost 25 years ago. Yeah, OK, so it only has one intake and one exhaust, but really, when was the last time you've witnessed a power plant like this in ANY race car? - Written by Rick Wasilko Follow ARM on Twitter \| Like ARM on Facebook Rat Rods, Old school Muscle cars. Advertising on Auto Racing Memories