Sisters racers put pedal to metal

Car racers from Sisters, Curt Kallberg and Eric Dolson, kept their cool during a hot afternoon on the asphalt at Portland International Raceway over the Labor Day weekend.

Dolson, driving a 427-cubic-inch Corvette roadster, won the Group 4 race of the Columbia River Classic on Sunday, after pressing Steve MacDonald from Seattle, also in a 1969 Corvette, for most of the race.

Kallberg took third, passing Bill Cotter who nearly spun his vintage Cobra into the wall at the grandstands. That was a classic Ford vs. Chevy, Cobra vs. Corvette, Cotter vs. Kallberg race.

"We chased Bill for eight laps until I pressured him so hard that entering the straight, he got so loose he nearly hit the wall. I had to give a big 'yahoo' on the wheel to keep from hitting him," Kallberg said.

Fans said Cotter drove magnificently to save the original racing Cobra from damage, and Kallberg did a great job avoiding the collision.

"It was close. I expected to hit. They said it was within an inch," Kallberg said. Once he got by Cotter, he set out again in his yellow bullet, but "I was not able to see the leaders and settled for third."

The leaders, MacDonald in his black '69 Vette and Dolson in his black and yellow Stingray roadster, were playing chase about a quarter mile ahead on the two-mile, 12-turn course. Races run about 28 miles and include about 160 left and right turns.

Dolson had started beside MacDonald on the front row, but was slow on the start and was squeezed out by Cotter as the three went into the chicane, a tight right-left-right series of turns, with Kallberg a few feet behind.

Dolson finally got by Cotter but MacDonald had built a significant lead. Dolson was turning faster lap times and slowly chipped away at the distance between the two cars. MacDonald was having to drive harder and harder to keep his lead.

The two were coming down the back "straight," actually a long fast banana-shaped curve, about 50 yards apart at a little over 150 mph. MacDonald braked and tried to shift as he normally did from fourth to third gear, but missed. He went back into neutral.

Turn 10 requires a little throttle to keep the car calm. MacDonald's car bobbled off the curbing, the rear end twitched to the right, then the left, and he spun into the grass.

Dolson ripped by and blasted down the straight. MacDonald got his car back on the track and took after the new leader, with Kallberg not far behind.

Soon they began to catch up and lap slower cars. "You kind of like it when the guy in front of you has to contend with traffic, but if he gets through, you have to contend with it too," MacDonald said after the race.

Dolson threaded his way through the Mustangs and Jaguars and Tigers for the win.

Despite the strong showing on Sunday, Kallberg said the race was "pretty uneventful as compared with Saturday's race, when Eric Dolson's door came open. It was like a wall of plywood in front of us. He was lucky to get it back closed before it was seen and he got a black flag," Kallberg said.

Dolson's door opened on the first lap by turn 12. He grabbed the wheel with his right hand - often on the gear shift - and used his left to slam it shut. It flew open again in the chicane, but when the car turned back to the left, it slammed shut again by itself and Dolson was certain the problem was fixed.

Not quite. The door opened again in front of Kallberg one last time in turn four at about 80 mph.

"It was like he put out a wall," said Kallberg, though he was not accusing his fellow racer from Sisters of blocking. This time Dolson locked the door, which had not previously had a problem.

After getting his door shut, Dolson went after the leader, again Steve MacDonald. Lap after lap he closed the gap, until on the main straight he pulled up alongside MacDonald at close to 160 mph headed toward the sharp right hand entry to the chicane.

Dolson at first thought he had made the pass, but as soon as he hit the brakes, MacDonald pulled up along his left side. Dolson knew he was not going to be able to make a good entry into the right turn, and MacDonald knew it too.

MacDonald, also going too fast, gave up a little bit of room.

Barely enough. The two cars slid sideways through the turn, tires complaining, no more than a hand width between them, paired like skaters. MacDonald went over the curbing and out the other side, got the power down and shot away.

Dolson went after him, but his tires were giving up after so much abuse, and in the middle of Turn 4, the back end came around and he spun. By the time Dolson got his car turned around, MacDonald was too far ahead to be caught.