Kallberg wins Portland auto race

Curt Kallberg of Sisters drove his Corvette to victory at the Baxter Auto Parts Portland Historic Races last weekend, July 9-11.

Jeff and Jerry Taylor of Sisters had a good showing in their Studebaker and Camaro. Eric Dolson, after dominating in Seattle the previous weekend, blew up his engine while setting the pace in the first race in Portland and did not finish the weekend.

Kallberg had his hands full with David Schroeder of Portland, driving a 1969 Porsche. Schroeder beat Kallberg by a whisker in the race on Saturday afternoon, just ahead of Jim Reed of Newport Beach, California, in a 1967 Camaro and Terry Miller of Simi Valley, California, driving a 1963 Corvette roadster.

Schroeder said his race against Kallberg was one of the toughest races he had driven.

The battle resumed Sunday morning, with Kallberg emerging with the win just as the two got to the finish line.

Sunday afternoon also belonged to Kallberg, after the Porsche did not show up at the starting grid for Sunday afternoon's finale after a probable mechanical failure. Kallberg battled it out with Reed's Camaro, who got by Kallberg once in Turn 7 but could not stay ahead.

In Seattle over the Fourth of July weekend, Dolson and Kallberg were at the front of nearly every round, after David Kunicki of Vancouver, B.C., broke on the first day. Kunicki had set the fastest time in qualifying and won the first race, with Dolson second and Kallberg third, but his car suffered a rocker arm failure, and he was done.

That left Dolson and Kallberg to battle for first, which is where the two Sisters drivers wanted to be, as there were numerous accidents behind them involving nearly a dozen cars throughout the weekend.

Kallberg was tough when he was in front, denying Dolson a chance to pass at every corner in each race. Kallberg kept his car just off the inside of each turn, left and right, as Dolson stuck the nose of his '69 Corvette in and around, only to have Kallberg see exactly where to be.

"There isn't a more experienced, more wily driver on the track," Dolson said of his teammate.

Dolson finally went to the outside of Kallberg on the broad left-hand sweeper of turn 8 as Kallberg tried to own the inside track. They went through the turn side-by-side, Kallberg having to pinch on the inside and Dolson just hanging on at a higher speed. When they made it through, Dolson used his momentum and position to squirm first through turn 9 and down the straight just before Kallberg could close the gap.