Engines roar, mud flies at Weiser Mud Drags

by Philip A. Janquart
 The sound of high-performance camshafts and cranking pistons churning out tremendous horsepower could be heard miles away.
 For most Weiser residents, it was no surprise: the annual Weiser Mud Drags, held at Mortimer’s Island Saturday, Oct. 2, pitted high-performance machines against each other, all vying for the coveted title of king or queen of their respective classes.
 Hundreds of spectators lined the bank running parallel to the muddy drag lanes, which was far enough away to keep everyone safe and avoid being caked by the powerful vehicles’ rooster tails of slinging mud.
 The event began at 10 a.m. and lasted to about 2 p.m. Driver entry fees went back to winning racers, with gate and vendor fees benefitting the Weiser City Fire Department Volunteer Association, which was on hand to help out with the races.
 One of Saturday’s big winners was Robert Johnson who raced his Marine Corps.-red 1992 S-10 Chevy Blazer. He took both the Pro Mud and Mud Mod classes.
 The crazy-looking mud bog machine Johnson calls “Semper Fi” was the most radical looking modified vehicle and unquestionably the fastest just on observation alone.
 “About a month ago, I took it to Soda Springs and was test running it; I got 180 feet at 66 miles per hour,” Johnson told the Weiser Signal American. “I’ll bet I hit close to that today.”
 Johnson, 54, bought the “truck” about two years ago for $20,000. It has a 612-cubic inch motor, an Edelbrock High Rise manifold and SB-1 single-barrel carburetor.
“It loves gas,” Johnson said. “I’m probably getting in the neighborhood of 1,800 feet per gallon. It doesn’t cost a lot to maintain, as long as you don’t break stuff, but I’ve had missing teeth on my flex plate (flywheel) and gone through three starters. But it’s easy to work on; you can see where everything is and get to it.”
 Johnson, a postal worker, served in the U.S. Marine Corps. from 1985 to 1994. He was among the first Marines to enter the city of Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. He is only a couple years away from retiring at 56-years-old and says he’ll spend his extra time racing.
 Here are the race results:
 ATV: 1 – Mike Meacham,  2 – Michael Eklund.
 UTV: 1 – Randy Surtin, 2 – Ken Adams.
 High School: 1 – Opal Adamson,  2 – Kaylee Quanstrom,  3 – Colton Oborn.
 Powder Puff: 1 – Susie Adamson,  2 – Nanette Robinson,  3 – Tamara Buys.
 Pro Mud: 1 – Robert Johnson,  2 – Pete Johnson.
 Mud Mod: 1 – Robert Johnson,  2 – Larry Perron,  3 – Andrew Collins.
 Street Legal: 1 – Darrin Buys,  2 – Kaden Fager,  3 – Ken Adams.
 Super Stock: 1 – Ricky Bobby,  2 – Darrin Buys,  3 – Donnie Munson.
 Pro Stock: 1 – Don Adamson,  2 – Ricky Bobby,  3 – Donnie Munson.