We took all the three trucks for the first time together on Saturday to the Joshua Keith Memorial Pull at the Logan County Fairgrounds in Bellefontaine , Ohio. It was the first Two Wheel Drive points pull of the year for the Ohio State Tractor Pullers Association. There were ten good trucks that showed up, but we took an awesome crew with us and they work their butts off to get all three trucks down the track.
We started off the day with taking all the trucks through the full inspection. If you are not familiar with this they will measure all of the dimensions of the trucks, look at all the safety equipment( Fire suits, Kill switches, ect), look for circuit sponsor stickers and make sure everything is within the rules and requirements.
With drawing numbers 1, 3 and 8, plus the sled being reset after number 3 hook it kept us jumping all night. We had a couple of minor hiccups during the warm up process that slowed us down getting to the line that put us behind as well. But we got there and were ready to go. Grandpa made his pass in the Baby Blue Knight for the first time in what seems like 8-10 years. It was exciting to see the retro paint scheme head down the track. With some tuning we will get it running better. But you always count it a good night when you can drive off the track especially with all the work and changes that have went into that truck this winter.
I drove the Knight Delivery truck next and quickly realized that the track wasn't going to handle the power I tried to throw at it digging trenches from the starting line out to 262'. But the OSTPA officials helped us out and reset the sled so the class could put on a better show for the great fans that were there. The crew went to work getting the BBK and KD refueled and ready to come back as well as making some adjustments to the Blue Knight before I took it to the track.
The Blue Knight hooked coming off the line with the last minute adjustments that we had made, but when I called on the motor it didn't come to life like I needed it to, giving us a disappointing finish. Grandpa brought BBK back out for some more valuable seat time as he was trying to knock the rust off in his words.
I brought the Knight Delivery truck back as the last competitor in the class. With some changes hoping to get some power to the track this time. With the motor not making near that power it did the first pass we were able to lock the back tires to the track and keep them hooked up all the way out to a 316' pass falling just short of Don Williams winning distance of 318'. After a busy night it felt awesome to walk away with a second place finish.
A big thanks to our crew (Justin, Luke and Travis) for helping Grandpa and I get down the track. Thanks to Racepak for their support we are truly blessed to be apart of Team Racepak. We look forward to competing at the Delynn Kale Memorial Pull this Saturday July 2nd and the Washington County Festival Pull on Sunday July 3rd. Come out and see us at one of those events and have a safe 4th of July weekend!!
Ag Protect 1 Two Wheel Drive Trucks
1.Don Williams, Lac'a Control 318.305 2. Chad Taylor, Knight Delivery 316.075 3. Jeff Writsel, At It Again 303.530 4. Howard Antram, Thunder Wagon II 298.225 5. Don Williams, Out'a Control 282.850 6. Marshall Foiles, Kickstart My Heart 279.175 7. Bill Widenmeyer, Twin T 275.420 8. Chad Taylor, Blue Knight 265.330 9. Carl Taylor, Baby Blue Knight 226.815 10. Charles Peck, Ultimate Desire 207.560
After a busy winter full of changes to the Blue Knight and becoming a member of Team Racepak we were excited to get on the track. Knowing the changes we have made the goal was to get some good data and see if everything was working properly. With some help we were able to do that.
With changes to the drive train, blower, clutch, weight distribution we knew the set up would be off. But after reviewing our Racepak System after the run we had some good data to get us started. We will be tuning the engine up this week and I got some valuable seat time understanding how the truck is going to hook up and react with the changes we made. Looking forward to getting all three trucks on the track June 25th at the OSTPA pull in Bellefontaine, Ohio.
The Taylor family has had a very busy winter. Over the last few years there have been few pullers that have made as many moves and investments in the sport as they have. The Knight Delivery and Blue Knight machines were inspired by an El Camino that was run for years known as Baby Blue Knight. The Baby Blue knight started competing in 1983. Together there are now three generations of Taylor family pullers as together the Baby Blue Knight has been restored to compete this summer for Carl Taylor
In addition to the restoration of Baby Blue Knight, the family has made changes to the look of the Blue Knight Machine that Chad Taylor competes with. Tonight in Wilmington Ohio Chad will debut Blue Knight for the fans at the Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League Champions Tour event.
With regard to the Baby Blue Knight the wrap is a retro scheme based on the 1989 paint scheme the the Baby Blue Knight carried on the grand national circuit.
Carl will be driving the truck this summer most of the time. The plan for the family is to run it on most of the OSTPA circuit and some select NTPA regional national events.
The family made some upgrades and changes but most of the body is original. The chassis and drive train has not changed since the last modifications before the 1990 season.
Together the Taylor family will run the Blue Knight, Knight Delivery, and Baby Blue Knight, take a look at the photos they have shared of their vehicles.
