Dragway domination

Fri, Jul 25, 2008    to del.icio.us

At 16, Jordan Lirones is barely old enough to drive a car.

His brother, Tyler, is 14 and won't be legal behind the wheel for some time.

Ironically, the brothers are two of the most celebrated drivers around.

The two Lirones boys race dragsters at the West Michigan Sand Dragway in Mears, and they've enjoyed considerable success over the past several years, as is obvious by a sneak peak into each of their bedrooms.

Soaring trophies tower over the head of two racing youth, who have finished near or at the top of the junior division at the sand dragway the past several years. The dozens of trophies adorning the boys' rooms don't even begin to tell the whole story of their racing success. Their closets and other storage space around the house are dedicated to storing trophies, which the Lirones boys win with regularity.

The past few years, their biggest competition has been themselves. Jordan, who will be a senior at Grand Haven High School this fall, has won the last three junior division championships. Tyler has placed second to his brother the past two years.

"We were real competitive when we raced each other," said Jordan, who moved up to the adult division this summer. "I miss racing against him now, but it's fun to watch him."

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Tyler is currently second in the standings after five races while Jordan is having a tougher go of things racing against the older drivers.

"I'm doing OK, but it's a little different because they're more experienced. Winning doesn't come as easy," he said. "Plus, it went from an eight-car field to a 20-car field."

The good news is, they'll get a chance to face off against each other again later in the summer at the Top Gun event, which features drivers who have won races over the past year.

The Lirones brothers began racing at a young age. Their father, Anthony, raced various vehicles prior to getting married and starting a business. But it wasn't Anthony who got the boys into racing. It was a grandfather, whose seemingly innocent trip up to Mears with Jordan turned into a passion for the entire family.

"His grandpa and (Jordan) went up and watched the races in 2001, and they took a little go-cart," Anthony said. "He raced that go-cart, and that snowballed into what you see today."

Now, the entire family, including the boys, Anthony and his wife, Randi, spent much of their summer traveling to and from the sand track for weekend events.

Jordan currently drives a dragster that he and his father built from scratch. It features a snowmobile engine. Tyler's ride was purchased and modified to fit his needs. It's powered by a motorcycle engine.

Both dragsters reach speeds of over 60 miles per hour, but top speed isn't the name of the game at the West Michigan Sand Dragway.

"The elapsed time is the most important aspect," Anthony said. He explained that vehicles are sorted by the time it takes them to cover the 300-foot-long track. Vehicles then race against each other with staggered starts. A vehicle that needs 10 seconds to cover the distance starts 4 seconds earlier that one that can do the same distance in 6 seconds.

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In the junior category, racers aren't allowed to finish in less that 6 seconds, so fine-tuning the dragsters to exact specifications becomes almost an art form.

"It's bracket racing, and the tree compensates for the difference," Anthony said. "Some of the cars in the adult class are running just over 5 seconds.

Racing is a sport with inherent risks involved, but neither of the Lirones boys have had any altercations during their years behind the wheel.

"We've been very fortunate," Anthony said.

This weekend, the West Michigan Sand Dragway hosts is most significant event of the year, the U.S. Sand Nationals. The event draws drivers from 10 states. Racing action began with practice Thursday and Friday and wraps up on Sunday.

With high school graduation and college looming, Jordan isn't sure how much longer his racing career will last.

"It's fun, so I'll probably do it a little while longer, but it takes a lot of time and money," he said.

Anthony explained that the logical progression from the sand track is to begin asphalt racing. Drivers must be certified to compete at that level, and Jordan earned that certification earlier this summer at the Frank Hawley Drag Racing School in Gainsville, Fla.

"I got it as a gift for Christmas from my parents, and I went down there for three days," Jordan said. "They teach you how to drive bigger cars. I was the youngest one there."

His driving skills were put on display as Jordan completed several flawless passes, working his way up to the longest run offered at the camp.

"You had to start at 200 feet," he said. "Some people didn't make it through, and they didn't get their license."

Tyler, meanwhile, splits his time between racing and several other more traditional athletic ventures such as football, basketball and soccer.

Regardless of how long the two racing brothers continue their careers on the track, they've already established themselves as top-notch drivers, and they've got plenty of hardware to prove it.

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For more information on the West Michigan Sand Dragway, visit www.sanddragways.com/