Black Creek drag racer Otto Schulte won the 2014 North Island Timing Association (NITA) Super Pro Championship. This is Schulte's 11th career drag racing championship.
Last year Otto won the Canada West Doorslammer Association championship piloting the Lance Racing Team 1955 Chevy Belair at Mission Raceway Park.
In early 2014 Otto decided to run his own 1964 Ford Falcon tube chassis drag car in the Lordco SuperCombo series at Mission Raceway Park. However, MRP undertook track surface improvements early in the year which took a turn for the worse.
"The new concrete surface that was put down first was found to exceed elevation tolerances, but even worse the surface then began to blister due to improper curing," Schulte explained. The end result was that all of the 2014 series were cancelled at Mission, a huge disappointment for Schulte and many other dedicated drag racers.
Schulte then turned his attention to an Island drag racing series that had been started by the NITA at the Port McNeill airstrip. Schulte says, “As I understand it a group of people came up with an idea and then made it happen. They wanted to start a drag race series on the North Island to balance out the only other series that exists down in Victoria.
"These folks turned their ideas into reality on the paved airstrip in Port McNeill. This paved strip is no longer used by aircraft, because for some reason it was constructed perpendicular to prevailing winds. They had to build a second gravel airstrip in the proper direction, so the paved strip has sat vacant. It was too short for a 1/4 mile drag race, but they set it up for an 1/8th mile drag strip, which frankly is just as good and maybe even more competitive,” said Schulte.
NITA runs the race series one weekend a month for three months, with two races per weekend.
Super Pro
Schulte campaigned the Schulte Race Team ‘64 Falcon in the fastest electronic Super Pro class. He took the series lead on the first weekend winning both races and never relinquished his stranglehold for the title, easily winning the season championship.
Asked how he compares racing locally to the bigger NHRA tracks in the Pacific Northwest he is accustomed to racing, Schulte says, “You know, it was a lot of fun. The organizers and volunteers in Port McNeill are a class act, pulling together something out of nothing. I give them full credit for making their dreams come true. The level of competition there is not at the level I am use to, but you know what? It’s more fun in McNeill. Good for Vancouver Island racers!”
Schulte especially thanks his wife Leslie and son Bill. Both were crucial in helping out in the pits to keep things going between rounds. “It would be impossible for me to win these championships without the family pit crew support I have gotten this year and all years prior,” Schulte said.
Asked about 2015, Otto remarks, "I feel bad saying this, but I worked myself up to the highest levels of competition on the West Coast over the years, so I have to go back to the big tracks next year. Besides, I am retiring from work at year end, so my wife and I are going to go on the NHRA Division 6 circuit, meaning we will travel and race at tracks all down the West Coast and do some touring around while we’re at it. How good is that?”