Hawker Stock Continues it’s Rise
Derek Hawker’s stake within Eastern Canadian drag racing ranks continues to take hold. The Corbyville Ontario-based Pro Mod driver is solid proof that sometimes little guys — can and do finish first….
In the pits it is a soft spoken Derek Hawker that will be the first one to offer a helping hand or a cold beverage and story to go with it. Once at the starting line – its all business.
He started racing in 1998 with a ’81 Big Block Camaro that ran in the 12’s. As with most racers, the ‘speed bug’ was caught and the 12 second Camaro descended into the 10’s then 9’s and finally into the 8.20’s.
Derek Hawker
This is where the current 1963 Pro Mod Corvette came onto the scene. With a Vanishing Point Chassis and a 14-71 PSI Blower sitting on top of a Atchison Machine Service built 526cid Alan Johnson Chevrolet Motor this ‘vette now runs consistently in the low to mid 6 second range. The main thing the team likes about this type of racing is – its not bracket racing. Its “run it as hard as you can through the back door” kind of racing.
Last year being the teams rookie season – you can say they did alright! They, won the PMRA’s season opening event and finished second in PMRA final points while gaining infinite amounts of knowledge for the years ahead.
When asked about it, Derek and Crew Chiefs Scott Sager and Tim Whalen all said the same thing. “All we wanted to do was to qualify for one race last year!” Followed by “with a lot of wrenching – we finished where we did”
After such a stellar year last year – it will be hard to top it. With a lot of eyes on the team and an X on their back they know they will have their work cut out for them. “We are still using a Roots style blower” states Derek. “With a lot of the teams running screw blowers we know that we won’t be as fast as them – but I know we can make it down the track” he says with a grin. The team has made some improvements over the winter, so it will be interesting to see if they yield the results they are hoping for.
Along the way, the team has had a lot of help from family and friends. At most races you will find Derek’s wife Corrie and daughters McKenzie and Brittany with her boyfriend Joey Soule helping out with all the duties.
When asked about the motivating factor for the team, one word summed it up. FUN. The comment was made that the day this is no longer fun – a For Sale sign would go in the window. No one thinks that will happen any time soon.
Derek Hawker races one of the PMRA circuit's most consistent cars - which makes him a dangerous opponent
As the team is basically funded out of pocket, they would like to thank the help from Bob & Rob Atchison from Atchison Machine Service, Empey Tire and Penzoil for their assistance. If you would like to assist the team with sponsorship, they are always willing to listen.
Posted By: Brennan Shortall Photo by : Brennan Shortall
