Motorcycling Charity Ride
Written by author on Friday, January 30th, 2009 in Other.
TOMORROWS DREAM, TODAYS MAGIC
El Toro, California is a quiet little town nestled in the early morning shadow of Saddleback Mountain and is located just a stones throw away from where the legendary Orange County International Raceway once stood. Those who had an opportunity to witness Drag Racings finest hour in the late 60’s and early 70’s at the “County” clearly understand the magic a Slingshot dragster could produce. That same magic manifested its self once again on Saturday, October 21 with the 5th Annual Hot Rod and Harley Show at Fuddrucker’s in El Toro.
This event is anything but your local “run-of-the-mill” car show. Many of the west coasts finest custom cars, bikes, rods, classics and Slingshot dragsters gathered together to exert their heartfelt support in an effort to raise critical funding for the Orange County Rescue Mission’s “Village of Hope”. This program is perhaps one of Orange County’s finest examples of people joining together for a common goal! Unfortunately thousands of men, women and children call the streets of OC their home; shelters for homeless families virtually don’t exist! The “Village of Hope” is being constructed on five acres of the Tustin Marine Corps Air Station that’s being converted and will provide emergency housing for many hurting families.
In addition the event also supports the “Make-A-Wish” foundation as they strive to grant the wishes for children and young adults with life threatening medical conditions. Their goal is to “enrich the human experience with hope, strength and joy”. Each wish experience is a source of inspiration and a positive force that helps them to overcome their difficult obstacles… a “dream-come-true” so to speak! The program is also designed to rekindle their belief in themselves and the promise of their future.
This years “wish granter” was John Ewald and his “Bank America” Top Fuel dragster. He was able to create an unforgettable wish experience for 17-year-old Rory Shauan. In addition to Ewald’s car, Pam Schavrien and her father Don Atkinson brought the recently restored “Poachers” dragster out to show their full support.
As the cars rolled in, the biggest surprise was when Jake and Marilyn McCloud showed up unexpectedly with their flawless recreation of the “Dean Engineering” dragster! What a sight to see… it was fantastic to see it and the “Poachers” car displayed together in close proximity to one another. Jake’s brother Jack would have been extremely proud of him for the outstanding job he did on the tribute car!
As the clock struck twelve bells Mr. and Mrs. Shauan just happened to be strolling by the dragster displays with Rory and directed his attention to the Bank America car, he was immediately awestruck! John stepped forward, introduced himself and proceeded to inform him that this was all in place to grant his wish. Rory was rendered speechless as his jaw dropped to his chest! With John’s help Shauan wasted no time maneuvering himself between the roll bars and taking his rightful place in the seat of honor! Ewald briefly explained the do’s and don’ts to his student driver then signaled crewmember Mario to light the candles and make this dream come true!
When the vintage iron came to life Rory lit up like the Christmas tree on the white house lawn! It was all he could do to contain himself. The smile on his face was a reflection of the happiest person on the planet earth… it was magical indeed! Within seconds the surrounding air was saturated with the unmistakable aroma of Nitromethane.
All eight cylinders were pounding as hard as they possibly could; the supercharger was screaming, fire was belching out of every pipe and the ground was shaking in traditional Top Fuel fashion. Every nostril within a hundred feet was burning and the tears were falling like raindrops from a Seattle sky, there wasn’t a dry peeper in the parking lot (and I’m not so certain the nitro was to blame).
Because of the run-time constraints on a nitro motor, Rory’s dream-come-true only lasted a brief four minutes and thirty-nine seconds, however his once in a life time encounter with this mechanical phenomena will be permanently ingrained in his memory forever! Immediately afterwards the cognition perceived by the audience was just about equivalent to a spiritual conversion. In a very humble utterance John Ewald remarked this was by far the greatest Cacklefest Ride he has ever had the privilege of giving! In a follow-up proclamation he proudly stated, “this is what its all about”!
The astonished and overwhelmed Rory worked his way out of the dragster after a few moments of ponderous reflection and was congratulated by his family, the Ewald crew and several “Make-A-Wish” representatives.
Young Mr. Shauan experienced some minor trouble finding the right words to thank John and his team for making his dream a reality! Ewald just shook his hand then patted him on the shoulder and informed him that he was honored to be able to do so. I can’t say I have ever seen Mr. Ewald happier!
In addition an extra special invitation was extended to Rory by Pam Schavrien to check out the business end of the “Poachers” dragster as well. He immediately responded with intense emotionalism and enthusiasm, extending her overflowing thanks for yet another opportunity for some seat time in a Slingshot dragster. Having the routine down pat, Rory needed no help climbing into the cockpit. Once again his face reflected the great joy and deep appreciation he was feeling.
Time was of no immediate importance so he took full advantage of the opportunity and reclined back into the seat, grabbed a hand full of butterfly steering wheel then let his imagination run wild! Towards the end of his visit with Pam, he briefly lapsed into an inactive moment of quietness as if he was savoring the magnificence of it all. Upon his departure he hugged Pam with his eyes closed and whispered softly… thank you, thank you. She unselfishly responded, thank you. It was a very magical moment that captured the true spirit of his wish!
Several minutes later, just when it looked as if the climax of the event was winding down, Monika Gilbert and Rory’s parents casually walked him to the opposite end of the parking lot to unveil the grand finale of the day. Totally unaware of what his immediate future was holding, Rory suddenly froze in his tracks, drew a sharp breath and then with a loud cry shouted “oh my gosh”!
With out any warning he was standing in front of his recently “made-over” 2000 Mitsubishi GS, completely paralyzed with astonishment! Unable to take his eyes off the flawless masterpiece, he paced in circles around the car for several minutes meticulously taking note of every intricate detail.
His car needed a little mechanical TLC so his parents offered to take it into the shop for repairs; he had no idea that several companies were going to spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars in a week’s time to create the car of his dreams!
Monika and Orange County’s (Tustin office) Make-A-Wish foundation’s Mark Hauber (Wish manager) and Jeff Raush (Wish Granter) then called forward each and every individual that participated in Rory’s make-over and awarded them a commemorative plaque for their outstanding contributions to the project! Once again there was not a dry peeper in the house and it wasn’t because of the nitro fumes, which had long dissipated!
Thanks to everyone involved Rory’s “tomorrow’s dream” became “today’s magic”; his wish experience manifested into reality and exceeded his wildest expectations. It also enriched his understanding of the value that complete strangers have for their fellow man in times of need. He was equally grateful to each and everyone for their individual effort and could not thank them enough for their considerate thoughtfulness.
In closing, the staff at FTN extends a special thanks to Rory and the event organizers for allowing us to be a part of this wonderful life experience… we enjoyed the magic! - Darrell Conrad
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