Since he started competing in the Pro Modified Racing Association seven seasons ago, Bruce Boland has raced a different car each year. And in 2011, he continued with that trend, debuting his Larson Built 1941 Willys Pro Modified.
With almost zero seat time in the new car, the three-time PMRA champ not only established a personal-best run, but qualified number one for the PMRA opener held at the Cayuga Dragway of Toronto Motorsports Park. His qualifying pass of 5.953-seconds, 235.47 mph put him at the top of the ladder.
“That’s the fastest I’ve ever gone,” he said. “I knew it was a good one. I knew the car was really going.”
The B&B Racing Willys is powered by a 526-cubic inch Brad Anderson (BAE) engine, tweaked by Carl Spiering of Engine Research & Development. A PSI C-Screw-type Supercharger sits atop the engine and a Lenco three-speed transmission sits behind the engine. The car is a Larson Race Cars product from Missouri, and Boland added the car was used chiefly in ADRL competition before he acquired it.
At the midway point in the 2012 PMRA season, Boland sits atop the points race with 1 win and a handful or records and No. 1 Qualifying efforts. This comes as no surprise to anyone as Boland drove his Larson Built Willys to 2 wins in 2011 and a handful of No. Qualifying appearances in only his first year with this car.
The Details:
Bruce Boland
Team Name: B&B Racing
Owner: Bruce Boland
Car: 1941 Willys
Engine: ERD (Engine Research & Development) 526-cubic inch Brad Anderson (BAE) Supercharged Hemi
Chassis: Larson Race Cars
Transmission: Lenco three-speed
Supercharger: PSI Superchargers – Screw-type Supercharger supplied by ERD (Engine Research & Development)
Hometown: Hamilton, Ontario
Started Racing: 1975
Crew Chief: Rob Cesario
Crew: Willy Kerr, Dennis Veillette, Brad Short and Ron Pierce
Favorite Tracks:
US – Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, Norwalk, OH
Canada – Toronto Motorsports Park, Cayuga, ON
Accomplishments:
2010: Pro Modified Racing Association Championship Point Award Series – Third Place; Winner – PMRA Grand Bend Motorplex;
2009: Pro Modified Racing Association Championship Point Award Series – Champion; Winner – Family Weekend Spectacular PMRA Challenge, Toronto Motorsports Park; PMRA Challenge IHRA MOPAR Canadian Nationals, Grand Bend Motorplex; Stratford Spectacular Hot August Nationals PMRA Challenge, Grand Bend Motorplex; PMRA Challenge, Toronto Motorsports Park; PMRA Series Record – 184.27-mph (eighth-mile);
2008: Pro Modified Racing Association Championship Point Award Series – Champion; Co-winner with Mike Stawicki – PMRA Challenge, New York International Raceway Park;
2007: Pro Modified Racing Association Championship Point Award Series – Champion;
2005: Pro Modified Racing Association Championship Point Award Series – Fifth Place; Winner – PMRA Challenge, Lancaster Raceway Park
Sponsors: Backwoods Excavating & Float Service, Excel Motorsports, Pro Racing Fuels, NGK Spark Plugs, A&A Auto Parts, and Double D Construction
