"The following year, racing got too expensive," Bill says, "so Krimp sold some parts off his car, and I didn't race as much. I was never able to run better than a 12.20 after that, and I was getting bored with the car." In June 2002, he even contemplated selling the Cobra because of the lack of racing he was able to do with Krimpet.
Unfortunately, Krimpet ran into more financial woes and was forced to sell his Cobra. His parents-having grown to like the car-purchased it from him. According to Krimpet's dad, Joseph, once his son started a new job and got back on his feet, he became increasingly interested in the limited-production '96 Mystic Cobras. Fellow SSOTN member Brian McCauley had one for sale, and Krimpet was able to realize his dream by buying it. "Once the deal was complete, we were going to race as a 'family' team at Cecil County Raceway," Joseph says. The Bauers planned to make their racing debut at the SSOTN Fall Nats in November.
Bill and Krimpet were able to square off a couple times on the street, but they never made it to the track. On September 1, 2002, Krimpet died in an automobile accident while driving his dream car. Instead of planning for a fun day at the SSOTN Fall Nats, the Bauers had to plan their lives without their son Krimpet and the joy he brought everyone. "I lost my best friend and my best competitor all at once," Bill says. Devastated and grieving, Bill and the Bauers stopped working on their Cobras.
SSOTN decided that in Krimpet's honor the '02 Fall Nats would be renamed The Andrew Bauer Memorial Fall Nationals. Wanting to make a good showing in memory of Krimpet, Bill and the Bauers decided to get their Cobras ready to race. Bill added 4.88 gears, a C-Locker differen-tial, a VRS X-pipe, JBA headers, an Anderson Ford Motorsport Power Pipe, a custom Autologic chip by Dave Guy at Kauffman Motorsports, and lightweight Cobra seats. Except for more street-friendly 4.30 gears, the Bauers' Cobra received many of the same components.
Says Bill, "There wasn't a dry eye in the house at the Andrew Bauer Memorial Nats, as Krimpet's parents staged their son's former Cobra for the first pass of the day. It was great to see the Laser Red Cobra back where it belonged."
"The fall race was a tremendous success," Joseph says. "More people turned out to honor our son than we could have ever imagined. Ever since that event, virtually every SSOTN member has truly helped us, looked after us, and included us in their events. Their generosity is unmatched by any comparison."
At the race, Bill was going for the 11s. He ran a 12.15, a 12.07, a 12.06, and a 12.02, all at 113 mph. "On my last run of the day," he says, "I staged the car and ran the best 60-foot and eighth-mile the car had ever run-yet no time was recorded at the quarter-mile mark. I know that was my 11-second pass, and my friend Krimpet just didn't want me to get it before he did."
| 5.0 TECH SPECS |
| BILL AND TANYA TUMAS' '96 COBRA |
| ENGINE AND DRIVETRAIN |
| Block | Stock aluminum Cobra 4.6 |
| Cylinder Heads | Stock aluminum Cobra Four-Valve |
| Intake Manifold | Ported Stock Cobra |
| Throttle Body | Accufab |
| Mass Air | Pro-M 80mm, Anderson Ford Motorsport Power Pipe, UPR air filter |
| Exhaust | JBA headers, VRS X-pipe, Flowmaster mufflers |
| Fuel Pump | Walbro 255-lph |
| Injectors | Stock |
| Transmission | Broken T45, McLeod clutch disc, Ford Racing Performance Parts pressure plate, Pro-5.0 shifter, Steeda handle, FRPP aluminum driveshaft |
| Rearend | 8.8, C-Locker differential, 4.88 gears, Moser 31-spline axles |