As we start the New Year in 2012, many of you may be wondering where we went! Well, rest assured, CCI Motorsports is alive and well! We've had some real ups and downs in 2011.

After a few pre-season test sessions with the Black Cat, Frank took a trip in early May 2011 to the Throw Down at T-Town in Oklahoma with fellow racer, Chris Russo. The pair loaded up the CCI Motorsports trailer and motor home with provisions for the 23-hour trip to run in the Battle of the Belts. Once they arrived at the track, Frank realized that the intake manifold was not machined properly and they wouldn't be able to run the car, so they focused their attention on getting Chris's new car dialed in, leaving the weekend with a not-too-shabby 3.78 second pass on Russo's brand new 1968 Camaro.

Shortly after Frank returned home, he started feeling poorly. His condition quickly deteriorated into a frightening medical ordeal for Frank. Diagnosed with neuropathy in 2008, Frank has learned how to live with the chronic pain, muscle spasms and fatigue that accompany the disease. But, that weekend at the end of May after feeling exceptionally tired, Frank's condition rapidly declined. The following morning, Frank felt so sick, that he ended up at the emergency room at the Christiana Hospital. In just a matter of hours, things went from bad to worse to the point of incapacitating Frank.

It became obvious to the staff at Christiana that Frank was in crisis and needed more highly specialized care than they could provide.

At midnight, Frank was transported to the Johns Hopkins Hospital Meyer 9 Unit, where the sole focus of this medical team is treating neurological disorders. Frank was diagnosed with AIDP (Acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy), or Guillain-Barre syndrome, (Guillain-Barre syndrome is a serious disorder that occurs when the body's defense (immune) system mistakenly attacks part of the nervous system. This leads to nerve inflammation that causes muscle weakness).

After three weeks of infusions, plasma exchanges, tests, scans, lab work ups, biopsies and other medical studies, Frank was transferred to an inpatient rehabilitation hospital closer to home. He was unable to walk, use his arms or even roll from side to side. Once Frank was situated in his room at the Rehabilitation Center at Wilmington Hospital, he realized just how bad things had gotten. Unable to feed himself, dress, and shower or even sit up in bed without assistance, Frank eagerly welcomed the intense daily therapy sessions that he knew would give him the strength to start moving toward recovery. Frank spent 4 weeks at the Rehab Hospital in Wilmington and was released the week after 4th of July. While in the hospital, Frank's house was made handicap accessible, equipped with the wheelchair ramp, grab bars and other handicapped devices.

Therapy continued on an outpatient basis throughout the summer, until insurance coverage ran out. At that point, Frank continued therapy out of pocket with trainers at the Hockessin Athletic Club, a nearby health club. Frank continues his therapy sessions 6 days a week and is making steady progress in his recovery. Back in June, the doctors told Frank that recovery would take 6 months to a year, and that the extent of his recovery was hard to predict. In October, the ramp at the house was removed. Since that time, Frank has gone from using a walker, to a cane and now requires no assistance to walk. Frank's neurologist has re-classified the disease as CIPD, a chronic condition that may recur, so in an effort boost recovery, Frank receives infusions of immune globulin every 5 – 6 weeks.

What does this mean to CCI Motorsports? It's hard to say exactly, but one thing is for sure. Frank's love of racing continues, and he will maintain his involvement in the sport. At this time the 1957 Buick and all racing equipment is at his shop. Frank has been keeping tabs on what's in store for the Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association by staying in touch with club president and friend, John Mazzarano.

In October, Frank and Diana ventured out to the Shakedown at E-Town to a warm reception by our fellow racers and friends. John Mazzarano was so happy to see Frank up and about, he arranged for a live interview in the Tower during the race. Afterwards, Frank made rounds through the pits to say hello and thanks to the special group of friends he has made through the Club.

Also in December, Frank and Diana attended the International Motorsports Industry Show (IMIS) in Indianapolis, Indiana where the latest racing technology was unveiled for hardcore racing professionals only.

While in town, they took a trip north to Bristol, Indiana to visit Renegade's factory.

There they were given a private tour by Jack Wheeler, a sales manager for the company. It was exciting and informative to see how the Renegade motor coaches and trailers are constructed.

Meanwhile, back at Frankie's Speed Shop, the car cover has been pulled off the Black Cat after several months. Chris Russo came down from northern New Jersey to help Frank pull the blower off the engine, so they could dry fit the new intake shipped from Allan Johnson Performance Engineering. It fit like a glove! Now, the intake, blower and a few small things will be put back together so that the mighty Black Cat's powerhouse can be fired up! This will be very exciting for Team CCI Motorsports!

Frank will also travel to DMPE's shop in Michigan to do some dyno work on Chris Russo's motor. And Frank plans to start the season by crewing with Russo at the first ADRL event of the season at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas scheduled for March 30.


Later in January, Frank and Diana plan to catch up with good friend (and original Buick owner), Kip DuPuis and his wife, in Scottsdale, Arizona for a mid-winter vacation.

So, as you can see, 2011 was a bumpy ride for CCI Motorsports, and we're looking forward to a better year in 2012. We would like to thank all of our friends and supporters who have been in contact with us as Frank recovers.


Stay tuned for more updates!

PRO MODS, PRO MODS, PRO MODS! Northeast Outlaw Pro Modified Association "State Of The Season" Special Issue! See the cars and meet the stars of what has become one of the world’s premier Pro Mod racing groups.

In full the article is a synopsis of the 1/4 mile drag racing Pro Mods of the Northeast.

250MPH doorslammers covering 1320ft in less than six seconds is the thrill of the horsepower game they play.

Inside the magazine starting on page 22, it covers many of the drivers including the "CCI Motorsports 57 Buick Pro Mod" in full glossy color under power and in detailed shots of the engine and chassis / interior.

Frank Patille is shown on the cover duking it out on the top end with Tommy Gray after a 230MPH pass; chutes open slashing through the wind at Maple Grove."

Visit The Newly revised RPM Magazine Website, its great and never a loss for all types of Pro Modified Racing / Door Slammer Action from around the world.


Read The Magazine Online Also Here In Flipbook Style Only By RPM Magazine

CCI spent the weekend at the Philadelphia Expo Center along with teammates Bruce Mullins, Derrick Townes and Gary Courtier getting a little pre-season face time at the Northeast Custom Rod and Car Show. CCI Motorsports occupied prime real estate next to center stage and the food court! We got to see hockey legend and former Flyers left wingman (Diana was thrilled with the opportunity to get an autograph and photo with . . . ) Dave Schultz, as well as WYSP radio personality Danny Bonaduce.

And speaking of rock and roll, we're ready to go for the test and tune at Maryland International Raceway scheduled for April 8th through the 10th. Come on out and see what's new and improved for the Black Cat this season!

See even More Northeast Rod And Custom Car Show Photos At goDragRacing.org, Hundreds of Pro Mod Images In Hi Res. Enter The Gallery Here

The Black Cat is back for 2011 and CCI Motorsports is ready to race. Our race season is filled with www.neoutlawpromods.com NEOPMA events . See our schedule, come on out to the races and be sure to stop by for a tee shirt and an autograph! We love drag racing fans!

CCI Motorsports will attend the Northeast Rod & Custom Car Show scheduled for March 25, 26 and 27 at the Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA. Come out and see the show.

Be sure to stop by and say hello to our crew.

The end of the 2010 season found the Black Cat's power plant on the critical care list.

The broken crankshaft, damaged block, fractured rods, grenaded RCD gear drive assembly and punctured oil pan all needed to be replaced. Half the pistons were hitting the valves which resulted in further damages.

The heads had to be sent to Brad's for welding and CNC machining.

Fortunately, there was no damage to the DMPE supercharger.

In November, we sold the Tim McAmis built Top Sportsman Firebird to a racer who runs the NMCA www.nmcadigital.com circuit in the Midwest and has plans to race in the Chicago Wise Guy series www.chicagowiseguys.com.

They negotiated a deal and agreed to meet halfway between Carpenter’s home outside of the Chicago area and Frank’s place in southeastern PA.

The drop point was a service plaza on the Ohio Turnpike. The specifics of the sale remain private, but part of the deal included a boatload of cash and a 2005 Swift Punisher Chopper.

This year's 8th Annual ADRL.us Shakedown at E'Town was packed with excitement and the fans certainly got their money's worth as records were shattered and drivers pushed their hot rods beyond their limits. Friday was set up day, as team members arrived and pits were transformed into a home away from home for the crews.

CCI Motorsports was thrilled to have good friend and original Buick owner Kip Dupuis in their camp for the weekend. Kip flew in from San Francisco and joined Frank, Chris, Todd and Diana for this end of the season spectacular. We were also fortunate to get tuning guidance from engineering expert Darren Mayer of DMPE who was on hand with Chris Russo's posse to tune his blown Corvette.

The Shakedown features many classes of racing including the Modzilla Cannonball Racing Blown Pro Mod class. It's broken down into three doorslammer categories - blown, nitrous and outlaw 1/8th mile. The Big Dogs came out to try and earn the ultimate bragging rights - winning the Shakedown and collecting the hefty purse.

The blown pro mod class had 23 cars jockeying for the top 16 spots in the field. There were three qualifying runs on Saturday which was cut short late in the last qualifier as Benny Alfonso suffered an extreme crash on the top end during his pass, Alfonso is the class sponsor and was taken to an area hospital with back injuries and is now undergoing treatment and doing well.

The MBRC Chassis did its job keeping Alfonso safe under this tremendous strain of impact; this was absolutely one of the hardest hits in Shakedown history and qualifying was stopped for the evening with those who were in line for passes finished their qualifying in the AM followed by eliminations on Sunday.

After a rain-filled day on Friday, track staff at Englishtown had a job in front of them to dry and ready the usually well-prepped quarter mile. This weekend was no exception - they did an excellent job on the track.

CCI Motorsports ran Tommy Gray in his fast-running Undertaker GTO in Q1. The Black Cat had all four paws to the rubber as we nailed a career best 6.14 sec @ 231 mph first go. Tommy shook the tires and put up a 10.378 second run.

Back at the pits, we stepped up the tune up, anticipating an even quicker response from the Bad Black Buick. With Pete Farber in the next lane, the car launched and was well into a low 6 second pass when at the 700' mark, the crankshaft broke into three pieces, snapping the blower belt and cracking the block. The extent of damages will not be known until the motor is pulled this week. Clearly, this was the end of the show for us.

We stayed to watch the rest of the race. Several Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association members posted 5 second run times as conditions continued to improve. At the end of the day, Chip King in his lime green Strutmaster's Daytona took home all the marbles in the blower class.

We would like to thank our sponsors and everyone who helped us this season.
Richard Dixon - Richard's Automotive
Gil Davis
Ernie Cox - Christiana Autobody
Eagle Power Equipment
CCI Constructors, Inc.
Darren Mayer - DMPE
Chris Russo - Russo Racing

We also want to thank the fans and spectators who help support drag racing and CCI Motorsports. Please be sure to check back for updates and news for the upcoming 2011 season.

After a disappointing appearance at Unleashed - Ohio, we went to Raceway Park in Atco, NJ for a Northeast Outlaw Pro Modified Association organized event. First shot out of the gates, the Buick made a 6.39 sec @ 212 mph pass. Back in the pits, a routine maintenance check up revealed that we had broken a rocker shaft stand. Unfortunately, we did not have any spares, so this put us out for the day.

At Frankie's Speed Shop, the shaft stands were replaced, and the Black Cat spent time on the rack at Richard's Automotive, receiving alignment and suspension adjustments.

All indications were that the Black Cat should run straight as an arrow.

Last stop of the season, the Shakedown at E'Town! Look for us there, and stop in to say hello!

After a major thrash session, CCI Motorsports got the alcohol-addicted Hemi back together again, just in time for the NHRA Unleashed event held in Cleveland, Ohio. A quick trip across PA, through a tiny sliver of West Virginia and just over the border into OH, we made the journey along with other Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association Club Members to participate in NHRA's Unleashed series, which included a test and tune session on Friday and eliminations on Saturday.

It was obvious after test run number one that we were still struggling with the tune up and alignment issues with the Black Cat. A short 60' hop had Frank heading to the wall, causing him to lift and drift out to a 19.137 quarter mile crawl. It was back to the pits for more adjustments.

Test run number two was only slightly quicker, with the Buick losing its footing at mid track, giving Frank reason to lift and coasting to a 11.00 pass. It was time to pack it in for the night, with qualifications and eliminations scheduled for Saturday.

The next morning was beautiful and sunny. But soon, the winds picked up and the clouds starting moving in. The forecast was for severe storms by mid afternoon, so after a racer's meeting that morning, the Club decided to call it a day if the race could not be run before the weather got there.

The Buick made a clean pass with a 6.45 sec @222 mph run against Derrick Townes' 6.32 mph @ 232 mph rush. It was on to eliminations. Pete Farber oiled the track on his first pass. Clean up was lengthy. Frank along with fellow competitor Derrick Townes patiently waited while the mess was cleared and the track was brought back to NHRA safety standards. One burnout later, Frank was out of the picture, as a loose oil line left a trail of oil in the wake of his smokey burnout.

On the way home, we were treated to a spectacular lightning show, compliments of Mother Nature.

Next stop, Atco, NJ.

What a difference a week makes! After the detonation of the Black Cat's 526 Hemi powered engine, things were looking pretty bleak for CCI Motorsports and their hopes of making an appearance at the NHRA Unleashed event coming up in Columbus, Ohio.

When we returned home from Maple Grove, the Buick was unloaded and the crew immediately got to work, deconstructing the engine and checking the car to the determine the extent of the damages. The run data indicated that the engine ran too lean. Further investigation revealed the number one cylinder pushed the head gasket and continued to fire slot the block and head, creating a hole the size of a half dollar. In addition, it collapsed three other pistons, broke a set of lifters, damaged the cam, bent the intake rocker shafts and torched a hole almost halfway through the motor plate.

It was obvious Frankie would not be grilling weenies this Labor Day weekend. Instead, he took this as an opportunity to tweak the engine combination, changing out a few components to try and improve the engine's performance. After numerous phone calls and discussions with engine experts, the Black Cat has been outfitted with a new crankshaft, rods, camshaft and lifters.

Brad Anderson repaired the damaged head and Gil Davis repaired and machined the block. While the engine was in pieces across the country, we sent the car itself to Ernie Cox of Christiana Auto Body for a mid-season facelift.

At this point, after a grueling three day engine rebuild marathon in Frankies Speed Shop, it's looking like a go for launch for Team CCI and the Black Cat in Columbus this coming weekend. Thank you all, who helped make this happen.

After collecting more run data from MIR, Frank and team were ready to seriously dial in the Bad Black Buick. We had the benefit of test runs at Friday's test and tune prior to the race day qualifying and eliminations set for Saturday at Maple Grove Raceway. With the help of fellow racer Chris Russo, who was not competing this weekend, along with hired gun Jon Salemi www.resolutionracing.com, the team looked forward to going rounds at Saturday's Rumble at the Grove.

The Friday test pass data suggested that the Buick Pro Mod wasn't putting out the horsepower it was last season.

After several consistent mid-6 second runs, all indications were that the 526 Brad Hemi was running flat. Jon Salemi had his work cut out for him to pick up the pace.

Nick Montana, of Montana Brothers Race Cars recommended some changes in the suspension, which vastly improved the handling of the car on the track. Thank you, Nick, for lending a hand! This, coupled with jet, timing and other adjustments, allowed us to clock in a 6.336 @ 225.86 mph run landing us in the ladder at the number five spot for eliminations.

Pitted against Steve King and his beautiful navy blue Camaro in round one, Jon Salemi had the Buick screaming, running harder than ever. This proved to be too much for the supercharged powerhouse and eventual winner in the supercharged class, we ended up blowing a head gasket after posting a 6.35 second 207 mph pass.


Fire erupted in the engine compartment of the "Black Cat" and Maple Grove's Safety Team were right there to extinguish what could have been a devastating inferno.

For now, it's back to Frankie's Speed Shop where the Buick will be broken down, checked over, cleaned up and put back together again, hopefully; in time for the NHRA Unleashed event scheduled for 9/10/10 in Hebron, Ohio.

See More Buick Pro Mod Photos At www.goDragRacing.org Photo Gallery

This weekend's entourage included visitors and family members:
Jon Salemi and Fifi Montrond comparing tuning notes.
Richard Dixon enjoyed some rare "down time" between rounds with Jon Salemi.
Chris' cousin Melissa with boyfriend Ray came by to see the show.
Gerry Capano with crew chief Sandy "Buzzy" McClain.
Derrick Townes with crew chief Chris Johnson.
Frankie with Steve King.
O'Hare's crew chief, Bernie "Mac" Day with Pete Farber.

The third time out for CCI Motorsports did not turn out to be a charm, as the old saying goes.

In fact, the Black Cat continued to dance all over the track at Maryland International Raceway this weekend as we struggled with getting the tune up right.
Work on the Lenco transmission and adjustments to the Pro Mod four-link suspension were not enough to keep the 57 Buick planted on the asphalt and moving fast. We did qualify with a 6.28 second 226 mph pass, but ended up shaking the tires in the first round.

Look for us in two weeks at the Rumble in the Grove!

CCI Motorsports was invited to participate in the 30th Annual Super Chevy Show at Maple Grove July 16th through 18th for one of the most anticipated Chevy Events of the summer.

Nestled in the hills of southeastern, PA among the cows, cornfields and rolling farmland, Maple Grove Raceway was inundated with Chevrolets from all over the county for their annual swap meet, classic car competition and drag race.

Only our second time out, the Black Cat had new sneakers all the way around. In spite of the sweltering heat and HOT HOT HOT track temperatures; we were able to lay down a respectable 6.28 second exhibition pass under tricky track conditions.

Larry Plummer in Bruce Pullen's attractive Firebird also ran in the exhibition class along side us in a match race duel of the supercharged 1320 warriors. Team CCI Motorsports ran in a session all to ourselves with Plummer / Pullen, equaling two qualifiers and three rounds for our belt driven horespower induced fans.

Dina Parise "Parise Racing" in the "Wounded Warriors Project" Corvette held the prestigious number one qualifier position for the weekend only to fall in the final to Jim Barker "Barker Racing" who backs up his earlier race win at Atco.

Chris Russo and crew, Fredy "The Sorcerer" Scriba, along with twenty four other racers rounded out the two classes of Blower vs. Turbo, and Nitrous alone with Gary Courtier who drew a red light in the final against eventual winner and number one qualifier Ed Burnley in this field of awesome machines for Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association's weekend of power added excitement of wild doorslammer action.

The Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association team of John Mazzarano, Vito Micciolo and friends all did an excellent job negotiating on behalf of the racers to ensure an enjoyable, safe series.

Frank spent time interviewing for BulletVision with Rockin' Rob Cherkas during the event at Maple Grove Raceway. The Northeast Outlaw Pro Mod Association interviews and tapes shows from their races for internet viewing to the mass public of the events held during the season.

Meet "Mad Max", our newest addition to CCI Motorsports, models the latest eyewear from Oakley; lounging in the cool AC of our Star Transporters hauler.

Next up for CCI Motorsports and the Big, Bad, Blown 57 Buick Pro Mod is Atco Raceway's 50th Year celebration on Wednesday, 4th August 2010. Come out and party with us!

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