Santa Teresa High School - Compendium Yearbook (San Jose, CA)

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Friend or foe? Kon Ignagni sometimes competes against his fnend Darryl Addington in races. Yet they often use each other's car as in this picture. At times one of our care is broken. said Ken. Photo by Kalmda Ukanwa. LIFE IN THE FAST LANE ourteen year-old Ken Ignagni races cars for fun. He does not even need a license; that's because the cars are remote controlled, part of a sport gaining popularity in this area. Ken Ignagni is unique, considering most of the racers are over twenty. Every Friday night he competes at Innovations Racing Center in San Jose. A friend first told him about rac- ing. “I asked my cousin to come and watch with me. When I saw the races, I decided to join.” His parents objected the cost in- volved. “A basic car without extra parts is $400. The sport gets really expensive, especially when the car breaks down. But Ken saved money and eventually got his car. That was two years ago. He has since acquired enough experience to qualify in the Roar Nationals, the super bowl of the game. He also has two trophies from other competi- tions. However, Ken doesn't prac- tice. I concentrate on the car and try to be consistent. Close friend and competitor Dar- ryl Addington feels Ken is fairly ex- perienced and pretty fast, but he has to work on the comers. Frequent spectator Todd Teixeira agrees that Ken is good. He knows how to control it well so it won't spin or crash. Both agree that Ken is well be- haved at races despite the tension between contestants. Other partici- pants have been known to get into brawls over a crashed car. Says Darryl, Ken is pretty nice and calm at races. If someone messes up his car, he does not scream. He once got mad at me, though. I slammed into his car putting him out of the race. Ken has continued his hobby be- cause it's fun and a get-away from pressures. I'm serious about it up to a point. He believes the sport is here to stay and is willing to continue par- ticipating probably until I get out of high school because of college. So on Ken will race until he runs into a new interest. By Kalinda Ukanwa. In March of me- chanical bugs. Checking the car. Ken makes sure that it is in top form. When parts break from things like crashes, replacing them can get roally expen- sive. Photo by Kalinda Ukanwa. Although only a freshman, Ken Ig- nagni's hobby is al- ready putting his Freshmen .211 ,

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Sarah Marshall Sean Marshal! Jason Martinez Jamie Maynard Steven Maync Pat McFadden Jeff Jon McGuire Rayna McKibben Florence Mena Roberto Mena Michael Mendes Jason Mendoza Michael Mendoza Scott Mentuis Elizabeth Miller Nicole Miller Samer Mitri Devon Moates Zahir Mohammad Susie Mcncada Troy Monsecs Veronica Montes Tadashi Moody Mario Morales David Moreno Kami Morgan Brian Moroyoqui Chris Morton Tina Morton Nanct Mouser Charlotte Mulhem Blythe O'Brien Diana Ochoa Karen Offereins Donna Ogram Nik-ki Oqunnupe Davin Oishi Suzana Okubo Cindra Ortiz Brian Padilla Karri Palmer Craig Parker Scott Parrish Jay Jason Pate Michelle Paulson Cynthia Paz Rachel Pena Nikki Perez Bruce Peterson Scott Pettitt Stephen Pettitt Diem Pham Kelly Pham Araya Phantanaphalet Rynda Pleinis Rohma Popal Nicole Porter Stephanie Pritchard Thuan Quach Yogesh Rane Marlene Raya Darren Remenih Mary Nicole Renna Delons Rizqallah Evelyn Rodriguez Tracy Romero Bobbi Roper John Rosch Stephanie Rose Cynthia Ross Gina Rotolo Shan Rubmo People 2T0 ,

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For Chris Tolvo fixing-up an old classic into a car is an opportuni- ty to show his . . . MECHANICAL INGENUITY f you enjoy mechanics and fast cars, then we've got the perfect thing for you. Freshman, Chris Tolvo, for the past four years has been fixing up cars into Hot Rods with the help of his dad. Chris' hobby began when he was eleven and his dad brought home a 1930 Model A Ford Coupe. The car didn't even run. The father and son team then began to build the car from the ground up. This includes all body work, engine work, and paint- ing. “The hardest part, Chris feels, is putting together the transmission and the engine. After two years of hard work on the car, it was finally finished. Chris' dad then sold the car to Hot Rod magazine for a substantial profit. Since that time, the car has appeared in several issues of Hot Rod. Chris, mechanical interest spreads to more than just cars. He is presently involved in the Aerospace Explor- ers, a division of the Boy Scouts. Through this, Chris is learning about the mechanics of airplanes. Chris has actually done some flying with his parents, who are both licensed pilots. While insisting that he has no ca- reer goals in either aviation or car mechanics, Chris and his dad have People 21T Tightening things down Chris devotes much time to fixing the engine of his Ford Coupe. This is because it is one of the meet complicated parts of the car. It’s fun because I get to see how all of the parts fit to- gether. Photo pro- vided by Chris Tolvo purchased another 1930 Model A Ford Coupe. However, unlike the first car, this one will not be sold. Chris states that This car is going to be for me. It should be finished right about the time that I will be getting my drivers license. Until Chris has his license, his dream car will sit, waiting to be fin- ished. Thankfully, he doesn't really mind. He still has the car, and is able to work on it. The part I like best is being able to learn how to put a car together, and how it works. By Lau- ra Geer.