this is Bonneville Speed Week, what was supposed to be the week my Dad breaks his old record and sets a new one. the year we make it into the 200 MPH club.
Mother Nature had other ideas. Mother Nature 1.
Bonneville participants 0.
Maybe they will move the meet to October and we’ll get another shot. We shall see.
photo courtesy of dragzine.com
yes, yesterday started like the previous three days, but the difference being i knew i’d have to leave the races and head home.
my theory is that by Tuesday we will have broken something. either the car or the record, and if it hasn’t happened by then it won’t. my theory has held correct thus far, sad but true.
so yesterday i spent most of the day in the pits and they finally made it out to the line as i was heading back to the main road to get my car and make my way to Salt Lake City. of course the run they made as i was cruising down hwy 80 was the best so far, 213 mph. but with the good comes the bad, we went off the course the wrong way and got another yellow sticker. we are now up to three.
the inspector came by and signed off (again) and we were good to go.
now i’m sitting at work listening to the live stream from the salt. it’s just like being there, except i’m in a cube, surrounded by people who don’t know what Bonneville is, and i don’t need a second coat of sunscreen at 10 AM. i wish i could have stayed an extra day, but at least this year i can listen in.
the text comes in saying we’re two back in line. i put my headphones on and wait. and wait. and wait. there isn’t anyone in line so the team was taking it’s time getting ready, warming the oil and such. it’s all good, i’m just working and listening. and then i hear, “next up car 554”. i heard it through the walkie-talkie behind the radio announcers, and my heart started racing. ok, you guys, lets make this happen.
what happened was a slow acceleration, nothing close to 213, and then…………….a spin. is there a record for the most spins?
the driver is a-ok (which is the most important thing) and the car… well, from the report i received via text, something broke and we have to take the car through tech inspection again.
hopefully there will be another run this afternoon, and if there is, i will be listening.
can you guess how my day started? yes, you guessed it, up and out by 7 AM, set-up the pits, watched record runs, and got the car ready for the first run. how did you know? lather, rinse, repeat.
run one – we made it as far as the 3rd mile and then turned out. we were gaining speed, but not enough to get us to the record. the determination was more weight was needed in the car. i suggested the driver have an extra burger at lunch…..i thought it was funny. so, more weight added, and out for round two.
run two – we were on course two, which is to the right of course one, and seemingly in good shape. we started strong and made it to 199 mph right before…..we spun out. sigh. the spin out is a common occurrence this year; today it happened to at least four other cars we know of…..
the inspector made it by around 5 PM and gave us a clean bill of health so we can run tomorrow. we borrowed some weights from another team (they broke a piston and are headed home) and we’re going to add them to the car. unfortunately that means taking things apart, and that could be time consuming. meaning, i may not see them run before i have to head out to catch my flight.
frustrating. it’s all very frustrating. the races go until Thursday, so there is still plenty of time for the team to break the record, i just wish i could be here to see it.
oh, that new thing i thought we were getting in the pit, it didn’t happen. all i’m going to say is next year it will happen for sure, and it’s going to be great.
more tomorrow.
it’s amazing how much spending time at the salt is like the movie Groundhog Day; but without Bill Murray, so not as funny. again, up early and out to the salt to set up, watch some record runs, and get the car ready for the first run of the day.
the first run didn’t go as well as hoped but a tiny bit better than yesterday. once we got the car back to the pit the team realized a part had been installed backwards, hence the reason for the slow going. they correct the error, pack it up, go to the fuel station, and get back in line to make a second run.
we started the second run with high hopes and it looked like things were going to be in our favor until the car was just out of sight and we heard the radio announcer say, “and there is a spin-out on course one”. not the words you ever want to hear while racing…….the other words you don’t want to hear, “looks like he took out the timing tower, we’re going to have to hold the course”. whoops.
tomorrow is another day.
excellent salt and blue skies do not a record make. like so many other mornings, we headed out to the salt at 7 AM with high hopes and visions of taking the car to impound after a stellar first run. sadly that wasn’t the case today.
we turned out at the first mile. the good news, the car sounds good, we didn’t break anything, and we’re ready to give it another go tomorrow.
the usual crew is back in action this year, although we’re minus a couple of folks that have been with us the last couple of years. our pit area is bigger than before and there are new tents this year which provide better ventilation. when it’s over 100, ventilation is key. the solar oven is back for a repeat performance, and the first treat was a batch of tasty gooey brownies. there is also a pot of stew in the works that will be done by lunchtime tomorrow.
we are getting a special treat at the pit tomorrow. no, i’m not going to tell you what it is, you’ll just have to wait and see.
yes, it’s that time again. the time where land speed record holders, and record hopefuls pack up their garage, hitch up the race car, and head to Wendover, Utah for Bonneville National Speed Week.
they opened the salt today at 7 AM for registration, inspection, and fuel purchase. Team 554 is heading out this morning from various locations within California and Nevada and all will meet up later today on Hwy 80 or on the salt.
i’m flying out tomorrow, due to hit the beautiful Wendover Motel 6 in time for an afternoon swim and cocktails. timing is everything.
according to the official race website, the salt is in good shape, drying out nicely. we won’t know for sure until we take that first ride down the track Saturday morning after the drivers meeting.
is this the year? will Team 554 set a new record? fingers crossed.
photo courtesy of scta-bni.org
just in case you were interested…………the final roadster time was 228 mph. that was our best time to date, but unfortunately the current record is 231 mph.
next year driver and engine will change and my Dad will be driving once again. maybe 2013 will be the year the team sets a new record.
until then, pray for good salt!
photo courtesy of Dave Cecaci
and i don’t mean that in a Buster Poindexter kind of way, i mean it was crazy hot today. according to one of the shop keepers it was the hottest day of the year. of course i happen to be here the hottest day of the year, i love heat so much.
it would have been a perfect day to visit Claudius Therme, the wellness spa and pools, but alas it was a little expensive for the remaining budget. i could have gone for a two hour pool visit only, but once there i would have wanted to stay longer, have a massage, a facial, a special German scrub of some kind……i know how it goes. it goes with me going to the poor house. so i opted to go to an attraction near the spa, the zoo.
i must admit this was the first zoo i’ve been to that had raccoon and badger habitats. who knew they were “attractions” in other areas. maybe i should look into starting a raccoon export business!
after the zoo adventure i went back to the cathedral area to do a little souvenir shopping. i stopped in at the 4711 store, i had to, this is the place it originated. 4711 is a eau de cologne that has been around in some form since 1792. legend has it that it was created by a monk as a wedding gift for a local merchant. the merchant then started to produce the water as a “remedy”. the name 4711 came from the address where the shop was located.
so that ends my visit to Cologne (Köln); tomorrow i head back to San Francisco via Munich. it was a good trip, although short. weidersehen!
day two at the salt starts with record runs at 7 AM. record runs are for cars that broke a record the day before.
if you break a record you have an hour to get to the impound area and then you have four hours to work on your car. the car spends the night in impound and runs the next morning. if i understand the record setting process correctly, it goes something like this………
say the record is 200 mph and you go 205 in mile 2, you break that 200 mph record. during your record run you need to go over 200 mph again in the same mile, in this case mile 2, and the new record is the average time of your two runs. sounds like one of those problem solving questions from math class right?!
did i mention there was a fair amount of waiting while at the salt? the main attraction in the pits this year is a phenomenal car by Triet & Davenport called the Target 550. it’s not running at this meet, maybe at the Mohave Mile in Sept. or at the Bonneville race in October. i can’t wait to see this baby run, she is a beaut!
a windstorm hit mid afternoon, causing a flurry of activity in the pits, taking down the tents and packing up. the course was shut down for awhile, but eventually reopened. sadly we did not end up in impound today. we made one run late in the day, and ended up spinning out right after the start.
damn soft salt! driver and car are fine, and we received the official okay from inspection, so we should be in good shape for tomorrow. thunderstorms are on the horizon though, fingers crossed they just bypass Wendover.
Bonneville National Speed Week runs Thursday to Thursday, and it’s usually held within the first couple of weeks of August.
the racing begins on Saturday morning; Thursday and Friday are spent setting up your pit and getting the car through inspection.
Saturday starts with a drivers meeting at 9 AM, followed by a drive down the course, and then everyone gets their cars ready to get in line and race.
3 out 4 tracks are open today, one is closed due to the rain yesterday, so things are moving a little slowly. we put our car in line about 3 hours ago, and we are still about 18 cars back. i take the opportunity to walk around and take some pix.
a new scoop is on our car this year and a couple of other modifications have been made, so it’s anyone’s guess how the run will go.
did i say there was a lot of waiting? and waiting. and waiting. so i wander and take more pictures.
and we run. 218 mph. good speed for us, but not enough to set the record…….now we wait for the car to come back to the pit to find out how it ran from the driver perspective and to see if anything needs tweaking.
did i mention we wait a lot? and i wander some more.
the car is back and it’s time for the team meeting. this is where every shift in gear is analyzed and they determine next steps. the good news is nothing appears to have broken and we can run again. it’s pretty late in the day to make another run today, but we are in good shape for tomorrow.