Bonneville!

[ChiliPepperGarage]

Salt fever. It's addictive!

Unfortunately, a short cloud burst on Thursday dumped enough water to mess up the salt for a few days so they couldn't run until Tuesday and I had to leave on Monday. I did get to see Poteet in Speed Demon go for quick blast though which was pretty cool.

That Jag sedan had a turbo'd Buick straight 8 in it and held multiple records.

I'm looking for an open class to build a car in the next couple years and bag a record. Or at least be able to make some runs down the salt. Bucket list item!

 

[lbhsbz]

That GMC motorhome haul rig is kinda bad ass.

 

[franky]

I worked on the original Speed Demon when it was built for a flat head ford, maybe in 2000. We built the intake/intercooler and the drives for the twin mags and vortec supercharger. The v8 flathead had the intake and exhaust ports reversed, one off crank, heads, cam etc. Lots of money and time into it to run a particular bracket. Originally made 68 hp, modified to 400+. Ron Main still owned in then with a guy that had a body shop in Texas, Bobbie something.

Bonneville is something to see for sure. You will not believe what people run.

 

[Tank]

SICK!! Thanks for posting Al. That Winebego conversion is cool. Wonder why they didn't just hollow it out the shell and keep the roof on it.

I've always wondered - doesn't the salt getting EVERYWHERE in these vehicles mess them up (corrosion)?

 

[MK1MOD0]

My brother and I were just talking about Bonneville. I have to go up one day !! Amazing vehicles and all so unique. Does anyone know what motor is in that Freightliner ? It’s massive !

 

[ChiliPepperGarage]

SICK!! Thanks for posting Al. That Winebego conversion is cool. Wonder why they didn't just hollow it out the shell and keep the roof on it.

I've always wondered - doesn't the salt getting EVERYWHERE in these vehicles mess them up (corrosion)?

I don't know, maybe for easier access to the car, loading and unloading? Some guys just like to show off their cars too.

Yeah, the salt gets everywhere so they have to clean them like a boat in the ocean.

 

[monkeyswrench]

A guy in my wife's old neighborhood used to run B gas roadster, I think. He was the guy that had the record Frank Currie was chasing. This guy Paul had a 26 T with a Pontiac Big Chief...and a rusted old F250 to tow it. The bottom 4" of that truck were gone, and the tail wiring was zip tied to the bed sides.

Maybe someday...

 

[TITTIES AND BEER]

My electrical inspector is at that .

 

[sirbob]

WOW - great stuff !!!

Great pics of the pit action

Here are a couple items that caught my eye ... I'd have that chopped coupe on the GMC

I've always wanted to go but don't know anybody that's into it, so it's never really happened.

I would love to go and I would love to find some small obscure category to try to get a record... The fastest 49cc moped or something like that. It's always much more interesting if you are involved in some way.

I'm not interested in try to break 400MPH in anything! Heck I don't want to have anything to do with over 150

 

[ChiliPepperGarage]

WOW - great stuff !!!

Great pics of the pit action

Here are a couple items that caught my eye ... I'd have that chopped coupe on the GMC


View attachment 786819 View attachment 786820

I've always wanted to go but don't know anybody that's into it, so it's never really happened.

I would love to go and I would love to find some small obscure category to try to get a record... The fastest 49cc moped or something like that. It's always much more interesting if you are involved in some way.

I'm not interested in try to break 400MPH in anything! Heck I don't want to have anything to do with over 150

You don't need to know anyone there to have fun. It's the last of the true grass roots racing, cars built in garages with no sponsor dollars towed with beat up old trucks. Every pit is wide open and everyone will talk to you from George Poteet who ran close to 500 last year to the slowest racer out there. You'll make new friends pretty quickly.Also, if you camp out there are tons of people and you can just ride a bike, quad or pretty much anything from camp to camp and BS with guys.

I'd love to find a class for my '34 coupe in my avatar or my '63 Galaxie but I checked and those class records are like high 200's!

I already looked at the SCTA site for an open class. Probably will run a bike because it is way cheaper than running a car with all the required safety stuff. BTW, the 50CC SF (streamliner fuel) class record is 131.545!

 

[Tom Slick]

It was shaping up to be another good speed week on the salt this year but that storm that came through on Thursday all but killed it. They were only able to run a 4 mile course today and it deteriorated from the get go. Lots of spins, one motorcycle went down and just a couple of vehicles in impound. Moving the course for tomorrow and hoping for better conditions. Records will be few and far between because of the shortened course and poor conditions. Hopefully things stay dry through September and the next couple of events out there will be better.

 

[sirbob]

You don't need to know anyone there to have fun. It's the last of the true grass roots racing, cars built in garages with no sponsor dollars towed with beat up old trucks. Every pit is wide open and everyone will talk to you from George Poteet who ran close to 500 last year to the slowest racer out there. You'll make new friends pretty quickly.Also, if you camp out there are tons of people and you can just ride a bike, quad or pretty much anything from camp to camp and BS with guys.

I'd love to find a class for my '34 coupe in my avatar or my '63 Galaxie but I checked and those class records are like high 200's!

I already looked at the SCTA site for an open class. Probably will run a bike because it is way cheaper than running a car with all the required safety stuff. BTW, the 50CC SF (streamliner fuel) class record is 131.545!

I better get on that 49cc record soon - it will be 150MPH and out of my league before you know it!

 

[Moneypit]

In answer to the salt getting everywhere, it does... First time there I thought there was going to be a hell of a BBQ because the trailers had cases of Pam cooking spray...Hmmm, nope, they use it on the undersides of the runners to keep the salt from sticking as they go down the course...One guy told me the added salt can add as much as 50 lbs to the car.. The Utah based "World of Speed" has a class for street drivers. With basic safety features you can run in the "150" class. From a dead stop you try to accelerate to150 in a measured mile to join "The 150 club".\Sounds easy, but don't forget your are running on salt, not asphalt...I can hook up anyone interested with some friends in SLC that are quite active with the Utah Salt Flats Assoc...They run in September, while the SCTA, a So Cal based deal runs in August... It is a once in a lifetime experience, add it to your bucket list, you won't be disappointed...
Ray

 

[coolchange]

It's been a tough year for LSR. There hasn't been one dry lakes meet yet. Last year's rain really destroyed El mirage. With no lakes meets I figured Bonneville should be pretty good. All the cars are running and nobody spent anymoney yet.
Too bad the course didn't cooperate again.
Next lakes meet are about the second week of September, October, and November. If anybody's interested in getting an idea of what Bonneville is like on a little smaller scale. November should be a two-day meet. Weather is more mild.
Lots of Bazaar classes. I have a friend that runs an old Studebaker with a isuzu mini truck diesel. has a lot of fun with it even though he's about 50 miles an hour off the number.
If you think you want to do it to get a record, get a record book or go online and look for what's called a soft number.
I think my brother still hold some bike records. My sister-in-law was high points in 2004, first woman ever.
Lots of, hey look at that entertainment at El mirage.

 

[coolchange]

SICK!! Thanks for posting Al. That Winebego conversion is cool. Wonder why they didn't just hollow it out the shell and keep the roof on it.

I've always wondered - doesn't the salt getting EVERYWHERE in these vehicles mess them up (corrosion)?

You'll see a lot of crazy ways to haul stuff out there. The biggest problem is everything is so low you can't get it up a trailer ramp. One guy with a streamliner has a trailer that straddles the car, then they hoist it up.another guy has a trailer that's hydraulic the drops absolutely flat to put a streamliner on.another is a 50-something Dodge or Chevy with a flatbed hauler but the flatbed is extremely low. Gets away with it cuz it's got a 500 Cadillac eldorado up front.

 

[rrrr]

SICK!! Thanks for posting Al. That Winebego conversion is cool. Wonder why they didn't just hollow it out the shell and keep the roof on it.

I've always wondered - doesn't the salt getting EVERYWHERE in these vehicles mess them up (corrosion)?

After we returned from Bonneville, it took three days to wash the Dodge 3500, the 40' trailer, and the race car. Sprayed everything with Salt Away three times during that period. It's a freekin' job, that's for sure.

 

[rrrr]

The 911 B/BFMR is a badass car. It runs over 300 MPH, which is hella stout considering it's basically a brick aerodynamically.

 

[ltbaney1]

The 911 B/BFMR is a badass car. It runs over 300 MPH, which is hella stout considering it's basically a brick aerodynamically.

my friend Donny works on that car and has driven it a few times. if you see him, tell him Tyler said hi.

 

[warpt71]

Bucket list trip for sure!!!! One day Ill go.............

 

[OutCole'd]

I've been twice, if you haven't been, go! It's amazing the shit you will see. We brought out a couple XR70's for transportation. It's a big event. It would take days to try to walk the pits.

 

[monkeyswrench]

One of the Saturday donut and coffee guys brought this out last year after Bonneville. He went this year too. The motor is half of a pontiac V8! It dynoed in the high threes on methanol, and is belt driven to a 6spd, with a chain final drive. He's a good machinist...built the V4 harley based engines, and a badass V8 based on a Hayabusa motor.
Odd sidenotes for those of us not into this type of racing...the trailer has ramps for the front and rear wheels, and no floor or connections laterally. It fits inside an enclosed, like a dolly setup for a boat. The belly pan on that car is actually 3/8ths plate. For stability and traction, it added close to 900lbs! Way different than anything I've been involved in.

 

[Moneypit]

Above: For those accustomed to boat and race car engineering be prepared to see things you would never see in "normal" Hot Rods. As mentioned, even the trailers are an engineering challenge. "Aero" is critical. The "AIR" is a formidable barrier. What looks easy, isn't even close to easy... There are no "pit" fences, it's all wide open and the participants are all very friendly and happy to explain why they did this or that on their vehicles.. One of the greatest guys runs a diesel powered VW pick up. Last I saw was like 76mph and you would have thought he broke 1000...Both organizations are a mutual family, not unlike boat racers from different venues.. Again, Bucket list requirement...Do it...
Ray

 

[Tom Slick]

my friend Donny works on that car and has driven it a few times. if you see him, tell him Tyler said hi.

Another 240+mph run this morning, only this time he was going backwards through the lights. I think this is the first time that the 911 has ever spun. Goes to show how horrible the track conditions are.

 

[coolchange]

That's too bad. It's a point of pride to never have a spin in your log book.
What a lot of people don't realize is most of those roadsters will weigh in easily at 5000 lb

 

[ltbaney1]

Another 240+mph run this morning, only this time he was going backwards through the lights. I think this is the first time that the 911 has ever spun. Goes to show how horrible the track conditions are.

ask Donny about breaking his back at El Mirage. cant remember what car he was in, but the glare hit the windscreen just right, went off course and hit the international scout that the safety team was using at 150+

 

[Tom Slick]

ask Donny about breaking his back at El Mirage. cant remember what car he was in, but the glare hit the windscreen just right, went off course and hit the international scout that the safety team was using at 150+

Yikes

 

[rrrr]

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A couple of photos from my Bonneville experiences...

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[Moneypit]

USFRA guys are saying the salt is looking good for their meet next month.. Grooming a lane beside what SCTA was using. They're out about 8 miles, and moving the starting line about a mile north.. They're fairly confident they'll have a full course ready by meet time...
Ray

 

[TPC]

So many cool sides to motor sports.

 

[Tom Slick]

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A couple of photos from my Bonneville experiences...

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Breaking the Goldenrod record was one hell of an achievement. And the way that you guys did it was incredible.

What is the future for Spirit of Rett and Charles Nearberg?

 

[Chili Palmer]

Thanks for posting, this is definitely on my bucket list. Now I’m going to have to pop in the Worlds Fastest Indian dvd to get my Bonneville fix.

 

[rrrr]

Breaking the Goldenrod record was one hell of an achievement. And the way that you guys did it was incredible.

What is the future for Spirit of Rett and Charles Nearberg?

Charles married his longtime girlfriend a few years ago. He has stepped away from LSR. I think those two events are related. When she rode down course with me in the chase car during runs, she quietly expressed her thoughts about her man driving 400 MPH. She was frightened by the possible outcome. But there wasn't any demand that he stop. They reached an agreement based on love for each other.

Charles still races at the Monterey Classics and goes to Goodwood and other events. Besides Dallas, he also has homes in California and New Hampshire, a villa in France, and is spending more time away from business as he gets older. Charles is one of the nicest guys I've met.

His car collection is unbelievable. He has at least 75 cars, most of them being former racers. I was blown away by the opportunities I had to work on those incredible cars.

The vehicles in the collection include a 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, with an estimated worth over $50M, a Rothmann's Porsche 962 driven by Derek Bell and Hans Stuck, Jr. at LeMans, a LeMans competitor Gulf Porsche 917, a 1927 Miller 91 front wheel drive, and a 1996 McLaren F1 (one of seven modified for conformance with US laws).

Other vehicles are a 1980 Kremer Porsche 935K3, a Toyota Eagle Mk III GTP Fangio II car (raced at Monterey last week), a 2003 F1 Schumacher Ferrari F2003-GA, a 1935 Alfa Romeo Monoposto 8C 35 Type C, a 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB-4, a Steve Moal custom hotrod with a Gurney/Weslake engine, and dozens of others I can't remember.

If my health wasn't so screwed up, I could show up at the shop on Monday morning and go back to working on these classics. It's the coolest gig ever. Hearing the flat 12s on the Porsche 917 and 962 fire up makes me grin and giggle like a schoolgirl.