COOK'S SHOOTOUT 2012

[racefanwfo]

Is there an offical entry list yet. Is mike charlton and the jet bike entered this year.

[Dean Los Angeles]

The topic is here:
http://www.landracing.com/forum/index.php/topic,11681.0.html

[Glen]

Looks like ack Attack has with drawn from the shoot out due to poor course conditions. This was posted on face book.

[velocity]

I just spoke to Rocky Robinson. Mike Akatiff left it up to him to make the call on running this year. Rocky inspected the entire 12-mile international course and found both ends to be such poor condition that he thought it wise to stand down this year.

"The bike is ready, the team is ready and am certainly ready to go for a 400MPH run," said Robinson, "However, the salt is not ready, too many pot holes, too thin in too many sections and even though there have been great efforts made to fix the surface it is simply too granular, we need hard salt because I need to accelerate hard right off the line."

-- LandSpeed Louise

[velocity]

Update from Mike Cook:

"We've spent hours and hours and hours with many people working trying to get the international course is better shape. When we started the interstate end was far too rough but we've managed to turn that around now. George Poteet was here and thinks the course is better for Speed Demon than it was last year. Our big problem is the top end, towards floating island, there are lots of pot holes and not enough salt. We're going to concentrate efforts there over the next couple of weeks and see if we can't get the surface into a condition that more people are comfortable about running on."

-- LandSpeed Louise

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Great news, Louise.  For the past few years the end near I-80 has been pretty poor, so almost anything will be an improvement.  As for the Floating Island end -- well, yes, I remember it being pretty iffy, so maybe the Cook and the Speed Demon crew can help improve that.  I know that George wants to get his top speed up, and it'll take lots of additional run length to do that.  Too bad that Rocky and the Ack bike won't be there, but I can understand why he's hesitant.  But for sit-on bikes -- things are going to be dandy (without any work).  Other cars?  I haven't heard much that we don't already know.  See you soon.

[Tman]

The condition of the northern salt should send us all over to the thread in the SLC Trib posted below and comment on the replenishment. Other than us that race and crew it sounds like the average Joe on the street has no idea that the salt pumping hasn't already built the salt back up. Just read the comments.

[Jack Gifford]

Does FIA still require the backup run to be the opposite direction? If not, what was the last year they did? How much time allowed between the two runs?

[Peter Jack]

Yes, 1 hour.

Pete

[fredvance]

Two for motorcycles, figure that one out.

[Peter Jack]

I didn't include motorcycles because that's FIM. 

I'd make a smart a** comment Fred, but that would only get me in trouble.

Pete

[Seldom Seen Slim]

PJ, it's easy to understand why the motorcyclists get two hours to turn around and the cars only one hour:  The bike folks have a better lobbying force and can afford more lawyers.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

It's supper time here in Skandia, Michigan, but once we're done I'll be posting a "photo essay" about the salt conditions and the work that a whole bunch of people -- including Ron Main, Denis Manning, and, of course, Mike Cook did in the past week or two.  The work was to try to improve the conditions so that anyone that wants to run on the course is able to do so without having to plan on running short to avoid bad salt at one end or the other, or having to worry about accelerating softly because it's so bumpy.

Here's a before and after "teaser" shot of bad and good/getting better but not yet all done:

[grumm441]

I

PJ, it's easy to understand why the motorcyclists get two hours to turn around and the cars only one hour:  The bike folks have a better lobbying force and can afford more lawyers.

It's not that they can afford more lawyers, it's just that they spend more time with lawyers
G

[Jack Gifford]

... Yes, 1 hour...

Thanks.