Stan Back & Freud, I still have 5 medium and 4 large T-shirts for $20 each plus $2 shipping if you need some, if so you can e-mail me at "avantikid@earthlink.net" we had fun selling them at Speed Week, sure wish we could have got the D/CBGC record, but we couldn't back up the run. Next I hope to take the car to the Musuem in June. Heres some info on what happened to us! ouch!
Folks, here is the info on the race at Bonneville in August 2011.
by Dave Bloomberg ยป Sun Aug 21, 2011 7:16 pm
Sorry I'm late in getting into what happened at Speed Week, but been real tired, got back late Friday night after a 14 hour trip home, first of all I want to thank Sonny for this fantastic web site, which has helped all of us racers so much with information and just letting us know what the Studebaker racing world is up to.
Getting to the racing status, the first day (Saturday) Mike Benbennick drove the Avanti as planned for just 3 miles, at the 2 1/4 mile point he was at 209.424mph, (record was 209.3) but at the 2 1/2 mile point auto shut down ocurred because the lower radiator hose came off and the engine got above 220 degrees, so he coasted thru the 3 mile point too slow for a qualifying record, then the next run after we repaired the radiator hose and intalled water, he ran a 157.853 mph, so we thought it was a bad tune up, but the plugs looked great, (later we found that the clutch was slipping, thus the low top speed), then the next day we got in line again and we pushed him off from the push truck, but he didn't move away from us, so it was a turn out and no run, when we got to the pit we found the 10,000 rpm clutch was totally gone,(darn) so with Lou help from Avanti Magazine he contacted Jon Meyer for a clutch and throw out bearing, and Mike Benbennick got a hold of 10,000 rpm company in Lancaster, California for a over night delivery, on the next day the clutch and flywheel arrived OK, the the flywheel was standard Studebaker and my flywheel was modified with larger/stronger bolts so Jon Meyers didn't fit , so we cleaned up my original flywheel and had to install the ring gear that came off during the end of the last run, my nephew Kurt welded it back on to my flywheel, we then installed the new throw out bearing and new clutch, trans, drive line then jacked up the rear wheels to see if we can go thru all the gear OK, that was good, then we went out again to race did 199.596 mph, (had to adjust new clutch, was slipping a little), then next day 202.822 mph at 3 mile, then later that same day we decided to go 4 miles for the first time and did 203.962 mph (later in the pits we found that both these last two runs were on only 7 clyinders, we found the #4 clyinder exhaust valve seat came loose and damaged the piston and valves) so when this was found , we knew we were done, even though on 7 clyinders, if we had gone 5 mile instead of 4 miles we could have qualified for a record attempt the next morning, but we had no way of knowing about the engine failure, so that ends our racing and we are looking forward to taking the car to the Studebaker Musuem next June if they want it, then my wife and I can visit with my drag racing friends in the mid west who I have spoken to and e-mailed but never had a chance to meet them, so even though my racing career is over I never regreted a minute of it , it sure was a great thrill and fun for 18 years, I sure will miss it! But now with my wife Barbara we want to start a new chapter in our life in travelling this great nation, in closing I really want to thank my heros, Ron Hall and Jim Lange for all the help and advice over these years, before Ron passed on he always gave me great advice over the phone, and Jim designed a very powerfull Studebaker engine for me to race, I also want to thank Mike Benbennick, (my co-driver) and Mike Pakucko (crew chief) for all their help, without them I could not have ever raced at Muroc, El Mirage or Bonneville, so I hope to see a lot of you at the Avanti organizations 50th in June, then go to deliver my Avanti to the Studebaker Musuem. God Bless you all, Dave Bloomberg (Avanti Kid)
Original owner of 1963 Avanti, race my Avanti at Bonneville, Muroc Dry lake & El Mirage, presently hold world records for D/CPS at Bonneville, Muroc & El Mirage race courses. Top speed for car was 215.633 mph
In 2006 became member of the Bonneville 200 MPH Club.
