El Mirage

[Dean Los Angeles]

It was in the 90's in Southern California this weekend. I left Simi Valley at 5:30 a.m. and it was 74 degrees. 30 minutes later in Santa Clarita it was 56 degrees. Palmdale 44. El Mirage at 7:00 a.m. 33 degrees. Gotta love the desert.

It was a perfect race day. There was no wind. It did make visibility pretty tough by 10:00.

Panoramic view of El Mirage. 8:00 a.m. just before the first run. Click on the image for the full view.

PS: The guy in the shorts is freezing to death!

I LOVE the smell of nitro in the morning!!!!!!


 Rick Yacoucci always looks good.

 Let me see,
Costella & Yacoucci, Rick Yacoucci, I BFS,  235.516
Costella & Yacoucci, Rich Yacoucci, H BFS, 247.750
Costella & Yacoucci, Rich Yacoucci G BFS,  263.412

So you thumb through the record book and discover that F BGS is  211.180. You just need a few more cubes:

So you graft an engine on to the back! Looked like an air cooled 2 stroke driving a single wheel. Cool! 246 mph for the record.
I'll post the rest of the pictures in the gallery a little later.

[Glen]

I was on the phone with Bob Webb, SCTA timer @ a little after 2:00 pm and they were on wind hold @21 mph,Haven't heard any since then.
The weather report shows the wind decreased somewhat later in the day

[jimmy six]

Many spins, held for over an hour due to high winds. On restart all got 1 run.....J.D. I think there were less than 10 records

[Dynoroom]

I pulled A.M. patrol today, yep it was a tad chilly at 35 degrees. But after the sun came up it was a great day! J.D.'s right, after the course went away we had about 5 spins. (not to throw politics in but the SCTA moved the track all the way back to the western edge of the lakebed but it still went away) So the track was moved. Then a wind delay but we got going about 2:00.
Here are a couple pictures when I got the chance to walk the pits.

[Dynoroom]

OK trying again

[Dynoroom]

Sorry, I'll try to load pictures tomorrow at work.

[1212FBGS]

I had PM duty at station 5..... lots of gusting wind but not 2 bad, lots of spins. not many records. The course was pushed all the way back to Calloways to get good dirt and it still went away fast. some bonehead was doin donuts out yonder where they plan 2 set up the November course, I think Lee Kennedy went over and straightened him out. Don't know what kind of damage was done. Lee also got a chance 2 talk 2 a couple of dirt bikers that decided 2 cross the course about duty station 3 a suggestion was made on the CB when he was chasin them 2 just run them over and don't stop unless their corps flatten his tire. Don't think he did. was at duty station all day so i didn't get a chance to see people in the pits. Heard a conversation when i was helpin take down the motorcycle tech awning that yacoucci was protested, don't know the result.
later
kent

[AJR192]

Kent, I don't know you or John Romero. Never even seen you before. But the last statement you made in your post kinda seems in poor taste to me, especially since you didn't post any specifics about what Rick was protested for or if it even held up. You said you don't like Romero spreading gossip and rumors so why do you see yourself fit to? Let whoever who is actually involved with whatever is going on there decide if it needs to be posted here.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Lemme guess -- maybe the postulated protest was about putting a spare engine on the back of the car.  I got this from the photos, not from any other source, so I make my guess bassed on the information presented in this very subject thread.  Not that I'd deny anyone the right to try that approach  -- it shows great creativity, and I betcha dollars to donuts if it's true -- that Rick isn't too shocked about the situation.

[RichFox]

I see on the SCTA web site the record is in red, which usually means it is certified.

[836dstr]

There were a lot of interested onlookers, and discussions in the Tech Inspection staging lanes. The car was in the trailer and the extra engine, framework and drive tire were in the back of his truck. Had to be some great discussions during the inspection.

It seemed that the main point was if the added engine would actually aid the performance of the car. I have no idea how you would prove that one way or the other.

Very clever and innovative either way. You just have to love the creativity Rick showed! That's what makes LSR so much fun. Come see the odd and outlandish.

Tom

[1212FBGS]

ajr
oooh thats a low blow... compairing me to romero is like ..... well.... it's a low blow man!!!!
Its not gossip or a rumor it is a fact. i am not involved and do not know the details or the results. therefor i only stated what i know happened at El Mirage yesterday and i wont tell ya anything i dont know for fact. So yes, someone didn't like the way Rick modified his car so they protested  it. I looked for Rick early, about 9:30 AM before my PM duty to see his car. I was told i would get a good chuckle out of it but I couldnt find him so I didnt get to see the car first hand (the first pix i saw of it was on this post). I also looked for Jim Knapp after my duty but he already went home. Our Club presedent told me more details of the protest. Several people stopped by my duty station to shoot the breeze and mentioned the protest throughout the day. But without first hand conversation with either Rick of Jim i didnt give you second hand details. I spoke with Dan Warner when i was loading the tech trailer but i was not envolved so i thought it would have been 2nd gradish and rude of me to ask him about someone elses buisness. I do know more details but it is all 2nd hand and not my place to tell ya. I only reported things i know happened. i do not know how many spins their were so i just said there were a lot of spins. I know the yellow belli tank and a corvette spun but didnt think you guys needed to know that especially since i couldnt report accurate information like driver or entry # so i left it out. i didnt race, i had duty, so i couldn't personally comment on how bad the course was but i said they set the course up way, way, west to try to get good dirt and they still had to move the course during the wind hold. Dont know the details of who set the records but i know there wern't many.
No gossip, no rumors man, only the facts, ok not all the detailed facts, but still a highlighted summery of how i remembered yesterday

Ok also....  I dont want a reputation as someone who posts negative stuff I only want to post usefull info, and opinion. I am the type of person who perfers to tell ya to your face if i dont like you and this typing stuff is for the birds. I dont want to be known as a slammer or basher. The name calling i did to romero should have done it in a pm. I opoligeze to Jon, and everyone on this site for typing personal opinions. I think bashing in forums is childish and deminishes the respectability of the site, but yet i did it. sorry man... sorry to everyone but romero.
yours in sport
Kent

[1212FBGS]

Rich the SCTA web site also said there was only 2 spins I know of at least five  
1= yellow belli tank
2= corvette
3= red roadster
4= black roadster
5= red yellow roadster (last car)
kent

[Sumner]

...........It seemed that the main point was if the added engine would actually aid the performance of the car. I have no idea how you would prove that one way or the other............Tom

Tom thanks for sharing that observation.

First streamlines are allowed multiple engines and  also have to have at least 4 wheels and can drive 4 wheels, but they can have more than 4 wheels and they don't have to be in a rectangular configuration.  So far I see that Rick hasn't done anything wrong to this point.

I've looked at the rule book, kind of quickly, and can't see anywhere where you have to prove that the second motor would aid performance or any mention of proving something along those lines.

Actually I think that what Rick did could evolve into some thinking where doing something like this might actually improve performance for a streamliner and not just add cu. inches for a class change.

Got me to thinking about using one motor until you get into top gear then using the second only for the final gear driving a second pair of wheels and running only one gear which would be equivalent to top gear in the main motor.  This could simplify the drive train and only use the second motor when it is really needed.

Like the rule book says for streamliners "Innovation is unlimited".  I find what he did to fit that very well .

Now saying that I am not in favor of moving up a class with the same size motor as in some cases packaging a smaller motor, especially in a streamliner or lakester, can give you an aero advantage over say having to package a AA motor in a body.

So I guess what Rick has done enters a "gray" area in my thinking right now and I'll have to think on it some .

c ya,

Sum

[JohnR]

I opoligeze to Jon, and everyone on this site for typing personal opinions. I think bashing in forums is childish and deminishes the respectability of the site, but yet i did it. sorry man...
yours in sport
Kent

I accept you apology. Lets move past it.

John