Introduce Yourself

[Kix]

Hello,

My name is Kix and I'm signing in from Hillbilly Hollywood (Nashville, TN).  I have been helping a friend with his land speed car for several years and we have spent the last couple of years building mine... a 1997 GMC Sonoma.  We were hoping to get the truck ready for the big white dyno in August, but it looks like we will be shooting for Maxton in September and B-ville in October.  See y'all in a few weeks!

Kix

[Constant Kinetics]

Hey, speed demons. A few buddies and myself are researching alternative fuels and energy sources and are hoping to bring a couple of projects to Bonneville in 2011. We are very intersted in the Omega class and already started on our first build, an advanced partially streamlined motorcycle. We are hopping to have 2 vehicles going by speed week in 2011 and hope to see what everyone else built up just to see how fast it'll go. Hit me up if you have any tips for a first visit to the salt flats. 

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Okay, Mr. CK -- I'll start with the easy stuff.  What's your name -- or do you really want us to call you something like CK?  Then -- where are you?  There are racers all over the place, and if you're near someone else -- maybe you and said nearby racer can get together for in-person help and chat.

Then we'll go to your question of helpful hints for a first-timer.  There are about a zillion things you might want to know -- where should we all start?  You might go to the homepage of this site and click on "Tech & FAQs" - - to get a whole bunch of basic information.

And finally -- do you have an SCTA rulebook?  You should get one before you do much more than think about building anything - to make sure you don't go off on a tangent that will become, once you've read the rules, a dead end.  Got one rulebook?  Get another - maybe two.  With three you'll have one for the shop, one for the coffee table, and one for the back of the toilet. 

Best regards -- and welcome to landracing.com and the Forum.  You'll be able to get just about all of the help and answers you need or want here.

[Stainless1]

CK... remember salt and electricity don't get along well, can be a shocking experience... in fact Bonneville is the only place I've been bit by a car battery.  Have fun, start a build diary, and re-read the rule book every week.

[LonH]

Newb from North Alabama. I just joined the forum to soak up all the knowledge I can. I'm working on a 84 GMC Sierra fullsize truck. It has a mostly stock 350 smallblock, a 350 trans and 3.08 geared 12 bolt rearend.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Ah, the excitement of youth.  Welcome to the Forum, Lon.  We'll be looking forward to learning lots about your build - and maybe even yourself.  Tell us, if you please, what kind of experience you've got (if any) in racing, and what you do as a "real" job, and stuff like that.  No need to do so -- we just like to know something about each other here.

As for building your truck into a land speed vehicle -- will you run at Maxton, NC, or go to Bonneville?  Maxton's quite a bit closer to you and would probably give you some good experiences.  BUT - the rules are slightly different for those two places, so make sure you've got a rulebook before you get too far into your building.  It'd be a heck of a note to have almost everything done and then ddiscover you don't have one or another thing correct for the chosen venue.

I've gotta go -- a customer just walked in.  Welcome!

[HarleyBob]

Hi all, I'm Bob Clark, Coalinga, CA is my home.  I have always had a fascination with Bonneville, and discovered its location on a trip home from Sturgis in 2002, have been attending Speedweek pretty much ever since, as a spectator.  At 55, its time for me to put up or shut up, so I just bought a Hayabusa, and plan on running Speedweek in 2011.  I plan to run in 1350 m/bg, (I think)  and my main goal is to live my dream of running Bonneville, and a 200 MPH timeslip for the wall.  I bought a rulebook a couple years ago, (will get a brand new one this year) and have been studying it along with the tech sheet as well.  I plan to run El Mirage next spring for experience, and to get SCTA tech'ed.  After 36 years working in the oil patch here, I am hanging it up in February, so I can concentrate on my mission.  I have been lurking here for quite a while, just signed up recently, and do appreciate the wealth of info I have already gotten from all of you.  I have already picked out some people from here to bug with questions at the Salt next month!  Thanks in advance for all the help, see you at the Bend and on the Salt next month!

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Hmmmm, a guy called "Harley Bob" on a 'Busa.  This'll be cool -- watch another one get converted !  Seriously -- howdy, Bob, and thanks for joining the Forum.  If you've been lurking you've already got an idea of how we do stuff here -- so ask questions and have fun.  As for finding us (whomever we might be) on the Salt -- we'll be waiting for you to walk up and say hello.  You'll find Nancy and me at our pit -- or "running the show" at Salt Talks Sunday evening.

We look forward to meeting you soon.  Welcome.

[theazoldcrow]

   From one Harley rider to another.......Howdy!   Look for my bike, with the Old Crow Speed Shop logo on the tank....I'll be near the "Tear Drop Trailor" militia at the bend in the road.  If ya like a beer I'll have one with ya,,,if not,, water or soda will do!   BCNU on the salt?     Crow.

[HarleyBob]

Thanks for the welcome Slim and Crow, I'll for sure be looking you all up.  I'll be camping out of a red Pace trailer, and cruisin around on a Taco minibike,  if that isn't a sight! 

[Glen]

Welcome aboard HarleyBob. Just a point of information is that Mini bikes are not allowed in or around the pits at Bonneville. But don't let that stop you from showing up.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

To clarify Glen's clarification:

You're allowed to ride a mini bike most places on the Salt -- just not IN the pits or CLOSE to the pits.  You're welcome to park in the spectator area and ride the mini to the start line, around the back of the pits down to the spectator area past the pits, and so forth -- just not IN or AROUND the close perimeter of the pits -- and that includes in front of the pits (between pits and the race course, on the access road).

Race cars are being moved around all of the time, and visibility and steering are pretty compromised in many of them, especially those being either pushed or towed on a rope/strap.  That's one of the reasons for the No Minibike rule.  Other than that -- go ahead, have a ball.

[HarleyBob]

I understand, I have been there several years with the minibike, and kinda knew the rules, but thank you for clarifying them.  Now a quick question, can I buy a logbook there, even though I am not entered this year, so as to get a headstart for next year?  Thanks!

[fredvance]

Welcome Bob, alway glad to see another bike guy, another busa guy, and another Harley guy that come over from the dark side.LOL

 Fred

[John Noonan]

I understand, I have been there several years with the minibike, and kinda knew the rules, but thank you for clarifying them.  Now a quick question, can I buy a logbook there, even though I am not entered this year, so as to get a headstart for next year?  Thanks!

Yes you can...best ten bucks spent besides a rule book..