Introduce Yourself

[38flattie]

Hello All!

My brother and I grew up in Southern California, building street rods.  We were fortunate to find some Original Racers -- Joe Reath, Ed Iskendarian and many more -- who were happy to show a couple of high school kids the ropes.  My brother built a blown '34 flathead that he raced at the Antique Nationals, and won his bracket at age 16!  (I futzed around with a 66 Mustang that I never completed.)

Now we are both 30+ years older, and ready to pick up where we left off.  My brother already did -- he was part of the FlatCad team that debuted at Speed Week in 2011.  They ran a 'mule' engine to pass inspection and shake out the kinks in the car.  The cool Flat Caddy engine will hit the salt next year.

I was inspired by my brother's story, and we are ready to pass the torch to my son.  He is a freshman in high school, about the same age we were when we caught the bug.  So... we are building a couple of engines for the lower end of the Pro class.  This will be great experience; they don't teach this kind of hands-on engineering in school, and it ain't no  ##!!  video game!  He should be ready for the driver's seat in a couple of years, after some time 'in the pits' with a wrench.

A big Thank You to everyone who worked to build SCTA from the beginning -- and the generations that continue to support this great enterprise.

We look forward to learning from everyone who ran the salt before us...       

Hello Mark, and welcome!

I assume your the smarter of the two brothers?

Sounds like a great plan to get your son started! Are you going to be on the salt this year? If things go right, maybe we could get his rookie stuff out of the way, and his license.

[VonYinzer]

Hey all. Names Mike. 31 from about an hour north of Pittsburgh PA. Ive dreamt of running on the salt since I was a kid, and if all goes as planned I will in 2013.

Ill be doing it on a turboed 1968 Honda CL175.

Ive gotten very lucky in the fact that Ive become friends with Bill Anderson of screwball racing. Hes a record holder at Bonneville and ElMirage with his 500cc Weslake powered Sidecar.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwoRBeNkrTk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ9xPClCCIA&feature=related

Anyhow, I have, build, and ride any bike I can get my hands on. I have the Honda, an old Ironhead Sporty chop, a 68 BSA project, and have owned/wrenched on many other over the years.

Hopefully you folks dont mind me hanging around and asking the occasional stupid question! 

[Cereal KLR]

Hi Folks,

Only been going to the salt for five years, but the little woman swears I need professional help with my addiction. I have been running the BUB events with basically lein sale tow yard motorcycles. While some might think this is a waste of money to do this with no chance of record or bragging rights, I am old enough to know you have to start somewhere. We have learned something every year and gone faster, even if just a little. We now pass tech with no problem, leave the place cleaner than when we arrived and have met the most creative, interesting and absurd people along the way.  

This year I was given an abandoned kz1100 Kawasaki which will become the test mule for this seasons BUB run. After getting a base run, I hope to play with tire pressure, jetting and body position. I believe if a motorcycle comes apart at Bonneville,its certainly a more honorable death than rusting into a puddle behind a carport. My RWB # is 959 and hope to meet/see some of you again this August.

Jim

[55chevr]

Jim-

Looking forward to it ... I tried professional help at my wife's suggestion and now the doctor is considering land speed racing.
Joe

[Marty]

Jim,
         great to see some people use some old skool bikes from time to time, especially in classes where it just becomes fun. I feel I might be in that boat as well. I run what now is considered a dinosaur compared to the busa's and zx 14 etc.. But its about meeting people and having some fun too.Look forward to all those on smaller budgets. Good luck to us.

[Cereal KLR]

Thank you Gentlemen, appreciate the welcome.

Its not that I don`t like newer faster bikes (had an R1 in the rotating garage stock for awhile) but to me buying speed is missing the point of Bonneville. I wanted to learn how to go faster. My first trip I saw many older guys with 40" Triumphs and thought, why not update a decade or so? But after talking with them, the concept of a platform known inside and out with constant improvements made more sense. This forum has so much information, I look forward to soaking up as much info as possible.

My list of folks to provide frosty beverages for at the Wendover Nugget looks to be expanding 

[Old Scrambler]

Von with the CL175..............Looking for what you have.........a sloper CL175.............If you build the motor anything over 175cc you may be in the next class.......250cc..........a later 175 or a CB200 may work for a turbo............Anyhow, welcome to the FUN.

[wheelrdealer]

Von:

2011 was my first trip after 42 years of wishing and making excuses. It was worth every once of energy and every $$.

Good luck and remember if you run anything at Bonneville you are a 1%er. Everyone else just wishes they were there.

Welcome, Go fast and be safe

Bill

[03Vmax]

 Hi all,
just wanting to soak up some knowledge. planning a blow through project for my Vmax. 

[fredvance]

Welcome, there are lots of brains, here, to pick. Be gentile some of us daon have a lot to spare.

Check Wildbros racing. Bill knows a LOT ABOUT VMAX'S.

[03Vmax]

 Thanks Fred !

[Seldom Seen Slim]

I've known Bill's VMax since he arrived with it at Maxton a handful of years ago - and I remember seeing what was then just about the only fuel injected VMax there was.  Fine bike.  Then he let me make a run on it at Bville a few years later -- my only-ever ride on one of the bikes.  Good luck and have fun.

By the way -- where are you?  When I saw you had registered and left the location part of the reg. page blank -- I made up a place for you.  You're welcome to go change it - or have me keep messing with you.

[03Vmax]

 I've never met Bill, he's done some incredible things with the Vmax!
As for me I live in Joplin MO. I will update profile,cant have you messing with me.
Mostley I'm just tinkering with an idea. 109 RWHP isnt enough.

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Oh, dang -- go ahead and put in Joplin.  I do have fun inventing names and places, though. . .

[Seldom Seen Slim]

Forgive me for putting this here instead of with the other pleas I've posted for funding -- but we've had bunches of new folks sign up recently and maybe I can get their attention through the "intro" topic.

Ladies and gentlemen, landracing.com is a site that brings as much of the land speed racing world together as any website.  We have a great discussion board going on the Forum, and I try to keep up with posting news about most stuff in the topic, be that new builds, new machines, new people that are racing, and so on.  And as you've also probably noticed, we have only a very few paying sponsors.  I try to keep the number of ads down to a minimum - so you see almost all racing and not much advertising.  The pages also load more quickly when there aren't a bunch of ads and flashing banners and so on.

So - that means that a good portion of the funds that pay for the day to day operation of the site come from the folks that visit the site and use it.  Donations are what keeps things going, and we've made it pretty easy to donate - by using the Paypal buttons that are here and there around the site.  You're welcome to send a check or money order to the site, too, in case you'd prefer not to use the Paypal method.  509 Dukes Road, Skandia, Michigan 49885 is the address.

Now and then I'll offer things for sale - things that have, in many cases, been donated to me to sell to raise bucks.  I haven't done that in a while -- maybe I'll dig around the shop tonight and see what I can offer to you.  Last year I "auctioned" off the spaces on the t-shirt that we make for Salt Talks at SpeedWeek, and that is another way to get the bucks it takes to run this site.  I expect that I'll try that gambit again, too.

So - this is aimed mostly at the new folks that haven't yet seen how well the site works with donations:  Please consider sending a buck or ten or a whole big bunch to support landracing.com.  if you send fifty bucks -- make sure you give me a mailing address so I can send a better-than-usual thank you in return.  What'll that be?  I dunno -- how 'bout your very own Landracing.com logo coffee cup?  I'll get a photo of one of 'em and post it.  And you'll get a cup if you send $50 or more.  Fair 'nuff?  Thanks.